Stay Cool at Work with Heat Stress Training

       

       A new national outreach campaign by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be focusing on the hazards of working in hot weather. The new initiative was announced on April 26, 2011 from Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis. This campaign will focus on educating workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors and the steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses. The message will focus on water, rest and shade. According to US Dept of Labor, thousands of outdoor workers experience heat illness which begins with heat exhaustion and if not treated immediately, can lead to heat stroke. More than 30 workers died last year from heat stroke. (Source: www.osha.gov)

      SafetySkills™ has developed an OSHA compliant course that focuses heat stress in the workplace. The course is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/heat-stress-in-the-workplace. With this course employees will learn how to identify and prevent the hazardous health effects of high heat. Heat stress can affect a broad span of industries from agriculture and landscaping to construction, oil and gas, road repair and airport baggage handling. For more information on this online course and others, please visit www.safetyskills.com

2011 World Day for Safety and Health at Work

       The 2011 World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be celebrated on Thursday April 28^th. This year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work will focus on the implementation of an Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) as a tool for continual improvement in the prevention of workplace incidents and accidents. (Source: www.ilo.org) The intention is to focus internationally on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.

       At SafetySkills™ we have always put workplace safety at the forefront and recognize that workers have a fundamental right to safety but they have an obligation to work safely. Our courses help to provide guidelines and tools to maintain a safe work environment. Please visit us at www.safetyskills.com to learn more about our effective occupational health and safety e-learning courses. 

World Health Day Brings Focus on Drug Resistance

      

       Today is World Health Day and this year's focus is on  Antimicrobial Resistance.  The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Antimicrobial resistance is not a new problem but is becoming more dangerous and urgent and consolidated efforts are needed to avoid regressing to the pre-antibiotic area.  For World Health Day, WHO will be calling for intensified global commitment to safeguard antibiotics for generations.  Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effectiveness of many medicines used today to treat infectious diseases. 

      

       SafetySkills™ is committed to help prevent antimicrobial resistance and is showcasing the Flu Symptoms and Prevention Strategies course to show the importance of infection prevention and control practices.  This free course is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/flu-symptoms-and-prevention.  The WHO states that poor infection prevention and control practices are one of the underlying factors that drive antimicrobial resistance. 

       The WHO determines that if the use and misuse of antimicrobials continues unchecked, many infectious diseases risk becoming uncontrollable and could derail progress made towards reaching the health related United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015. This World Health Day, The WHO will call on everyone “to think, act and take responsibility for combating drug resistance.” In response to this, SafetySkills™ is also offering the Bloodborne Pathogens course which is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/online-bloodborne-pathogens-training .  This course along with the Flu Symptoms course will assist the WHO in reaching their goal by making the learner more aware of the spread of infectious diseases and how to prevent it. For more information on SafetySkills™ and other courses, please visit www.safetyskills.com.

"Fowl" Play Prevents Slips, Trips and Falls

Researchers studied helmeted guinea fowl 

       Researchers from Clemson University and the College of Charleston have discovered that walking forward quickly with a firm footed stance prevents slips or falls better than shuffling or moving slowly.  According to EHS Today, the researchers studied helmeted guinea fowl because they react to slips and falls much like humans do.  The guinea fowl leg joints and human knees and ankles function in similar ways making them excellent test subjects.

 

       “The key to avoiding slips seems to be speed and keeping the body mass forward, slightly head of ankles after the foot contacts the ground,” states Biomechanics researcher Timothy Higham. This study can prove to be very helpful in preventing slips, trips and falls which are a major cause of injuries and even death. According to a Bureau for Labor Statics in 2006, slips accounted for about 234,000 nonfatal work related falls and 789 fatalities.  Factors such as flooring, environment, obstacles, contamination and inadequate footwear all contribute to slips, trips and falls.  To address this topic, SafetySkills™ is featuring the Slips, Trips, and Falls course available at http://www.safetyskills.com/free-slips-trips-and-falls. SafetySkills™ realizes that this is a major source of injury in the workplace and has created the course to teach learners how to minimize or eliminate safety hazards.

 

       SafetySkills™ specializes in providing interactive and comprehensive online training that helps you protect everyone in your organization. Slips, Trips and Falls is just one of the many topics that is featured as part of the innovative e-learning solutions.  For more topics, please visit us at www.safetyskills.com

Oil and Gas Safety

       The Oil and Gas industry is frequently making headlines. Most often they are featured due to the rise in cost of oil and gas but occasionally the media attention is given when disaster strikes the industry, such as the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana in April of 2010 and past incidents such as the Clearbrook, Minnesota pipeline fire in 2007 and the Texas City, Texas refinery explosion in 2005.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, 120 people were killed in the oil and gas industry.  Though catastrophic incidents are rare, smaller incidents occur more frequently.  The most recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statics concludes that in 2007 there were 4,200 cases of nonfatal injuries of full time workers in the oil and gas industry.

 Safety is a very crucial topic in the one of America’s most dangerous profession.  To specifically address the conditions and risks relevant to the Oil and Gas industry, the SafetySkills™ Oil and Gas Exploration and Production series was created. This series of training is based on API; AESC; and IADC guidance, as well as OSHA’s published guidance. This training is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/oil-and-gas-safety. The series focuses on topics such as Basic Oil Rig Safety, Cold Stress for Oil and Gas, Fire Prevention, Hazard Communication, PPE and many more relevant topics.

    
       While recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor show that the numbers of nonfatal and fatal workplace injuries in the oil and gas industry are down since 2005, it’s not all about luck. Awareness and preparation is the key to maintaining a safe work environment.   SafetySkills™ offers OSHA compliant courses on many oil and gas related topics. For more information visit us at www.safetyskills.com.