News from around the World
August 2002
Sheila Pantry, OBE
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Silicosis in Sandblasters: a case study adapted for use in US High Schools
The goal of this report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) is to learn about epidemiology by studying an occupational
hazard, a disease associated with the hazard, and the methods for preventing
the disease. Epidemiology is the study if why and how a disease occurs and
spreads in populations. More than 2 million US workers are potentially exposed
to dusts containing crystalline silica. Prolonged inhalation of
silica-containing dusts puts these workers at risk for the disease silicosis -
a nodular fibrosis of the lungs that causes shortness of breath. More than
100,000 US workers are in high-risk occupations such as sandblasting.
US National Occupational Safety and Health - NIOSH
Silicosis in Sandblasters: a case study adapted for use in US High Schools.
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-105 June 2002 21
pages
Available from: US NIOSH, Publications Dissemination, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, OH 45226 1998, USA. | Tel: +1 800356 4674 | Fax: +1 513 533 8573 |
Email: pubstaft@cdc.gov | www.cdc.gov/niosh
Surveillance and Prevention of Occupational Injuries in Alaska: a decade of
progress, 1990-1999
The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) works
with numerous partners in the public and private sectors on collaborative
efforts to prevent occupational injuries and fatalities in Alaska.
These efforts included development of a comprehensive, statewide
surveillance systems that helped identify new and emerging problems, track
hazardous conditions over time, target interventions, evaluate efforts and
anticipate future problems. During the 1990s, occupational fatalities in Alaska
decreased by nearly 50%. This document describes collaborative efforts that
contributed to this decrease.
One primary goal for NIOSH in compiling this report was to create a resource
that could be used by anyone interested in workplace safety in Alaska or other
high-risk areas facing occupational injury challenges, particularly in
commercial fishing, helicopter logging industries and commercial aviation.
US National Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Surveillance and Prevention of Occupational Injuries in Alaska:
a decade of progress, 1990-1999
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-15 2002 48
pages
Available from: US NIOSH, Publications Dissemination, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, OH 45226 1998, USA. | Tel: +1 800356 4674 | Fax: +1 513 533 8573 |
Email: pubstaft@cdc.gov | web: www.cdc.gov/niosh
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and practice
Edited by Dennis J Paustenbach
Wiley Interscience 2002 ISBN 0471147478 1556 pages
This authoritative guide to risk assessment, grounded in actual case studies
of sites or issues that address a wide range of human and ecological hazards.
The book assembles the expertise of more than fifty authorities from fifteen
different fields. The chapters contain the most current methods for conducting
hazard identification, dose-response and exposure assessment, and risk
characterisation components for risk assessments of any chemical hazard to
human or wildlife.
The topics addressed include hazards posed by:
- emissions
- contaminated soil and foods
- occupational hazards
- hazardous waste sites
- radiological hazards
- agricultural hazards
- consumer produced and water
- contaminated air and water
With over 1500 pages and extensive lists of references, this book will
become a standard textbook.
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and practice
Edited by Dennis J Paustenbach
Wiley Interscience 2002 ISBN 0471147478 1556 pages
Contact: Joanna Gibson | Tel: +44 (0)1243 770674 | email: jgibson@wiley.co.uk
The Complete Book of Pesticide Management: Science, Regulation, Stewardship
and Communication
Edited by Fred Whitford
Wiley Interscience 2002 ISBN
0471407283
Pesticides are an essential part of our lives, however no pesticide is risk
free and all pesticides carry the potential to harm people and the environment.
As long as the pesticides are properly controlled, regulated and labelled and
with good consumer education, pesticides can play an important role in
maintaining the quality of life we enjoy.
The text links scientific information developed from pesticide testing
programmes with the safety and precautionary language commonly found on
products labels. Describing how to communicate pesticide benefits and risks to
the public he Complete Book of Pesticide Management provides information on how
to select pesticides and protect the professionals handling these chemicals.
Contributors from government, manufacturing, retail industries,
universities, trade associations, and non-profit organisations provide a
balanced view of the relative risks that pesticides pose to people, wildlife
and water.
The Complete Book of Pesticide Management: Science, Regulation, Stewardship
and Communication, Edited by Fred Whitford
Wiley Interscience 2002 ISBN
0471407283
Contact: Joanna Gibson | Tel: +44 (0)1243 770674 | email: jgibson@wiley.co.uk
NAIR Technical Handbook 2002 edition
by N P McColl and P Kruse
National Radiological Protection Board NRPB – W7 2002 ISBN
0859514781 32 pages
This Technical Handbook contains information for radiation specialists
participating in the National Arrangements for Incidents involving
Radioactivity (NAIR). This latest edition contains:
- Operational aspects
- Radiological protection in NAIR incidents
- Instruments and equipment
- Radionuclide data and guide to suitable detectors
- Package and source identification
- Disposal of radioactive materials involved in NAIR incidents
There is also an appendix of UN Numbers commonly used in the transport of
radioactive materials.
The NRPB W series reports are the NRPB’s new series of reports which
replaced the NRPB R series reports in January 2002. The new NRPB W series are
now primarily available as downloadable PDF files on the NRPB website: www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListNameDesc/Page/1158945066506
Contact: NRPB Information Office, Didcot, Chilton Oxon OX11 0RQ | Tel: +44
(0)1235 822742 | Fax: +44 (0)1235 822746 | Email: information@nrpb.org
Electronic COSHH Essentials
The UK Health and Safety Executive has launched an Internet tool to help
prevent the harmful effects of working with chemicals by providing advice to
limit exposure. COSHH Essentials provides advice on controlling the use of
chemicals for a range of common tasks, e.g. mixing or drying. The website will
take you through a number of steps and ask for information about your tasks and
chemicals. This will take several minutes to complete. To provide this
information you will need a safety data sheet for each chemical to supply
details such as risk phrases (R-phrases).
There is a worked example for you to see what happens.
www.coshh-essentials.org.uk
Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference, 5th ed.
by Richard J Lewis, Sr.
The Hazardous Chemical Desk Reference contains safety profiles, synonyms,
physical properties, standards and recommendations of government agencies for
approximately 5,000 chemicals deemed both important and potential hazardous by
the international scientific community. Substantially updated, the fifth
edition includes the latest information from a variety of international
databases and organisations, while deleting entries that have proven to be the
least pertinent to practitioners.
Substances were chosen on the basis of meeting a variety of criteria
including:
- Having an US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard
- Having an ACGIH TLV. Listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
Groups 1-4 assessments
- Listed on the NTP Ninth Report on Carcinogens
- Having a German Research Society's MAK or BAT listing
- Having especially dangerous toxic, reactive, or fire properties.
The Hazardous Chemical Desk Reference, by Richard J Lewis, Sr
Published by John Wiley, 2002 ISBN 0471 441651 1695
pages GBP130.00
Contact: Joanna Gibson | Tel: +44 (0)1243 770674 | email: jgibson@wiley.co.uk
Labour Inspection: a guide to the profession
by Wolfgang Von Richthofen
It presents policy issues in an international context, while examining how
the major, foreseeable developments in economics, the labour market, and
technology, as well as national, sectoral and enterprise social structures
affect labour inspection. This is an authoritative, comprehensive guide to
labour inspection and its fundamental principles.
Taking into account substantial developments and major changes in the field,
this book looks at what has occurred in both the policy and practice of labour
inspection in the 21st century. It explores the often entirely new systems and
strategies that have surfaced, such as "internal controls" in the
Nordic countries and the merger of parts of social insurance (workers'
compensation) with inspection services (in Australian and New Zealand), and
explains how these and other practices may benefit countries in similar
situations.
Labour Inspection: a guide to the profession, by Wolfgang Von Richthofen
ILO May 2002 ISBN 92 2 112710 9
Available from the ILO Office, Millbank Tower, London SW1P 4QP, UK | Tel: +44
20 7828 6401 | Fax: +44 20 7233 5925 | Email ipu@ilo-london.org.uk
or ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland | Fax: +41 22
799 6878 | Email: pubvente@ilo.org | web:
www.ilo.org/publns
Children at Work: health and safety risks. 2nd edition
by Valentina Forastieri
The second edition of this useful and informative approach to the protection
of working children through the development of a programme of occupational
safety and health specifically addressed to working children. It illustrates
what can be done within a framework of a national policy aimed at he
elimination of child labour.
As with the previous edition, it also includes procedures to identify
hazardous working conditions, and offers advice on developing improved methods
and instruments to assess and protect the health of wiring children.
Children at Work: health and safety risks, by Valentina Forastieri
ILO 2002 2nd ed. ISBN 92 2
111399X
Available from the ILO Office, Millbank Tower, London SW1P 4QP, UK | Tel: +44
20 7828 6401 | Fax: +44 20 7233 5925 | Email: ipu@ilo-london.org.uk
or ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland | Fax: +41 22
799 6878 | Email: pubvente@ilo.org | web:
www.ilo.org/publns
Workers Life: safety, health and environment news for the Worker in
South Africa....
The latest edition of Workers Life July 2002 contains a number of topical
subjects including:
- NOSA helping local authorities
- High fatality rate in Zimbabwe's mines
- Night work can have very bad effects
- Slips, trips and falls aren't funny
- How tolerable is tolerable? Discusses the introduction of Risk Assessment in section 11 of the Mine Health and Safety Act
Contact: Workers Life, NOSA, 508 Proes Street, Arcadia 0083, Box 26434
Arcadia, Pretoria 0007 South Africa | E-mail: worklife@nosa.co.za
Suffer the Children.....
Susan Gunn of the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child
Labour (IPEC) answers questions from Sheila Pantry, OBE
No-one really knows how many children have to work for their livings since
it is often illegal and clandestine and beyond the reach of labour statistics.
But this is a major problem worldwide.
Child labour continues to be a global phenomenon - no country or region is
immune. Ten years after launching a worldwide campaign the ILO has launched a
comprehensive new look at the problem. The findings are cause for concern;
despite significant progress in efforts to abolish child labour, the report*
says that alarming number of children remain trapped in its worst form. In many
developed countries, agriculture is also the sector most children work.
The above article appeared in the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents - RoSPA Occupational Safety and Health Journal, April 2002,
vol. 32, no. 4 18-24.
RoSPA, Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK. | Tel: +44
(0)121 248 2000 | Fax: +44 (0)121 248 2001 | web: www.rospa.co.uk
Back in work
CRR 441/2002 Initiative Evaluation Report
Back pain is the leading cause of sickness absence from work in the UK. It
is estimated that in 1995, 10 million working days were lost because of back
pain. The cost to the National Health Service of treating back pain and injury
has been estimated at £481 million, and the overall cost to industry has been
estimated at £5 billion. The Back in Work Initiative was established to
identify and develop innovative ideas to tackle back pain in the workplace, to
develop good practice and to improve workplace health. This document published
by the UK Health and Safety Executive provides a summary of the projects that
comprised the Back in Work Initiative. 18 of the funded projects provided
results and final reports within the originally stated timeframes.
Back in Work, HSE. CRR 441/2002, Initiative Evaluation
Report
Protection of workers in the health care industry
Problems of special interest concerning the protection of workers exposed to
physical hazards in the health care sector, by C Grandi, S Iavicoli, V Molinaro,
S Palmi and P Rossi are presented in an article in the ISPESL Prevenzione Oggi,
No.1 2001 p. 3-44.
Contact: ISPESL, Information Centre, Via Alessandria 220/e, 1-00198 Rome,
Italy | Tel: +39 06 442 50 648 | Fax: +39 06 442 50 972 | Email: tagliaferro.doc@ispesl.it
| web: www.ispesl.it
Karoshi - death from overwork
The latest newsletter from the Japan Industrial Safety and Health
Association (JISHA) shows a range of activities undertaken and draws attention
to the death from overwork - Karoshi.
For copies of the JISHA's Safety and Health in Japan Newsletter contact:
JISHA, (ILO-CIS National Centre in Japan), 5-35-1 Shiba, Minatoku, Tokyo
108-0014, Japan | Tel/Fax +81 3 3454 4596 | Email: kokusai@jisha.or.jp
| www.jisha.or.jp
|