Out Loud Blog

I recently returned from a week-long vacation in Utah and Arizona, where I spent hours almost every day hiking in canyons, the desert and/or at high elevation, all while camping in some remote areas.

While I was happy to get away from it all (no cell phone reception? Check. Traveling without a computer for once? Check. Forgetting about the “real world”? Check!), the nature of the trip meant that safety could never fully leave my mind.

From wearing UPF-protective clothing to save my skin from the hazards of the desert sun to carrying liters of water, consuming enough salt, always carrying a headlamp, never hiking alone and focusing on hygiene while preparing meals at far-flung campsites, I found that part of my brain was still in “safety mode.”

My trip ended at the Grand Canyon, which felt like being at Disneyland compared to the more remote locations I’d just come from. Even so, attention to safety was especially important here — particularly when it came to hiking down into the canyon, where the temperature could transition from “cool” to “warm” to “sweltering” by 8am.

My first hike was a short one, only about a mile down the South Kaibab trail, which is steeper than the Bright Angel trail and does not have any access to water. My husband and I had barely begun when we were stopped by two park employees who proceeded to give us the third degree: How much water were we carrying? Did it have electrolytes? How far were we hiking? Were we aware of the windy conditions? And on and on.

We were a bit surprised to be stopped like that, but even so, we appreciated the questions. While we were well-prepared for our hike, many others on the trail weren’t. We noticed people hiking past our 1-mile turnaround point wearing flip-flops and carrying tiny water bottles — or no water at all. Worse, it was still the hot part of the day, so they presumably were going to make the grueling hike up in the heat without enough water.

When we later hiked 3 miles down the Bright Angel trail, no rangers interrogated us, perhaps in part because this trail has some rest stops with running water. Even so, others definitely could have benefited from the third degree. Like the woman who approached us to ask for a “just a drop” of our water during the hike back up to the rim. She’d hiked as far as we had but had brought no water at all. Clearly, she was struggling. We offered more water but she took only the drop she asked for, which she claimed was enough to wet her mouth and keep her going to the top.

That woman, along with many unprepared hikers we passed that day, managed to make it back to the rim without having to be rescued by rangers. But that’s not the case for everyone, particularly those optimists who think they can hike all the way from the rim to the river and back in one day.

The National Park Service FAQ page about hiking in the Grand Canyon makes it clear that preparation is key:

“Depending on how prepared you are, your trip can be a vacation or a challenge, a revelation or an ordeal. The majority of Grand Canyon hikers are here for the first time, and although many are avid hikers, they find that hiking the Grand Canyon is very different from most other hiking experiences. They tend to react to the experience in one of two ways, either they can’t wait to get back, or they swear they will never do it again.”

Because I had enough water and food, and because I rested in the shade on the way up and paced myself, my hiking experience in the Grand Canyon was a pleasant one. The same goes for my vacation in general — I’m happy to report that I came home with little more than a few mosquito bites. And while I learned that taking a vacation from the real world can be refreshing, it’s never a good idea to leave safety at home.

Guest blogger Aaron J. Morrow is a safety consultant, an OSHA 500 trainer, a Cal/OSHA 5109 trainer and a construction risk insurance specialist.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

by Aaron J. Morrow

Most of us have heard the phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” This expression is attributed to President Harry S. Truman, who apparently used it in 1949 when his staff was being criticized. Perhaps you’ve used this phrase as a playful insult in times of competition, such as sporting events or game nights with friends (Catch Phrase can get brutal) to suggest that if you can’t handle the pressure, move aside and let someone else step up.

OSHA, meanwhile, has a different view of this “handling heat” idea. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of that hot environment, take a shaded break, drinks lots of water and monitor yourself and fellow employees for heat illness symptoms. This makes more sense considering the vast amount of jobs that require employees to work outdoors in the sun or indoors where there is poor air circulation. That is why OSHA has launched its Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers.

Every year, thousands of workers in the United States are exposed to excessively hot and humid work environments. These jobs range from construction and mining sites, all the way to employees who work in bakeries or commercial kitchens. Many of these workers will experience some sort of heat-related illness, usually as a result of heat exhaustion. Of course, if heat exhaustion isn’t addressed in a timely manner, it can turn into a heat stroke, which can be deadly. It is believed that over 30 workers died last year due to heat stroke.

Heat illness symptoms are an onset of the body’s inability to cope with heat. Your body naturally wants to maintain a core temperature, which it generally accomplishes through sweating. But during extended exposure to hot weather and humidity, this isn’t enough. Your body temperature can rise to a very dangerous level.

According to OSHA’s general duty clause, employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees and must “furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” Employers can do this by providing training about heat stress and prevention; provide cool water for workers; scheduling regular rest breaks in the shade; continuously monitor employees for change in physical and/or mental status; scheduling work during cooler times of the day; being conscious of new or employees returning from a long break who may not be acclimatized yet; and having a plan in place in case of a heat-related emergency situation.

Workers should be able to recognize the different stages of heat illness (heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke) and the symptoms associated with heat stress. For example: headache, nausea, extreme thirst, dizziness, fainting, altered mental status or extreme sweating. In the case of a heat stroke, the individual may stop sweating in hot environments. If you recognize any of these signs, you need to take action.

If you feel someone is suffering from a heat-related illness, immediately call your supervisor. For serious conditions, call 911 or your local emergency response. In the meantime, get the person out of the heat, remove outer clothing, cool the individual off and provide cool drinking water, if they’re able to drink.

While we can’t avoid working outdoors, we can help protect ourselves and our workers from experiencing injury, illness and possibly death from heat-related hazards.

“Sustainability” at the 2011 American Industrial Hygiene conference and expo (AIHce) doesn’t just mean environmental stewardship or green initiatives and work practices — it also refers to the long-term mission, vision and direction of the conference’s two host organizations.

At a May 17 press luncheon at AIHce in Portland, Oregon, leaders from the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) discussed future priorities for their respective organizations.

“One of the things I’m most proud of [in the past year] is being able to redefine a new strategic plan for the next 5 years and clarifying the vision and mission of AIHA,” said outgoing AIHA President Michael T. Brandt, DrPH, CIH. He stressed that this mission is one that AIHA must continuously strive to achieve: the elimination of occupational disease.

He acknowledged that eliminating occupational disease is “a bold vision,” but bold action will be necessary to successfully thwart hazards before workers are exposed.

Brandt added that the Core Competency Task Force, AIHA’s joint effort with ACGIH, currently is focusing on the core competencies of the industrial hygiene professional. AIHA also is launching its first Asia-Pacific conference in October in Singapore and is considering new ways to reach out and partner with potential new members.

Striving for Sustainability

Lisa Brosseau, ScD, CIH, chair of ACGIH, explained at the luncheon that ACGIH is working to remain a sustainable organization and is considering a transition to 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. This might lead to ACGIH focusing more on “social good” instead of being strictly a membership organization. Such a move wouldn’t entail eliminating members but could instead involve a move to member donors or a similar system, she explained.

This possible change is due, in part, to the lawsuits ACGIH faced over its Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs).

Brosseau said she expects a clearer vision for ACGIH in the next 6 to 9 months. She stressed that ACGIH will continue working with AIHA but will remain an independent organization.

Tran Huynh, a student pursuing a Ph.D. in industrial hygiene at the University of Minnesota, was selected as a runner-up in the 2010 Future Leaders in EHS program. This scholarship program was created to support and encourage EHS students as they lead the way in keeping tomorrow’s workers safe. The judging panel recognized Huynh based on her research experience, her excellent grades and references and her dedication to protecting workers from health and safety risks. Below, she shares a special guest blog post about her most recent research in the field.

Tales from the Taconite Mines

by Tran Huynh

My decision to enter the industrial hygiene profession has taken me to many interesting places, from secured animal research facilities to one of the largest taconite mines in North America.

Since September, I have been working on a research project assessing workers’ exposure taconite dusts under the guidance of my advisor. This exposure assessment project is a component of a larger Taconite Worker Lung Health Study that was funded by the state of Minnesota. As part of the study, University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health research teams are investigating the causes of a unique type of lung cancer called mesothelioma among taconite workers in the Mesabi Iron Range in the northeastern part of Minnesota.

My research partner and I are responsible for collecting personal and area air samples at the mines. These samples provide us with information about workers’ current exposure to asbestos and non-asbestos fibers, respirable dust and quartz silica and allow us to evaluate the adequacy of existing dust control measures to protect workers.

The exposure data will later be combined with data from other research teams including historical exposure data dating back in the 1980s, environmental exposure, mortality data, cancer incidence data and respiratory lung survey of workers and their spouses. Analysis of such comprehensive sets of data will help answer many questions, including: Is there a link between exposure to taconite dust and cancer or other health effects? If so, at what levels in occupational setting and in the community?

If evidence of disease is found at a level lower than current legal limit, then the policy needs to be re-evaluated in order to better protect workers in the mining industry.

An Engineering Marvel

The first few weeks at the mines were, to put it simply, overwhelming. The mining pit stretches hundreds of acres. The haul truck is the size of a 2-story house. The mining process and all the equipment – including rock crushers, rod mills, the dust collection system, mobile equipment and more – are an engineering marvel.

When we arrive at the mining plant to collect our samples, an escort helps us maneuver through the plant. Our escort teaches us about the extraction process, the various types of equipment used, sources of dust and health and safety measures. One time, we even had the opportunity to see a blast (from a safe distance, of course) at the pit, where we observed the blasting engineers coordinate with other mining staff via radio to ensure no one was near designated perimeter.

It has been such a privilege to be part of this project. I can’t imagine where I’ll end up next.

For more information about the study, visit http://taconiteworkers.umn.edu.

Every year, our America’s Safest Companies (ASC) award ceremony and reception earns its place as one of my favorite work events. And it’s not the food and champagne that make me look forward to this event – it’s the opportunity to meet the people who make their organizations some of the safest in the nation.

When Executive Editor Sandy Smith and I read through the ASC applications every year and make our determinations, it quickly becomes apparent that some companies just “get it.” As we sift through the many fine entries, some companies rise to the top because their applications express a sincere, whole-hearted dedication to fostering a safe, healthy and productive work force.

At the ASC reception, we get the chance to meet some of the leaders and employees responsible for these stellar safety and health programs. This helps me develop a more complete picture of how and why safety is valued within these organizations. Plus, it’s wonderful to see how honored these recipients are to be recognized for their dedication to safety.

The November EHS Today podcast celebrates America’s Safest Companies. Representatives from four winning companies share some of their secrets to safety success and express what this award means to them. The podcast even includes some of the sounds from the 2010 ASC awards ceremony and reception, which took place Oct. 4 in the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (reception space pictured above). The November 2010 issue of EHS Today includes profiles of all ASC winners.

Finally, stay tuned for an upcoming blog entry that will share some tips and words of wisdom for the ASC applicants. After all, it’s not too early to start preparing for next year’s application season.

2010 America’s Safest Companies

2010 America’s Safest Companies Podcast

EHS Today works to provide its readers with the best and most up-to-date occupational health and safety news available, and that was no different during the H1N1 flu scare. Two mathematical biologists now reveal that media coverage of a pandemic can significantly help prevent the spread of disease.

During outbreaks of serious infectious diseases, many people closely follow media reports and, as a result, take precautions – such as staying home, getting vaccinated, avoiding crowds, using disinfectants, canceling travel plans and wearing face masks.

Known as “self-isolation,” these precautions significantly can reduce the severity of an outbreak, according to mathematical modeling done by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.

“The more forcefully the media provides information about pandemic infections and deaths, the more the total number of infections is reduced,” said Howard Weiss, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Mathematics. “Media coverage also reduces the maximum number of infections at any particular time, which is important for allocating the resources needed for treating infectious diseases.”

The benefit of publicly reporting disease outbreaks seems obvious, and public health officials in the United States have a policy of regularly communicating with the news media about such incidents. But according to Weiss, not all world governments choose to communicate so well – and nobody had used rigorous mathematical techniques to study the impact of that communication before.

Adjusting the Model

Epidemiologists use the S-I-R model to anticipate the effect of disease outbreaks. The basic model places individuals into one of three groups signified by each letter of the acronym:

• Susceptible individuals, who are vulnerable to the disease;

• Infected individuals, who have the disease;

• Removed individuals, who have been vaccinated, have isolated themselves from the population, have already recovered from the disease – or have died.

Weiss and collaborator Anna Mummert, an assistant professor of mathematics at Marshall University, modified that model to take into account ways that individuals could move from the susceptible group to the removed group without passing through the infected group. By self-isolating as a result of news media warnings, they reasoned, individuals could move directly into the removed class because they are no longer susceptible.

“On a chart showing the number of infected people at any one time, as you increase the intensity of the media coverage, you substantially decrease the number of infections,” Weiss noted. “We are assuming that people self-isolate at a rate that is proportional to the amount of media coverage, though we would like to study that in more detail.”

The sooner the media coverage of a pandemic begins, the fewer individuals ultimately will be infected. But Weiss said the model shows that almost any media coverage is helpful at reducing the extent of a pandemic.

“Telling the public always helps, but the longer you wait, the less it helps,” he said. “If you wait long enough, the effect of media coverage is essentially negligible.”

Weiss acknowledges that strong communications about such dreaded diseases as Ebola could create public panic. In those rare cases, public health officials must weigh the benefits against the risks.

“In general, our advice to public health officials anywhere in the world is not to hold back,” he added. “They should get out the news about infectious disease outbreaks loudly and quickly. It’s clear that vigorous media reporting can have a substantial effect on reducing the impact of an outbreak.”

EHS Today plays its part by covering pandemic news and providing businesses with tools and advice for creating pandemic plans:

H1N1: Spreading the Message

CDC Releases New Flu Guidance for Employers

Industrial Hygienists Urge Businesses to Prepare for a Pandemic Now

Mass Notification Systems: A Useful Tool during Pandemic Response

On July 30, Kevin Morrissey, managing editor of the prestigious literary journal Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR), walked to an old coal tower in Charlottesville, Va., called 911 to report a shooting, and then shot and killed himself. What began as a personal tragedy for his friends, family and coworkers quickly spiraled out of control when his boss, Ted Genoways, was accused of bullying Morrissey and other employees.

The Hook ran an in-depth piece concerning the circumstances of the work environment at VQR leading up to Morrissey’s death, and The Chronicle of Higher Education also examined the issue in “What Killed Kevin Morrissey?” According to sources close to VQR, Morrissey and other employees complained of a hostile work environment and attempted on several occasions to seek help from the University of Virginia administration.

As various sources painted the picture of Genoways as a bully (shouting, sending hostile or accusatory emails, cutting Morrissey out of decisions, isolating him during a week-long suspension from the office and more), a contributing editor — who did not work in the VQR offices — defended Genoways and accused workplace bullying experts of capitalizing on the situation without a complete understanding of the actual work conditions or Genoways’ behavior as a boss. And an ethics professor recently called workplace bullying a “hot new social malady” that has become a magnet for media attention. He argued that journalists are acting irresponsibly by being so quick to describe Morrissey’s suicide as a product of workplace bullying.

Indeed, Morrissey had struggled with depression for years and little else is known about the circumstances surrounding his suicide. Can one boss, no matter how big a bully, cause another person to commit suicide? No, perhaps not, but workplace bullying and its impact on employee well-being and mental health remains an important issue, and one that is relevant in workplaces across the country.

“This Has Got to Stop”

When I first learned of Morrissey’s death, I read aloud to a friend an article that listed Genoways’ alleged actions and Morrissey’s attempts for help. “This is crazy,” she kept saying. “This has got to stop.”

The “this” she was referring to was workplace bullying in general. She had worked for bosses she would definitely describe as bullies. And after listening to her stories and complaints over the years, I’d have to agree. So this story resonated with my friend and led her to think that, while perhaps not the cause of Morrissey’s suicide, it sure sounded like a bullying work environment.

While none of us can know exactly what went down in those VQR offices, and while an employee’s depression can’t be explained away by workplace tensions, we can still recognize that workplace bullying is a real thing, and something that appears in work environments across the nation. It’s something that affects employees’ well-being, productivity and more. And too often, employees feel powerless to stop it.

I remember what it was like to hear my friend complain about her dysfunctional work experiences. On more than one occasion, I said something like, “I would never put up with that!” But when you’re in that environment, when you feel trapped and unsure of what to do, it can be difficult to leave or find a way to get the help you need.

EHS Today covers workplace bullying because any issue that affects the general health and happiness of a work force also impacts productivity, safety and workplace culture. Many companies — at least as evidenced by the America’s Safest Companies applications we receive — also seem to recognize the value of a well-functioning, well-adjusted work force. And you can’t achieve that if your workers feel bullied by the person in power.

The VQR tragedy and ensuing investigation have caused the venerable journal to close its offices and cancel its winter issue. Time will tell what is in the journal’s future.

As for my friend, who suffered through several bullying bosses? She’s currently self-employed.

EHS Today articles on workplace bullying:

Workplace Bullying May Be More Harmful than Sexual Harassment

The Curse of the Workplace Bully

Even in Hostile Working Environments, Employees Reluctant to Leave Jobs

Abusive Bosses, If Productive, Don’t Suffer Consequences

I got my H1N1 flu shot today. Finally. Talk about being a procrastinator, right?

I could blame my late vaccination on all sorts of things. Back in the fall, when the shot was in high demand, I didn’t qualify because I wasn’t in a high-risk category. I added my name to the waiting list at my doctor’s office with the understanding that they would call when more shots became available. “Should be about a week,” the receptionist told me. This was late November.

That week passed. Then another. All the while, both H1N1 cases and concerns were dwindling. Even so, I knew the vaccine was still important. By being vaccinated, I’d protect myself and also have less of a chance of passing the flu on to someone who would be in the high-risk category. It was the responsible thing to do.

On the other hand, H1N1 was shaping up to be not as big of a threat as everyone first feared. If I did catch H1N1, I’d probably be sick for a week and then back to my old self. Not to mention that the holidays were coming up and I was busy. So busy that I didn’t bother contacting my doctor, even as December passed and I still hadn’t received a call from the office. Never mind that it was being reported that the shot should now be available in my area – I never bothered to check.

This week, however, I couldn’t live down my H1N1 vaccine guilt. It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week, and health care professionals continue urging people to get the vaccine, even if major concerns about the flu have died down a bit.

This week, I also interviewed Dr. Noni MacDonald at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. MacDonald is a specialist in pediatric infectious disease. During our discussion, which will appear on EHSToday.com soon in the form of a podcast, she said a few things that caught my attention.

First, she suggested that during the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918, people would be falling all over themselves for a vaccine. “If they knew there was a vaccine to protect them, they’d be lined up around the block, standing in line for 4 days in a row to get it,” MacDonald said.

Additionally, while this flu isn’t turning out to be as deadly as originally feared, it’s still bad news. It’s sending young people to the hospital and putting them on ventilators – young people who normally would not end up in the hospital after contracting a case of the seasonal flu.

Finally, MacDonald reiterated that the vaccine is safe and that we need to weigh the risks of the flu versus the risks of the vaccine.

“We have a lot of experience with the influenza vaccine for a large number of years in a wide number of different kinds of populations. It’s a very safe vaccine,” she stressed.

“People have forgotten what these bad diseases can look like, and they ramp up their anxiety about risk about the vaccine as opposed to putting this into perspective,” she said about vaccines in general. “The risk of the vaccine is very, very small. The benefits of the vaccine are very large.”

I decided I couldn’t put off my vaccination any longer. Better late than never, right? I called my doctor’s office, confirmed that there was plenty of H1N1 vaccine available (whatever happened to that waiting list?) and stopped by early in the morning for the shot.

When I asked the nurse how many people were still coming in for this vaccine, she laughed at me.

“The rush was in October and November,” she said. “Now, not so much. We’re not seeing very many people get it now.” Then she stuck the needle into my arm and told me I was all set.

I have now finally, officially received my H1N1 flu shot. And I have to say – it didn’t even hurt.

I’ll be the first to admit that my relationship with regular exercise has been on-again, off-again at best. Obviously, I’m not alone. The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 1 in 4 adults say they are obese, an increase of nearly 2 percent from 2005 to 2007. And to be honest, you had to go no further than the National Safety Congress last week to see how prevalent this problem is in our society. more