Ladder Safety Is Now An App.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s ladder safety smart phone app is a finalist in the national HHS Innovates awards contest. The app addresses the major causes of ladder falls by placing a number of interactive and easy-to-use graphic-oriented safety tools, checklists and guides into the hands of ladder users wherever and when they are needed


You can read more here

Ladder Safety Smart Phone App is a Finalist for an Innovation Award.

NIOSH's ladder safety smart phone app is a finalist in the national HHS Innovates awards. The app focuses on the major causes of ladder falls by placing several interactive and easy-to-use graphic-oriented safety tools, checklists and guides into the hands of ladder users wherever and when they are needed. 

You can read more by clicking here. 

Happy N95 Day!

From the CDC:

Welcome to year two of this NIOSH-approved observance, marking N95 day as an official annual event. (We debated about decorating our offices with N95s – but that seemed a tad wasteful). To those who missed the memo last year, let us update you. Because N95 respirators are so important to the health and safety of workers in so many different industries, and because there is more to know about this personal protective device than just when to slap one on, we have dedicated a day to the promotion, celebration, dissemination, and proclamation of N95 information.

Read the full article at the CDC - NIOSH Science Blog

New NIOSH Smart Phone App Addresses Ladder Safety

From the CDC-NIOSH:

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announces the availability of a new Ladder Safety smart phone application (app). This new app uses visual and audio signals to make it easier for workers using extension ladders to check the angle the ladder is positioned at, as well as access useful tips for using extension ladders safely. 

The whole article on this cool new app ...

NIOSH, OSHA, and CPWR Announce Re-launch of the Construction Fall Prevention Campaign

From the CDC:

On April 28^th, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training announced the re-launch of the construction fall prevention campaign, the national initiative to prevent falls at construction sites. Falls continue to be the leading cause of work-related injury and deaths in construction. 

Read the article on the construction fall prevention campaign here.

Sunday is Workers Memorial Day!

From the CDC:

"On Workers Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who suffered work-related injury, illness, and death, and we rededicate ourselves to the mission of preventing future tragedies. Earning a day’s pay should not place anyone at risk of losing life or livelihood."

Read the full story on Workers Memorial Day.

It's Flu Season--Be Prepared!

It's flu season--here's some important info on the transmission of the influenza virus and ways to protect yourself!

Via the CDC:

"As we enter another influenza season, one question continues to vex medical and public health professionals: How do you stop people from catching the flu? The best way to prevent the flu is by getting an influenza vaccine every year. "

Continue reading about flu transmission and protection.

October is Protecting Your Hearing Month

Even Nick Knows:

Meet Nick.  Nick is a training mannequin who helps NIOSH teach young people and their families about preventing noise-induced hearing loss.  Hearing loss can result from working around noise–even non-powered hand tools–without wearing proper hearing protection. 

Read about Protecting Your Hearing Month from the CDC - NIOSH Science blog.

Protecting Emergency Responders

From the CDC:

When disaster strikes, the nation depends on emergency response workers who are prepared and trained to respond effectively. This need is particularly clear as we observe the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and honor the responders who performed heroic service during that somber time. 

Read more on the Protecting First Responders.

Happy N95 Day!

From the CDC - NIOSH Science Blog:

What? You didn’t know it was N95 day? Don’t worry! Exchanging gifts is not a required practice. N95 Day is a time to recognize the importance of respiratory protection in the workplace and familiarize yourself with the resources out there to help you make educated decisions when selecting and wearing a respirator.

Read the full N95 Day article.

Safer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce

From the CDC and NISOH Science Blog:

 

Profound changes continue to unfold in the American workforce as Baby Boomers—Americans born between 1945 and 1964—swell the ranks of our workplaces. This has led many employers to fear the possibilities of negative impacts associated with this demographic trend.  

 Read the full NIOSH Science Blog story here.

First Father’s Day Tied to the Workplace

Via the CDC and NISOH Science Blog:

Did you know that the first Father’s Day has workplace origins?  On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event to explicitly honor fathers[i].  The Sunday sermon was held in memory of the 362 men who were killed in explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, West Virginia the previous December.  These explosions remain the worst mine disaster[ii] and the worst industrial catastrophe of any kind[iii] in the history of the United States.  The 362 casualties left more than 1,000 widows and children.

Read the full NIOSH Science Blog story here.

Join the CDC in the campaign to stop falls in the construction industry.

Safety Pays. Falls Cost. Via the NIOSH  blog ...

One sunny June morning in 2009, Hector* went to work just as he had every other morning. He climbed to the roof as usual to begin working. But this day was different. In an instant, Hector was hanging over the outside edge of the second story wall of the home the residential construction company he worked for was building.

More on the Campaign to stop falls in the construction industry is here.

Keys to Lowering Back Stress

Back pain is the second most common reason why people visit the doctors. The National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has seven factors that mathematically evaluate stress while lifting. Lowering and adjusting these factors will also lower the amount of stress that is put on ones back.

To read more visit www.lovellsafety.com

Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors

From the CDC, a terrific article on nail gun safety: 

Nail guns are widely used on many construction jobs, especially in residential construction. While they boost productivity they may also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. This publication is intended to provide a resource for residential home builders and construction contractors, subcontractors, and supervisors to prevent these kinds of injuries.
The guidance was developed in response to a unanimous motion by industry, state, and labor stakeholders on OSHA’s Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) on the need to develop awareness and materials about nail gun risks. OSHA and NIOSH worked together to make sure the guidance reflects the most current information available...
View a message from the Directors of NIOSH and OSHA supporting the nail gun safety guidance. NIOSH-OSHA-Nail-Guns-Cover-Letter.pdf [PDF - 289 KB]

Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors [PDF - 1,618 KB]

Thank you as always to the good folks at NIOSH publications and CDC for useful and timely info!

Summary of the Making Green Jobs Safe Workshop

The good folks at CDC NIOSH have a pdf summary of their Making Green Jobs Safe Workshop here.

...The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), through the Prevention through Design Program, launched the Going Green: Safe and Healthy Jobs initiative to make sure that green jobs are good for workers by integrating worker safety and health sustainability. Green jobs, which have been defined broadly as jobs that help improve the environment and enhance sustainability, offer opportunities as well as challenges for workers. Examples of green jobs include manufacture, installation, and maintenance of solar panels and generators; construction and maintenance of wind energy turbines; jobs related to recycling; jobs related to the manufacture of green products; and jobs where green products are used in traditional fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and the service sector. In some instances, the hazards to workers may be similar to those in established industries. However, some green and sustainable practices may pose new health concerns for workers.

Click here to go directly to the pdf. 

Horrible Bosses: Workplace violence in the real world

Such a great article here from the CDC and NIOSH's Science blog about workplace violence.

Horrible bosses. If you've had one, hopefully they were not as bad as those portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Colin Farrell in the newly released movie of the same name. While the plot and characters are exaggerated and the comic elements may not be to everyone's taste, the movie highlights the very real issues of work stress and violence. Each week in the United States, an average of 33,000 workers are assaulted on the job and 14 are murdered...

Read the NIOSH Stress at Work page here; check out more useful info at the CDC's NIOSH Science blog here.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Here is an interesting editorial from John Howard, M.D., Director, National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health (NIOSH): Statement On Labor Day 2011.

A brief excerpt:

...The changing dynamics of the work environment and the changing demographics of the work force pose similar concerns. Knowing that the health and safety needs of the increasingly diverse U.S. workforce differ from those of the predominantly male workforce of the 20th Century, we are challenged to find ways to meet those needs.

Emergency preparedness and response have also emerged as a critical component of occupational safety and health. We are reminded again of that imperative as we approach the 10th Anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, and as rescue and recovery efforts proceed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene...

Check out CDC NIOSH's website here -- lots of good info and news.