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| ILO Releases Booklet on Workplace Safety Risks |
The International Labour Organization (ILO) recently released a booklet on emerging workplace safety risks and new approaches to protecting workers.
The booklet notes that the world of workplace safety isn't static. That is, as some workplace hazards are identified and effectively addressed, new ones emerge. So safety coordinators and other safety professionals must constantly be on the lookout for new hazards.
For example, the booklet explains that new and emerging occupational risks may be caused by technical innovation or by social or organizational change, such as:
- New technologies and production processes, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology
- New working conditions, such as higher workloads, work intensification from downsizing, poor conditions associated with migration for work and jobs in the informal economy
- Emerging forms of employment, such as self-employment, outsourcing and temporary contracts.
The booklet also discusses new ways of or approaches to protecting workers from safety hazards, including:
- New approaches to information sharing
- More extensive implementation of OHS management systems
- Health promotion in the workplace
- Promotion of national health and safety cultures
- National and regional OHS strategies and programs
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| Picture This! |
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| Most people wouldn’t be foolish enough to smoke around gas pumps, but this barbecue enthusiast seems to have missed the message. Smoke can be seen billowing from this mobile barbecue while the owner gases up his or her truck. This could easily be a recipe for disaster. (Naval Safety Center) |
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| Workplace Deaths Fall to Lowest Level Since 1992 |
Few people would find any good news in the recession that gripped much of the world in 2008/09, but here's some: Work-related deaths across the US fell by 17 percent in 2009 - to their lowest level since the US Department of Labor started tracking those statistics in 1992.
In 2009 there were 4,340 workplace fatalities throughout the US.
The US Department of Labor reports that part of the reason for the drop in employee deaths is that workers logged fewer hours during the recession. Many workers are still feeling the effects. For example, the current unemployment rate in construction is 17.3 percent and the overall US jobless rate is 9.5 percent.
"As the economy regains strength and more people re-enter the work force, the Department of Labor will remain vigilant to ensure America's workers are kept safe while they earn a paycheck," says Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.
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| Don’t Assume that Workers Use Ladders Safely |
Like a screwdriver, the common ladder is a tool that's frequently misused. The difference is that while using the wrong type of screwdriver for a job might not cause more than skinned knuckles, misusing a ladder can cause serious injury.
For example, a worker was standing on an eight-foot (2.4 meter) A-frame ladder in a storage room, trying to return a box to a top shelf. But the ladder was too wide for the room and couldn't be fully opened and locked into place. It gave way and the worker fell to the floor, losing consciousness and suffering back injuries.
The employer was fined $62,500 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure that a worker could carry, move and lift store merchandise safely.
Think of your own workplace. Are there situations in which a worker might attempt to use a ladder that can't be fully extended and locked into place in a tight space? If so, you need to address the problem before a similar injury or fatality occurs.
SafetySmart Online has several tools to help you address ladder safety in your workplace, including safety talks, eLearning courses, fatality reports, posters, puzzles and articles for your company newsletters, including these guidelines for the safe use of ladders.. (Subscription to SafetySmart Online is required to access this page.)
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You responded:
35% said Yes
65% said No
Your Comments Here:
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This week we’d like to ask you: |
Have you observed your workers taking risks by using ladders improperly? |
Vote in the Reader Poll here.
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