The following new services and innovations have been introduced by International Safety Equipment Association member companies to help make workers safer:
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From Kimberly-Clark Professional - www.kcprofessional.com - are:
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An interactive brochure that helps industrial manufacturing companies improve their worker protection, cost-effectiveness and sustainability at www.kcprofessional.com/IMBrochure. The brochure offers product solution recommendations in maintenance and repair, warehouse, fleet maintenance, production and assembly, paint booth, laboratory, washrooms/wash stations, and break rooms. A similar brochure for metal manufacturing companies is available at www.kcprofessional.com/metal.
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Free program through which Kimberly-Clark Professional experts visit industrial facilities to help them identify more efficient and cost-effective options for issues ranging from what toilet tissue to use to what type of industrial wiper to use for different tasks.
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From Sperian Protection - www.sperian.com — are:
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A “Culture of Safety” online resource center launched by its Uvex® flagship brand of eye protection. The Web site, found at www.uvex.us, includes new tools, tips and expert insights from Uvex and other recognized industry leaders, making it easier for executive safety managers and employees to achieve a culture of safety, Sperian said.
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A strategic partnership with Prevent Blindness America (www.preventblindness.org) to help reduce workplace eye injuries and promote a culture of safety. Together, the two organizations will develop an innovative nationwide safety leadership program to educate and certify workers.
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A free case study that details how a Tennessee specialty forging and assembly operation was able to use in-ear dosimetry to break a cycle of hearing conservation behaviors and tactics that yielded minimal results and little real-world data. “QuietDose™ In-Ear Dosimetry is a ‘Foundational Element’ of Dixie Industries' Safety Program” is available at www.hearforever.org/dixie.
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - www.osha.gov - has introduced two new videos for healthcare workers that feature guidance on respirator and facemask safety. The “Respirator Safety” video demonstrates how to correctly put on and take off common types of respirators, such as N95s; “The Difference between Respirators and Surgical Masks” video explains how to prevent exposure to infectious diseases.
The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection. Viewers may watch both English and Spanish versions by visiting OSHA's Respiratory Protection page on the U.S. Department of Labor's YouTube site (http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor).
OSHA also has published a new booklet outlining industry requirements for hexavalent chromium standards. Workers exposed to this toxic chemical can develop lung cancer and damage to the nose, throat and respiratory system.
Other new OSHA communications products include:
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An updated overview of medical screening and surveillance requirements. Screening and Surveillance: A Guide to OSHA Standards pocket guide describes physical examinations and tests required to measure worker exposure to chemicals such as hexavalent chromium and benzene, and other workplace hazards such as noise and bloodborne pathogens.
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Three QuickCards™ that address worker safety topics in marine cargo handling operations. Gangway Safety… lists safety requirements for preventing falls from gangways; First Aid… explains workplace requirements such as assuring at least one person with a valid first-aid certificate is available at the terminal, and Lifesaving Facilities… lists safety requirements for equipment including personal flotation devices and Stokes basket stretchers.
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An eTool that helps workers and employers comply with 29 CFR Part 1910.269, the Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Standard, to help prevent worker deaths.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - www.cdc.gov/niosh - has published new bilingual posters and cards that show proper disposable respirator use. Download or order copies of the English or Spanish versions of “How to Properly Put On and Take Off a Disposable Respirator” poster or card from the Web site.
Other new NIOSH communications products include:
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“A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Training & Education for the Protection of Workers,” which reports findings from a study by the Institute of Work and Health and NIOSH; the study determined that workplace safety and health training positively impacts workers.
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“The Cost of Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1992-2001,” which measures the economic loss to society from premature deaths of workers.
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“Emergency Response Resources” topics page that highlights NIOSH resources to help protect search-and-rescue teams, fire fighters and other responders against work-related injury and illness.
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A Web page that provides up-to-date information on the independent peer review of all NIOSH documents defined by the agency as being influential in terms of their potential impact on public policy or the private sector; the page provides links to all such NIOSH documents and to all independent peer-review comments for each.
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Safety training module on self-rescue and escape from underground mines, which builds on interviews with two miners who survived a 1968 coal mine disaster in Farmington, W.Va.
The U.S Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) - www.msha.gov - has launched a new outreach and enforcement program to prevent mining fatalities. “Rules to Live By” will spotlight the safety and health standards most frequently cited during fatal accident investigations through outreach efforts with the mining industry, and focused enforcement by federal mine inspectors.
The fatality prevention initiative is being rolled out in two phases: industry outreach and focused inspections. During the first phase, MSHA disseminated information detailing the causes of the targeted fatal accidents to every mine operator, labor organization and state training grantee.
New from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) - www.acgih.org - is Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice for Design, 27th Edition, which has been widely used by engineers and industrial hygienists since its first edition in 1951.
New from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) - www.asse.org - is a voluntary consensus standard to address transportation-related incidents, which are still the number one cause of on-the-job deaths, ASSE said. Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction, ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009, is aimed at protecting workers from injuries and illnesses that result from working in work zones, establishing safe work practices in work zones, and preventing vehicle crashes in work zones.
The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA's) - www.nfpa.org - Fuel Gas Code Committee has moved on an emergency basis to strengthen safety requirements in NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code, for purging of gas piping. This action follows urgent recommendations issued by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board in the wake of a June 2009 explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim plant in Garner, N.C. A tentative interim amendment would require the discharge of gas purging to be directed outdoors, and it identifies specific requirements that must be met during the purging process. Find details at www.nfpa.org/54.
NFPA also has launched new high-resolution digital catalogs to allow users to access information in a new interactive format. The first two catalogs released center around NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® and NFPA 70, National Electrical Code®.