October 2013

As smartphones and mobile technology become increasingly important to people’s daily routines, government agencies and private companies are adding new applications every day. For example, mobile apps are making it easier for workers to access safety information when and where they need it.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a smartphone application for ladder safety, available for free download on iPhone and Android devices. The app uses visual and audio signals that help workers using extension ladders check the angle at which the ladder is positioned. It also provides references and a safety guide for selecting, inspecting, accessorizing, and using extension ladders.

OSHA offers a heat safety app for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android that workers and supervisors can use to calculate the “heat index” for a worksite and get information about appropriate protective measures. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, provides a more accurate indicator of risk for heatstroke and other heat-related conditions than temperature alone. For more information and to download the app, visit http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/heat_app.html.

NIOSH is developing a mobile version of the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) that includes descriptive, exposure, protective, and emergency recommendations for 677 chemicals commonly found in workplaces.

Although mobile apps are convenient and helpful for some safety-related activities, bear in mind that they are not a substitute for a comprehensive program to protect your workers on the job. Use them to supplement the essential components of a safety system that includes formal training, weekly meetings, job hazard analysis, and so forth.

To learn more about integrating mobile apps into your workplace safety program, feel free to get in touch with us at any time.

If your employees slip up in using personal protective equipment, the results can be dangerous, if not deadly.

Among many health and safety professionals, PPE comes in last place—behind engineering controls and work practice or administrative controls – because it only addresses hazards indirectly and has the most potential failure points.

One of these potential points involves interaction between the worker and equipment, when employees make critical mistakes in the care, use, and replacement of PPE.

• Mistake No. 1: Improper care. For example, a worker takes her foam earplugs out to consult with another worker about a problem, and then rolls the earplugs again with dirty hands before reinserting them. At the end of the day, she leaves the earplugs inside her hard hat and re-uses them the next workday.
• Mistake No. 2: Misuse. A worker wearing a fall protection harness leaves the harness loose, but pulls the lanyard tight. Another worker who uses a respirator at work decides to grow a beard.
• Mistake Number 3: Failure to replace PPE as needed. Let’s say that a supervisor whose workers are supposed to use a new pair of chemical protective gloves each day, decides he will save his department money by telling workers to use each pair of gloves for a week before replacing them. After all, they still look fine after a week. Equipment should be changed 1) after each shift, it it’s disposable (gloves protective clothing, etc.).  2) whenever it shows signs of wear and tear or damage.  3) on schedule, if it’s reusable and must be replaced before exceeding its useful life.  and 4) after a save, for single-use PPE, such as hardhats, fall protection harnesses and lanyards.

A word to the wise …

Injured workers who gain weight due to inactivity or as a side effect of medication will probably receive higher workers comp benefits, thanks to the American Medical Association’s recent reclassification of obesity as a disease. That’s the conclusion of a recent six-year study of claims by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute.

According to the report, although this reclassification doesn’t have legal standing, the AMA’s positions often have a strong influence on lawmakers, regulators, and health care providers. Immediately after the decision, senators and congressmen introduced bipartisan bills requiring Medicare to cover more obesity treatment costs, including prescription drugs and intensive behavioral weight-loss counseling, which will give health care providers a financial incentive to use these remedies.

Judging from the results of the California study, this means that businesses can expect to pay more for workers comp. The report found that the costs of comp claims that listed obesity as a “comorbidity,” or additional cause, were far greater than for claims without them. Medical benefits for comorbidity cases cost 81% more than for other cases, while indemnity payments averaged nearly 65% higher. More two in three claimants with obesity comorbidity received permanent disability, nearly five times the rate for the non-obese. Finally, the use of narcotic painkillers was significantly higher among overweight claimants.

Obesity might even become a primary comp diagnosis for jobs such as long-haul trucking or office work that require employees to remain seated for extended periods.

The bottom line: look for the management and financial changes stemming from the reclassification of obesity as a medical condition to create new challenges and incentives for health care professionals, businesses, and workers compensation insurance companies.

We’ll stay on top of these changes to help make sure that your company has the coverage you need at a competitive rate.

Workplace safety signs and tags play a key role in helping prevent accidents to workers and visitors alike.

To make the most effective use of signs and tags in your facility that comply with OSHA regulation (29 CFR 1910.145), we’d recommend that you follow these guidelines:

• Identify all hazards throughout the workplace. In addition to obvious dangers, include those that are out of the ordinary, unexpected, or not readily apparent.
• Select or design signs and tags. Make sure they conform to OSHA requirements and are consistent in format.
• Use proper wording. According to OSHA, “the wording of any sign should be easily read, concise, and contain sufficient information to be easily understood.”
• Position signs carefully. Signs should be placed so that they’re easy to see and read from a distance and draw maximum attention to hazards.
• Identify safety and fire protection equipment clearly. This includes such items as eyewash stations and safety showers, as well as fire extinguishers and hoses.
• Employ tags properly. OSHA requires that “tags shall be used as a means to prevent accidental injury or illness to employees who are exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, equipment, or operations.”
• Review your program whenever new hazards are introduced. If you just put up signs and tags and forget about them, your facility probably won’t be in compliance with the OSHA regulations. Check the program frequently to make sure that it’s still doing the job.

The workplace safety professionals at our agency would be happy to help you review your signage and tag policy. Give us a call at any time.