The changing nature of work and the need for innovative, comprehensive approaches to worker safety, health, and well-being were the focus of the 2nd International Symposium to AdvanceTotal Worker Health® held last month at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Each year, nearly 25,000 Americans visit the emergency room due to a workplace eye injury. Each day, over 2,000 Americans suffer an eye injury. This means that almost one million Americans have experienced some vision loss due to eye injury, which has resulted in more than $300 million in lost work time, medical expenses and workman’s compensation.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), OSHA and partners like ASSE and AIHA are encouraging employers to hold special activities during June 12-18, designated as Safe + Sound Week. The event is a nationwide effort to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs among workplaces.
A Deputy Sheriff in Florida who developed a program to help law enforcement officers protect their hearing during firearms training won the this year’s Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™.
Employers and workers are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction, to be held May 8-12. Sponsored by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, the weeklong outreach event encourages employers and workers to pause during the work day to talk about fall hazards and prevention.
Many young workers under age 25 enter the workforce before they have had a chance to develop foundational job skills. In fact, most high schoolers—an estimated 80 percent— hold a job at some point during their school years.
Every year 22 million workers are at risk of losing their hearing from workplace noise hazards. Work-related hearing loss is a widespread problem, but it is a problem that can be solved. On August 1, 2016, NIOSH, OSHA, and MSHA issued a challenge to inventors and entrepreneurs with the dual goals of inspiring creative ideas and raising business awareness of the market for workplace safety innovation.
As winter approaches and cooler temperatures hit most of the nation, workers unpack coats and boots, and workplaces adjust thermostats. However, one climate that should stay the same year-round, no matter where a workplace is located geographically, is the safety climate. Safety climate—defined as the perception among workers about the value of safety—correlates to improved health and safety in the workplace.
In early September 2016, researchers from Canada and the U.S. convened a workshop in Montreal to analyze current and emerging issues in the economics of worker safety and health, and to formulate potential collaborative research aiming to improve and standardize economic metrics of worker injury and illness, including metrics of the under-recognized burden for workers and their families, employers, and society.
The results are in. After the first “Hear and Now” Noise Safety Challenge event last week, hosted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA), inventors were recognized for submissions that aim to provide solutions to reducing hearing loss from workplace exposures.
