Hearing Protection in the Workplace

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that four million workers go to work each day in damaging noise. Ten million people in the U.S. have a noise-related hearing loss. Twenty-two million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise each year. Occupational hearing loss is the most common work related illness in the United States. Approximately 22 million U.S. workers exposed to hazardous noise levels at work, and an additional 9 million exposed to ototoxic chemicals. An estimated $242 million is spent annually on worker’s compensation for hearing loss disability.

NIOSH recommends removing hazardous noise from the workplace whenever possible and using hearing protectors in those situations where dangerous noise exposures have not yet been controlled or eliminated. Over the past few decades, much has been learned about the implementation of hearing loss prevention programs. The CDC recommends that the eight components of a successful hearing loss prevention program include: 1) noise exposure monitoring, 2) engineering and administrative controls, 3) audiometric evaluation, 4) use of hearing protection devices, 5) education and motivation 6) record keeping, 7) program evaluation, and 8) program audit.

In addition to your company’s specific workplace hearing prevention plan, SafetySkills offers a Hearing Conservation online safety training course. This course is designed to fulfill annual hearing conservation and protection training requirements created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. This course will help you to understand the effects of noise; the purpose, advantages, and disadvantages of various types of hearing protection; selection, fitting, and how to care for protectors; and the purpose of audiometric testing. When the course has been completed, you should be able to identify the definitions of ‘noise’ and ‘noise levels,’ and recognize the causes of hearing loss and the measures created by OSHA to prevent it. You should also be able to recognize the common personal hearing protection devices and their advantages and disadvantages, and recognize the basic requirements of audiometric testing and their purposes. This course is also available in Spanish.

The Hearing Conservation online course can be part of a company-wide training initiative or taken by individuals who are looking for some additional training outside of their workplace. After successful completion of the course, you will be able to print out a certificate of completion.

For more information about SafetySkills and other safety training topics, please visit us at https://safetyskills.com.

Personal Protective Equipment - PPE Care and Maintenance

Protective clothing has numerous standards depending on the wearer’s industry. While personal protective equipment, or PPE’s, purpose is to protect the wearer from chemical, physical and biological hazards, it is important to know that no single combination of protective equipment and clothing is capable of protecting you against all hazards. OSHA states that protective clothing should be used in conjunction with other protective methods. For example, engineering or administrative controls to limit chemical contact with personnel should always be considered as an alternative measure for preventing chemical exposure. The use of protective clothing can itself create significant wearer hazards, such as heat stress, physical and psychological stress, in addition to impaired vision, mobility, and communication. In general, the greater the level of chemical protective clothing, the greater the associated risks. For any given situation, equipment and clothing should be selected that provide an adequate level of protection.

PPE can ultimately save the wearer’s life is used properly. It is important to maintain proper care and upkeep of your company’s PPE for continuous wear and protection.

Some tips and considerations are:

• Cleaning and care instructions are provided with each piece of PPE and should be carefully followed. For example, modern fog resistant eye protection will be scratched and quickly rendered useless if cleaned by wiping with paper towels.
•  As an employer, you are obligated by regulatory standards to ensure that PPE is maintained in clean and sanitary condition.
• Modifications should not be made to PPE without the procedure being approved by the manufacturer.
•  Each employee should be required to perform a visual “quick check” on PPE before each use. This is especially true for chemical protective clothing, hardhats, fall protection, respirators and visibility garments.
• Some PPE, such as respirators, fall protection, and hardhats should be inspected by someone other than the user at least once per year.
• All PPE should be stored properly. Eye protection, respirators, and hearing protection require clean dust tight containers. These could be zip lock bags, pouches or cabinets. Goggles, face shields etc. should never be left hanging unprotected and dirty.
•  A company sponsored laundry program should be considered if the employees work in toxic materials that leave PPE heavily contaminated at the end of the day.
•  It is important to institute a well communicated company policy on when to replace and when to repair a piece of PPE.

For workplace training on the hazards present, the selection, maintenance, and use of PPE, please view these online safety training courses – Personal Protective Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment for Oil and Gas Personnel and Flame Resistant Clothing for the Oil and Gas Industry.

If you would like more information on SafetySkills and the course library of over 300 OSHA compliant course topics, please visit us at SafetySkills.com.

Earthquake Safety

Earthquake hazard is the unavoidable risk that an earthquake will disrupt daily activities or cause loss of property or life. The image below from the US Geological Survey, illustrate the areas within the United States with the highest to lowest earthquake hazard. An earthquake happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. Most damage associated with earthquakes is caused by waves generated during the earthquake.

California is the area of the United States that has the most earthquakes. However, the strongest earthquakes recorded in the continental US were not in the West; they were centered in eastern Missouri near the border with Kentucky and Tennessee. In the winter of 1811-1812, a series of three earthquakes of magnitudes 8.4 to 8.7 and maximum intensities of XI occurred near New Madrid, Missouri. Although the risk for an earthquake may be low or high, dependent on your area, it is still important to be prepared.

What can you expect to happen in your house if an earthquake occurs?

Shaking can make light fixtures fall, refrigerators and other large items move across the floor, and bookcases and television sets topple over. Look around your house for things that could fall or move.

Ask yourself if your kitchen cabinet doors could fly open and allow dishes to shatter on the floor.

Is your TV and other electronics fastened down and are shelves fastened to wall? Do you have hanging plants or light fixtures that might fall? Is there a heavy picture or mirror on the wall over your bed?

How can you prepare yourself for an earthquake?

· Identify the things in your house or work place that are unsecured. Items such as televisions, computers, bookcases, cabinet doors and furniture and be secured to help prevent injuries

· As with any emergency, make sure you have a plan in place. Make sure your emergency plan includes evacuation and reunion plans, emergency contacts and emergency supplies

· Make a disaster kit. Disaster kits should include nonperishable food, water, flashlights, portable radios, batteries, a first aid kit and cash

· Determine the structural integrity of your home. You may need to consider consulting a contractor to help identify problems such as inadequate foundations, unbraced walls, unreinforced masonry and vulnerable pipes.

· Learn what to do in an earthquake. “Drop, Cover and Hold On” can help save lives and reduce injury or death. During an earthquake, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold onto it firmly.



For more emergency safety tips and online safety training courses, you may be interested in the SafetySkills Basic First Aid course, Emergency Action Plans for Office Employees course, Emergency Response course and the Severe Weather and Outdoor Work course.

                                         

For more information about SafetySkills and online safety training courses and plans available, please visit http://safetyskills.com.