BWC Safety Update June 2021

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With temperatures heating up, workers should take extra precautions to prevent heat illness. In a two-part blog series, we shared how to identify the signs and symptoms and tips to avoid heat illness. As part of National Electrical Safety Month, we also shared resources to prevent electrical injuries.

Heat Stress Bulletin

When working in high-temperature areas for extended periods of time, the body’s cooling process can be disrupted. When this happens, a heat-related illness can occur. Heat illnesses is very serious and can progress rapidly. Our Heat Stress Safety Bulletin covers signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention, and first aid.

Auger Bulletin

Augers are common tools found in a variety of industries and can pose a significant danger to workers. Our Auger Safety Bulletin discusses ways to prevent auger accidents through maintenance, training, and when operating.

Overexertion Among Construction Workers

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control recently published an article Workers’ Compensation Claim Rates and Costs for Musculoskeletal Disorders Related to Overexertion Among Construction Workers—Ohio, 2007–2017. The article examined the rate and cost of work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) claims from overexertion among Ohio construction workers during 2007–2017.

Two PERRP Webinars

• A PERRP-spective on the Fire Chief’s Role in Compliance – This webinar will provide you with an overview of the Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) and the most common OSHA/PERRP standards identified at fire departments. The webinar is 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on June. 21. Register online.
• The fight beyond the fire: Battling carcinogens before, during and after the fire ground – This webinar will help identify the main routes of potential carcinogenic exposures and ways to mitigate or reduce exposures. The webinar is 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on June 23. Register online.

BWC Trenching Safety Stand Down Webinar

Trenching poses some of the most severe hazards in the construction industry and sadly, trench failure is a leading cause of an increasing number of fatalities. Sign up to learn more on how to identify risk factors. The webinar is 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on June 15. Register online.

NIOSH/CDC News

NIOSH Turns 50

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of NIOSH. Created by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970, NIOSH was established as a separate and independent research program to create objective scientific research findings in the field of occupational safety and health.

NIOSH Bibliography

This publication has a special report about NIOSH after 50 years and a listing of all of the 2020 produced articles, book chapters, and other NIOSH-produced materials. Of note are projects the Ohio BWC collaborated on (see pages 58, 68, 73, and 90).

Teen Safety – Teaching Talking Safety

If your teen has a summer job or if you hire teens at your workplace here are six short videos with safety on the job information. These videos are part of the Youth Work Talking Safety curriculum.

New Publication

Prescription Opioid and Benzodiazepine Medications and Occupational Safety and Health has a summary of findings from academic publications and information for employers and healthcare providers about the prescription use of opioids and benzodiazepines.

NIOSH Webinar

On June 9^th at 12:00 pm, representatives from major industry sectors discuss occupational safety and health challenges facing workers in the post-pandemic world. Register here.

OSHA News

New Guidance Documents on Beryllium Safety

OSHA released six new documents to aid employers in following beryllium safety regulations. Beryllium is a metal used in the aerospace, telecommunications, information technology, defense, medical, and nuclear industries. Workers such as foundry workers, machine operators, and dental technicians have potential exposure to beryllium.

• Small Entity Compliance Guide for Beryllium in General Industry.
• Interim Enforcement Guidance for the 2020 Final Beryllium Standards.
• Frequently Asked Questions: Beryllium and the OSHA Beryllium Standards.
• OSHA QuickCard® Beryllium: Worker Information on the BeLPT.
• OSHA QuickCard® Beryllium Medical Surveillance Information for Workers.
• Beryllium: Guidance on Medical Surveillance for Beryllium Exposed Workers.

Spanish Language Fall Protection Webinar.

OSHA presented a Spanish-language webinar during the National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls. A video and slide presentation are available.

Other News

Stress Less with Deep Breaths

Whether it is misplacing the car keys, new changes at work, or helping the kids get ready for summer break, we all are experiencing some type of stress! Stress is not always bad though. Stress becomes a problem when it is frequent or ongoing. This can lead to negative health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or muscle pain. There are healthy ways to manage stress, like deep breathing! Deep breathing can help relax our bodies, boost our mood, and lower blood pressure. Next time you're feeling tense or anxious close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. For more information, click here. #BWCWellness

Updated COVID-19 Worker Protection Training Program

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program updated the Building Programs to Protect Workers from COVID-19 in the Workplace course. This awareness level training is designed to inform workers who must work during the pandemic how to protect themselves and co-workers from exposure to the virus. For a PDF version of the slides use this link.

Mental Health Cost Calculator

The National Safety Council collaborated with the nonpartisan and objective research organization NORC at the University of Chicago to create a program to calculate the cost of employee mental health and illness for employers based on number of employees, industry, and location.

Top 10 Violation Blog Series

The National Safety Council published a series of posts to their On Safety blog regarding the OSHA top 10 violation for 2019-2020. Each post looks at different industries.

On Safety: A closer look at OSHA’s ‘Top 10’ violations – Part I

On Safety: A closer look at OSHA’s ‘Top 10’ violations – Part II

On Safety: A closer look at OSHA’s ‘Top 10’ violations – Part III

On Safety: A closer look at OSHA Top 10 violations – Part IV

Competent Person and OSHA

Many OSHA standards refer to training by a “competent person”. Do you really know what that means? This article in Safety + Health magazine discusses the concept of the competent person and how it differs from qualified, certified, or authorized person.

Construction Fatality Map Dashboard

This data visualization tool from the Center for Construction Research and Training maps out the location of construction fatalities. The data from the map is also available as a spreadsheet and includes data from OSHA fatality investigations and online media sources gathered since 2011.

The Ohio BWC Library of BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene compiles and distributes this newsletter each month. 

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

Vision: To transform BWC into an agile organization driven by customer success.
Mission: To deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. Core Values: One Agency, Personal Connection, Innovative Leadership, Relentless Excellence.

Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio and serves 249,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,700 employees and assets of approximately $25 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. For more, visit www.bwc.ohio.gov.