Safety Net | December 2020

THE SAFETY NET CO N SU LTA N T S

▪

DESIGNERS

DECEMBER 2020

▪

ENGINEERS

IT’S ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST. ▪

CON STRUCTORS

VOLUME 14 ISSUE 12

Holidays Happy

Stay Safe

SAFETY FIRST. Austin employees have worked 3,776,134 hours without a Lost Time Accident through 10/2020.

5 Crucial Holiday Safety Tips You’re Probably Overlooking

strands, to make sure there aren’t any frayed cords or cracked bulbs. Also, don’t use indoor lights outside and vice versa. Check the tag on the string of lights to be sure.

11.11.2020 | Hometalk Contributor Take extra precautions with turkey fryers (be sure the oil used to fry the turkey is the right temperature and always fry outside, in a well-ventilated area.) Don’t use water to extinguish a grease fire -- instead, douse the fire with baking soda.

3. HEATING EQUIPMENT FIRES

With the Christmas decorations all set up and the excitement

Heating equipment, like furnaces and fireplaces, can cause

of the holidays in the air, it’s easy to forget about safety

house fires if mismanaged.

precautions and careful behavior -- but knowing how to stay

Make sure to have a professional inspect your furnace

safe is just as important now as it is during the rest of the year!

With the frosty holiday gusts and the exciting adventures to visit friends and family, many safety and home security issues come up that you might not have considered.

and clean the chimney before you heat your home. Find a professional in your area, by searching in Hometalk’s database of professionals with the keywords “Heating and Cooling,” or with your zip code.

Follow these top five safety tips for the holidays, from Hometalker and safety expert Elli Bishop of SafeWise.com, to ensure that you are safe and prepared, and can enjoy your happy holidays free of stress and worry!

4. GENERAL FIRE SAFETY Be safe with small flames and fires this holiday.

Don’t leave candles unattended, and don’t put stockings near a heat source (chimney/fireplace). Be sure to install

1. IF YOU’RE TRAVELING: Don’t post your travel plans online!

or check smoke alarms, and unplug your Christmas tree during sleeping hours.

Make sure to keep travel plans off your social media networks. Don’t post where you’re going, when you are leaving, or when you will be back, because you’re basically just making a thief’s job easier. Let a trustworthy neighbor know if you’re planning to go out of town for the holiday season, so that they can keep an eye on your house. Have

5. GREASE FIRES

the neighbor grab your mail and newspapers while you’re

Know what to do in case of a grease fire.

away. Don’t hide a key outside the house!

Take extra precautions with turkey fryers (be sure the oil used to fry the turkey is the right temperature and always fry outside, in a well-ventilated area.) Don’t use water to extinguish a grease fire -- instead, douse the fire with baking soda.

Follow these simple safety tips, to ensure that you and your

2. ELECTRICAL FIRES Be careful: December is the deadliest month for electrical fires!

Before you string lights on your house or trees, inspect the

family have a safe and happy holiday season!

Happy holidays!

Congratulations!

Western Operations provided JJ Keller Crystalline Silica and Ladder Safety Training to Austin employees at Lockheed Martin project and Aerojet Rocketdyne Project.

TRAINING - AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

TRAINING - LOCKHEED-MARTIN

Richard Crane

Greg Dildine

Tommy Vega

Stephen Morris

Cody Johnson

Brian Paciorkowski

Mark Halasi

Carlos Rubi

Scott Young

Don Ray

Matt Luckett

Robert Smith

Deborah Chavez

Arleth Hernandez

Eric Greer

Scott Beck

Jose Ramos

Mark Becket

Roger Allen

Greg Dildine

Kenneth Strech

Julio Partida

Joe Amaya

Tu Pham

Robert Wang

Confined Spaces and Rescue Operations 10.25.2020 | Safety + Health by Alan Ferguson A look at some common assumptions.

‘I’ve done this a thousand times and I’ve never gotten hurt. I’ll be all right.’

Worker assumptions can be dangerous – particularly when confined spaces are involved. That’s because of the potential severity of the hazards associated with them and the need to quickly extract incapacitated workers.

Unless confined space hazards are respected and rescues are planned for and practiced, incidents can prove deadly for workers and rescuers alike.

From 2012 to 2017, the number of annual confined space fatalities in the United States nearly doubled – to 166 from 88, according to the most recent data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (See “Confined space fatalities in recent years (below).”)

“Few workplace areas present as many potentially serious hazards as confined spaces,” said David Consider, senior workplace safety consultant and trainer at the National Safety Council, “and without dedicated procedures for safe entry and monitoring employees within the confined space, catastrophic events can occur.”

Key points • Organizations should include rescue plans as part of a written confined space entry program. Each plan should be tailored for the type and configuration of the confined space.

• Employers shouldn’t simply rely on calling 911 to rescue workers in a confined space because of a potentially slowerthan-needed response time and emergency responders’ possibly inadequate knowledge about confined space(s).

• Rescuers often are susceptible to fatalities and injuries during confined space emergencies.

3

‘I know what a confined space is.’

For workers who are experienced or savvy, this may be true. However, the sheer variety of confined spaces, along with regulations – often purposefully vague – can cause confusion and difficulties.

For example, trenches and ditches can be considered confined spaces “when access or egress is limited,” the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety says. Other confined spaces include silos, vessels, storage bins, hoppers, vaults and pits, according to OSHA’s general industry regulations. In OSHA’s definition, a confined space must have each of the following characteristics: • Is large enough and configured so employees can enter and perform assigned work • Has limited or restricted means of entry or exit

focuses on spaces that require a permit – and for good reason: They typically contain more significant and potentially fatal hazards. However, non-permit required spaces obviously have their hazards as well, including slips and trips. Another concern: potential medical issues among individuals working in confined spaces.

During a presentation at the National Safety Council 2019 Congress & Expo in San Diego, James Lange, department chair and safety instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI, noted that an employee at one of his former workplaces had a heart attack while in a non-permit confined space.

“Even on the non-permit areas, where OSHA doesn’t tell us we have to do this, you still need a plan because things go wrong,” Lange said.

Consider said organizations should plan rescue procedures

• Is not designed for continuous occupancy

in advance and include the plan in a written confined

That type of confined space differs from a “permit-

space entry program. The plan should be specific for

required confined space,” which has at least one of the

every type of confined space and take into account the

following characteristics:

size and configuration of the space, along with potential

• Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere

hazards. This could be a deadly mistake, experts warn, because the worker may not know what hazards are in a confined space, especially one that requires a permit. For

• Has a material that could engulf someone who enters

example, colorless and odorless gases such as methane or

• Is configured in such a way that an entrant could

carbon dioxide may be present.

become trapped or asphyxiated as a result of “inwardly converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section”

‘I’m only going in there for a minute.’

Confined space fatalities in recent years:

NUMBER OF FATALITIES

YEAR

“Many employers simply fail to consider or understand

166

2017

that certain work areas constitute a confined space,

144

2016

hence the need for a competent job hazard analysis,”

136

2015

Consider said. He recommends organizations partner

116

2014

with a third-party consultant or industry peer group and

112

2013

conduct routine audits/assessments. This can help identify

88

2012

• Has any other recognized serious safety or health hazard

the hazards that are often unique to the confined spaces at their locations.

“They should ask their safety professional colleagues how they manage (confined spaces) – other people that are seemingly doing it well, especially if they are in that particular business,” said Jody Rood, president of American Emergency Response Training, based near Knoxville, TN.

‘We don’t need a rescue plan for non-permit confined spaces.’

Much of OSHA’s regulation on confined space rescue

Twenty of the 166 confined space fatalities recorded in 2017 resulted from “inhalation of (a) harmful substance,” and another eight were because of “exposure to oxygen deficiency.” These fatalities include a 34-year-old pipe layer who entered a manhole in Key Largo, FL, and a pair of his co-workers, ages 24 and 49, who attempted to rescue him.

According to OSHA, post-incident atmospheric testing in the manhole revealed lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide.

A noxious atmosphere is one of the many hazards

TIER 2: The space contains no immediate danger to life or

rescuers might face if they don’t have a plan or proper

health or other life-threatening hazards, but contains other

training before attempting to save anyone in danger.

actual or potential hazards that could prevent entrants

A NIOSH study published in 1986 found that more

from exiting unless assisted. A rescue team should be

than 60% of confined space deaths involved “would-

“equipped and mobile and capable of setup and rescue

be rescuers,” a statistic that’s often cited today. In

entry” within 12 to 15 minutes of the incident occurring.

January 1994, NIOSH published another study that found

TIER 3: The space contains a hazard(s) that is a threat to

that of the 70 confined space incidents the agency

life and health. A rescue team should be set up and ready

investigated, 25 had multiple fatalities that included

for entry within two minutes of the incident occurring.

rescuers. The Key Largo tragedy shows that this still remains an issue.

During his presentation, Lange shared the results of an informal survey he conducted among Wisconsin fire chiefs.

During his presentation, Lange asked how many times

He said 36% reported they weren’t capable of responding

people have heard: “I’m a strong guy. I can go down

to a confined space emergency. Of those who said they

there. I can hold my breath long enough to climb down

could respond, 31% could be ready for entry within 10 to

that 10 feet of ladder, take two people up and climb 10

20 minutes, 20% said 20 to 30 minutes and 7% said they

more feet. I can do that.”

would need more than 30 minutes. That doesn’t include

‘We can call 911 or rely on emergency responders to be our rescue team.’

response time, Lange added.

“This is Wisconsin, but my guess is you could kind of filter this

OSHA regulations require

out to most of your areas as

covered establishments to

well,” he said. “Most states are

have the ability to “reach

probably pretty similar to this.”

the victim(s) within a time

Also, if you’re relying on a

frame that is appropriate” for

fire department or other

the pertinent hazard in the

emergency responders to act

confined space.

as your onsite rescue team,

In the non-mandatory

what happens if they get a call

Appendix F of 1910.146,

that takes them away?

OSHA offers two examples.

“If they are your rescue team,

In situations where a permitrequired confined space has

you’re done,” Lange said.

an atmosphere that is an immediate threat to life or

“You’re shut down until they come back.”

health, the agency recommends having a rescue team

Lange and Consider recommend that if you’re going to

or service at the space.

rely on emergency responders as your rescue team, get

“On the other hand, if the danger to entrants is restricted

it in writing.

to mechanical hazards that would cause injuries (e.g.,

“OSHA recognizes that not all rescue services or

broken bones, abrasions), a response time of 10 to 15

emergency responders are trained and equipped to

minutes might be adequate,” the agency says.

conduct confined space rescues,” the agency states

The National Fire Protection Association’s “Guide for

in a 2016 fact sheet titled, “Is 911 Your Confined Space

Safe Confined Space Entry and Work (350)” divides emergency responses into three tiers: TIER 1: The space contains no potential for hazards but “its configuration would prohibit entrants from being easily removed” if they became incapacitated by a

Rescue Plan?” “When employers identify an offsite rescue service, it is critical that the rescuers can protect their employees. The emergency services should be familiar with the exact site location, types of permit-required confined spaces and the necessary rescue equipment.”

medical issue. Setup and rescue entry should be within 15 minutes of arrival onsite. ...continued on next page 5

‘We only need rescue training once a year.’

It’s true that OSHA regulations require affected employees to practice permit-space rescues at least once a year.

Ideally, Rood said, rescue practice would take place about once every three months. He added that the best rescue teams his organization works with typically practice multiple times a year.

“What that does is keep people fresh,” he said. “It keeps them engaged. It keeps them focused.”

Whatever equipment is needed, ensure a rescue team or employees know how to use it. “If you don’t use these items on a regular basis, it’s not going to work when you need it,” Lange added.

Affected employees should also be properly trained on assigned rescue duties, as well as basic first aid and CPR. At least one available member of the rescue team must have a current certification in both areas.

“Bottom line, it is truly a team sport,” Rood said. “It’s like the fire (department) analogy: Someone has to drive the truck. Someone has to pull the hose. Someone has to spray the water. And someone has to be in charge of looking at the big picture.”

Choosing the Right Safety Shoe for Your Industry 10.01.2020 | OH&S by Jane Gonda If footwear does not provide sufficient support, the worker may not wear it leading to several opportunities for injury.

In contrast to jobs in the construction industry, where work often takes place outdoors, there are plenty of employees in that generally work indoors in large warehouses or production halls with plain floors that form their workplace.

On average, it can be assumed that a warehouse clerk covers about 20,000 steps per day. Depending on individual body size and stride length, this corresponds to a distance of nine to 12 miles, or almost a half marathon per day. It is obvious that such an activity tires the muscles and strains the joints and ligaments. Especially if the footwear does not provide sufficient support.

WHY PROTECT THE FOOT? Other than our hands, our feet can be our most used tool with workers and employees on their feet all day long. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 45,000 foot injuries each year that lead to days away from work. These injuries can be moderate, such as blisters, or can be more severe resulting in chronic pain for workers to manage while on the job. Foot injuries can also lead to pain in the legs and back as well.

Other issues that are often related to foot injuries are slips, trips and falls, which make up over 240,000 injuries in the workforce. If a worker does not have the correct safety shoe on, it could lead to a slip or trip resulting in much more severe injuries, or even death.

Other reasons to protect the foot include employee comfortability and attitude. If the worker is free of foot pain because

they are wearing a correct fitting shoe, they are more likely to be fully engaged with their tasks, comfortable all day long and more likely to have a better attitude with leaders and coworkers.

STANDARDS TO KEEP IN MIND When choosing a safety shoe, there are standards to keep in mind to find the correct shoe and stay compliant. OSHA has a federal regulation, 29 CFR 1910.136 that clearly states, “The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, or when the use of protective footwear will protect the affected employee from an electrical hazard, such as a static-discharge or electric-shock hazard, that remains after the employer takes other necessary protective measures.”

OSHA mandates PPE, but ASTM International is the organization that sets performance requirements for protective footwear in the United States. It is a requisite for safety footwear to comply with ASTM and each five years, committees review the standards to ensure they are comprehensive and up to date, revising if necessary.

The most current safety footwear standards include ASTM F2413-18, the Standard Specification for Performance Requirements for Protective Toe Cap Footwear and ASTM F412-18, the Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection.

The ASTM F2413-18 standard contains basic requirements to assess footwear including: • Impact resistance for the toe area • Compression resistance for the toe area • Metatarsal protection for the metatarsal bones at the top of the foot • Conductive properties to reduce static electricity buildup and lower the possibility of ignition of explosives, volatile chemicals or fine particulates in the air • Electric hazard protection when accidentally stepping on live electric wires • Static dissipative properties to reduce hazards that result from a buildup of static charge where there is risk of accidental contact with live electrical circuits • Puncture resistance (to protect the bottom of the foot) from sharp penetrating objects To ensure that the wearer feels completely comfortable and enjoys going to work in safety shoes, complete the assessment above to ensure workers’ shoes have the ability to keep up with all hazards that may be presented to the foot.

THE RIGHT SAFETY SHOE There are a lot of hazards a shoe needs to protect against, but getting a worker to wear the safety shoe is a first priority.

There are several items to consider for the worker when choosing the right safety shoe, below are a few.

Fit. The first item to consider for optimal comfort is correct fit. You should always make sure that the safety shoe does not fit too tight and can be laced to a suitable fit. Instead of “slipping into” the shoe every day, you should lace it up again every morning so that a tight fit on the wearer’s foot can be guaranteed. Blistering and painful pressure points can thus be avoided in the first step.

Comfort. It is also important to choose safety shoes with a sufficient level of cushioning. An intermediate sole with cushioning material forms the basis for a comfortable working environment, especially on hard industrial floors. A high energy return ensures reduced fatigue and more energy—all day long. Good cushioning also protects the joints, the back and the whole body. All this leads to less illness and loss of working hours.

Durability. If the safety shoes are subjected to a high daily load, durability also plays a major role. The upper material should be robust, but also lightweight. Soles made of durable material support the wearer significantly longer and ensure that the shoes do not have to be changed after just a few weeks.

To ensure that the wearer feels completely comfortable and enjoys going to work in safety shoes, a sporty look that combines the characteristics of robust safety shoes with those of modern sports shoes is also a great advantage.

7

The Power of Positive Consequences 10.14.2020 | EHS Today by E. Scott Geller When you thank someone for their safe behavior you’re

swinging a baseball bat, a golf club, or tennis racket) or

increasing the probability their safe behavior will continue.

extrinsic (e.g., when a teacher or coach provides behavior-

B. F. Skinner, the founder of the research and scholarship

based feedback).

domain of applied behavioral science (ABS),

When extrinsic feedback acknowledges desirable

communicated and validated the basic but profound

behavior, it is considered “supportive feedback,” and

principle––selection by consequences. Indeed, Skinner

when it pinpoints specific room for improvement, it is

and his followers have demonstrated consistently that

labeled “corrective feedback.” Although ABS research has

behavior occurs to gain positive consequences and to

demonstrated substantial motivational and performance

avoid or escape negative consequences, and behavior

advantages of using supportive over corrective feedback,

can be modified by changing the consequences that

correction for undesirable behavior occurs much more

follow it. Moreover, behavioral scientists have demonstrated

often than does support for desirable behavior.

consistently that positive consequences are more effective than negative consequences at improving behavior.

Interpersonal coaching with supportive feedback for safe behavior and corrective feedback for at-risk behavior is

A positive consequence that increases the frequency of the

critical for optimal success of a behavior-based safety (BBS)

behavior it follows is a positive reinforcer, and a negative

process. However, many BBS programs skip the coaching-

consequence that decreases the frequency of the

feedback component, and only enter the behavioral

behavior it follows is considered a punisher. These behavior-

observations in a computer file for analysis, group

change contingencies are labeled positive reinforcement

comparisons and public posting. Moreover, many of those

and punishment, respectively. If these consequences do

companies who include interpersonal coaching in their BBS

not influence the behavior they follow as intended, the

process do not train the observers to coach properly––to

terms reward and penalty are the appropriate labels for

convey more supportive than corrective feedback, and to

these positive and negative consequences, respectively.

be nondirective when delivering corrective feedback.

SUPPORTIVE VS. CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK

GIVING AND RECEIVING GRATITUDE

Substantial ABS research has demonstrated the critical

Considerable research indicates that gratitude—the

role of behavior-based feedback at improving behavior.

person-state of feeling grateful—significantly increases

Practice does not make perfect; only with relevant

subjective well-being (SWB) or life satisfaction. More

behavioral consequences can performance improve.

specifically, researchers have found gratitude to enhance

These behavior-improvement consequences can be

positive emotions and to activate a sense of interpersonal

natural or intrinsic (e.g., when an athlete sees the results of

belonging, while decreasing distress and depression. In

fact, people are more likely to help others—perform acts of

In contrast, the psychological science of positive

kindness—when they feel grateful.

psychology—initiated in the 1990s by Martin Seligman

So, how can we increase perceptions of gratitude and

to study determinants of happiness—advocates for the

experience the beneficial side-effects of this personstate? Safety leaders know the answer—offer a sincere statement of personal recognition for another individual’s desirable behavior. Indeed, when you thank someone for

application of positive consequences to enhance SWB, not to influence behavior. Thus, two domains of psychological science promote the delivery of a positive consequence like gratitude—one to improve behavior and the other to

the performance of safe or health-related behavior you’re

benefit attitude or mood state.

increasing the probability the safe behavior will continue

Let’s consider some insight from these diverse disciplines

and you’re enhancing SWB.

for improving safety, health and human welfare. Given the

Yet, surveys have found that people are less likely to express

mood-state benefits of expressing interpersonal gratitude,

gratitude at work than in any other place. In fact, in a survey conducted by the John Templeton Foundation, 60% of more than 2,000 respondents reported that they never or very rarely thank anyone at work; only 10% said they express interpersonal gratitude at work on a given day, and 74% said they never or rarely express gratitude to their boss

it would be advantageous if the delivery of a positive consequence to increase the frequency of a desirable behavior included an explicit expression of gratitude. For example, supportive feedback that acknowledges an individual’s safe behavior should include a statement of sincere appreciation—“Your PPE use for that job is right on,

or supervisor.

including the wearing of a COVID-prevention mask. Thank

A RECIPROCAL BENEFIT

Similarly, a communication of gratitude to boost someone’s

you so much for setting the safe example for others.”

Who experiences a boost in SWB when one person thanks

SWB can have a behavioral impact on both the beneficiary

another for desirable behavior observed? Obviously,

and the benefactor, depending on how the gratitude is

the individual receiving the recognition appreciates the

delivered and received. Does the verbal expression of

positive interpersonal exchange and likely experiences a

gratitude specify a desirable behavior, and is it followed

boost in SWB, competence and self-motivation, and feels a

by an appreciative “You’re very welcome” or the more

positive connection with the benefactor—the person who

common and habitual “No problem.”

expressed gratitude.

How does the expression of gratitude affect the benefactor? Readers know the answer because they’ve been there, and have experienced the reality of the expression, “It’s better to give than to receive.” Giving recognition or showing appreciation enhances one’s state of gratefulness and therefore his or her SWB. For example, research has demonstrated one powerful way to increase personal gratitude and SWB is to write a thank-you letter to a benefactor and then read it to that individual.

DIVERSE DOMAINS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

ACTIVELY CARING FOR PEOPLE This article illustrated the behavioral and attitudinal benefits of delivering positive consequences, derived from two diverse domains of psychological science—ABS and positive psychology. Whether the purpose is to improve behavior or SWB, positive consequences accompanied with an expression of gratitude benefits both behavior and mood state.

Thus, research informs us to increase the occurrence of a relatively low frequency behavior—acknowledge other people’s desirable behavior with a statement of sincere appreciation or gratitude. Such verbal behavior is quite

Two prominent disciplines within psychological science

common between parents and their young children, but

have researched the power of positive consequences,

comparatively rare between adults.

and each promotes the use of positive consequences from a different perspective and purpose. As reviewed above, ABS researchers and practitioners apply a positive consequence (e.g., a tangible reward or supportive feedback) following a target behavior in order to increase occurrences of that behavior.

A significant increase in reciprocal expressions of gratitude between supervisors and employees, teachers and students, parents and their adult offspring, police officers and citizens, and between safety/health professionals and their clients would be a “game changer”—a significant step closer to achieving an actively caring for people culture.

9

Workers’ Rights When It Comes To Chemical Hazards At Work 11.06.2020 | Weeklysafety.com HCS stands for Hazard Communication Standard, which is

data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and shall ensure

the OSHA standard with the goal to ensure employers and

that they are readily accessible during each work shift to

workers know about chemical hazards in the workplace

employees when they are in their work area(s).

and how to protect themselves.

IMPORTANT! OSHA Standard 1926.59 The requirements applicable to construction work under

Workers should be familiar with the potential hazards of any chemical they use at work. It is important that all chemicals be labeled properly.

this section are identical to those set forth at 1910.1200. All 1910 General Industry standards referenced in this article are also applicable to the construction industry.

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard is important because it enforces the idea that workers have the right to know about: 1. What chemicals are in the areas you will be working in?

2. What are the hazards of those chemicals?

3. How do you protect yourself from those hazards?

OSHA Standards 1910.1200 The purpose of this section is to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are classified, and that information concerning

OSHA Standard 1910.1200(f)(6) Workplace labeling. …the employer shall ensure that each container of hazardous

the classified hazards is transmitted to employers and

chemicals in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked…

employees. The requirements of this section are intended

Chemicals that are not properly labeled, or that have

to be consistent with the provisions of the United Nations

damaged labels, should never be used and these

Globally Harmonized System of Classification and

chemicals should be reported to the manager or

Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Revision 3. The transmittal

supervisor immediately.

of information is to be accomplished by means of comprehensive hazard communication programs, which are to include container labeling and other forms of warning, safety data sheets and employee training.

Workers have a right to know what chemicals are in their workplace, especially if they have to use them as a part of their job. HCS requires that chemical manufacturers and importers must develop a Safety Data Sheet or SDS for each chemical they produce or import. Safety Data Sheets contain valuable information about the hazards of specific chemicals and an SDS must be kept on hand for each chemical at the job site.

OSHA Standard 1910.1200(g)(8) The employer shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety

Containers that are not labeled and/or are stored improperly creates a serious hazard for any individual who tries to use the chemicals. It also creates a risk as these chemicals could react if they make contact or spill.

OSHA Standard 1910.1200(h) Employee information and training.

Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area.

Construction Workers Have Higher Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization 11.09.2020 | EHS by Nicole Stempak A new study found that construction workers in Texas have

the fact that construction work is conducted in close

a five-fold risk of hospitalization if they catch COVID-19.

proximity with others, can be attributed to increased

Early in the pandemic, construction workers in Texas were

COVID-19 transmission in the Austin community. There

more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared to other occupations, according to a recent study published

are an estimated 50,000 construction workers in Austin, representing more than 4% of the total labor force. That

in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.

does not account for undocumented workers.

Researchers analyzed hospitalization records at three major

“In Texas, Latinx populations are overly represented among

health system in the Austin metropolitan area between March and August 2020. Of those patients who listed their occupation, construction workers aged 18-64 were five times more likely than workers in other occupations to be hospitalized with COVID-19.

By mid-May, Austin Public Health had identified 19 clusters of at least three co-occurring confirmed COVID-19 cases in the construction industry and 23 more by mid-July.

“The findings of this study suggest that unrestricted work in high-contact industries, such as construction, is associated with a higher level of community transmission, increased risks to at-risk workers, and larger health disparities among members of racial and ethnic minority groups,” the researchers write.

Construction workers were declared essential by federal authorities, and construction was able to continue unrestricted amid shelter-in-place orders in the spring and summer. Researchers said that decision, along with

construction workers, and thus have elevated rates of exposure that are compounded by prevalent high-risk comorbidities and lack of access to health care,” the researchers write. “These overlapping risks likely contribute to the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infections and deaths reported within Latinx communities.”

According to data from the Census Bureau, the Austin construction workforce is comprised of 66% of Latinx individuals, 7% Black individuals and 3% other minority groups. Nationally, 24% of all construction workers and 48% of Latinx construction workers do not have access to health insurance, according to the Center for Construction Research and Training.

Encouraging safety measures such as thorough cleaning of equipment between uses, wearing of personal protective equipment, restrictions on the number of workers at a worksite and increased health surveillance were associated with a 50% decrease in transmission.

11

Shock: Data Reveals Drug Abuse Worse Than Thought 10.21.20 | EHS Today by David Sparkman It was known that the Coronavirus impact boosted illegal drug use, but the numbers are scary.

It made headlines on Oct. 14 when Franklin County, Ohio, coroner Anahi Ortiz announced that fatal drug overdoses jumped 73% in the first half of 2020, with a total of 437 deaths. Fentanyl was responsible for the bulk of the deaths, with 85% of the overdoses chalked up to fentanyl alone or combined with other drugs.

The county is the most populous in Ohio and is home of the state capital of Columbus. Ortiz also said that 52% of overdose deaths occurred in people aged 25-44, and 22% were 45-54. There was a 2% drop in the number of women who overdosed, 71% of the deaths were men, and about two-thirds of Franklin County’s drug fatalities were white.

Unfortunately, Dr. Ortiz’s experience is in line with new data showing that the upsurge in drug and alcohol abuse during the Coronavirus pandemic is happening everywhere in the United States and is much worse than earlier reports had suggested.

A new Quest Diagnostics Health Trends study indicates that misuse of fentanyl, heroin and nonprescribed opioids are on the rise, potentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on healthcare access and support for individuals most at-risk for substance use disorder.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, given the increased stressors associated with the pandemic, we must maintain extra vigilance and not lose ground in our continued efforts to combat our nation’s drug abuse crisis,” the Quest researchers conclude.

In addition, they urge a renewed focus in providing

51%, from 5.7% in 2019 to 8.6% from mid-March to mid-May

education and support to treating clinicians on the front

2020. However, women’s positivity rate increased 16%, from

lines, including reinforcing the importance of drug testing,

3% to 3.7%.

which they say is the only objective measure of what drugs or substances patients are taking.

“COVID-19 interrupted non-essential patient care, but it hasn’t stopped drug misuse. We observe in the Quest data

Disturbing increases in drug abuse also were discovered

a striking increase in misuse of fentanyl in men compared to

to have taken place in 2019 before the pandemic began,

women during the initial phase of the pandemic,” says study

it was recently reported by Quest, which is a nationwide

co-author Jeffrey Gudin, M.D., senior medical advisor, drug

diagnostic testing and information services company that

monitoring at Quest Diagnostics. “Given the psychological,

publishes the annual data reports.

social and financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, more

The national drug testing laboratory Millennium Health also

efforts are needed to ensure that patients are taking

found the pandemic was driving the rise in drug abuse. When it compared the period earlier this year from Jan. 1 to when the national emergency was declared on March 13, to the

medications as prescribed. While the nation focuses on the pandemic, we must not lose sight of the ongoing drug misuse epidemic, which continues to kill upwards of 70,000

period from then to the end of May, there was an increase of

Americans each year.”

32% for nonprescribed fentanyl, 20% for methamphetamine,

Co-author Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., senior medical

12.5% for heroin and 10% for cocaine, accompanied by an

director, head of the Quest Health Trends Research Program,

18% increase in suspected drug overdoses.

adds, “The COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect

The new Quest study shows that the drugs of choice for

storm for a rise in substance use disorders and other forms

abusers closely track the findings of the previous research.

The new study looked at positive test rates for Jan. 1, 2019-March 14, 2020 and March 15-May 16, 2020 (during the

of prescription and illicit drug misuse. Stress, job losses and depression compounded with isolation and a lack of access to health services can trigger prescription medication

onset of the COVID-19 outbreak).

overuse, illicit drug use or relapses,” he says.

Among individuals tested, the drug positivity rate increased

Quest notes that from March to mid-May 2020 rates of drug

35% for non-prescribed fentanyl and 44% for heroin during the pandemic compared to the period prior to the

testing had declined significantly compared to prior to the pandemic, including for both patients on medication-assisted

pandemic. Nonprescribed opioids also increased by 10%.

treatment and those receiving in-person care. The investigators

VICTIMS COMBINING DRUGS

were unable to maintain access to healthcare services,

believe that these declines may be because high-risk patients

The study also found a massive surge in the positivity rate

possibly due to relapse, during the pandemic.

of drug combining with non-prescribed fentanyl during the

The rate of orders for clinical lab tests from Quest dropped

pandemic compared to prior to the pandemic. Positivity

by as much as 70% weekly, indicating fewer patients were

for non-prescribed fentanyl increased substantially among

being screened for drug misuse during the early months of

specimens that were also positive for amphetamines (by

the pandemic.

89%), benzodiazepines (48%), cocaine (34%), and opiates (39%).

“Yet, the rate of overall misuse held steady, with one in two

These findings suggest fentanyl is increasingly likely to be

patients showing signs of misuse of prescription or illicit drugs,

found in, or taken with, other drugs, resulting in dangerous

specifically 49.4% at the height of the pandemic compared

drug combinations. Drug mixing often occurs without a

to 49.9% prior to the pandemic—similar to rates observed

user’s knowledge. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50

annually over the past four years,” Quest says.

to 100 times more potent than morphine, a Schedule II prescription drug used to treat severe pain, but also a drug of abuse.

“Our Health Trends data demonstrate the consequences of the pandemic, with dramatic increases of misuse of nonprescribed drugs at a time when fentanyl is also on the

Most overdose deaths involving opioids such as fentanyl

rise,” stresses Dr. Kaufman. “Our nation is grappling with a

also involve concurrent use of benzodiazepines, cocaine,

drug epidemic inside a pandemic. Patients and providers

or methamphetamine.

need increased access to support services, clinical care and

There appears to be a difference in usage based on

drug testing to stop drug misuse from claiming more lives.”

gender, Quest found. Use of illicit fentanyl in men increased

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