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. 

      

Bunsen and Lab Safety Awareness

     Today marks the 200^th birthday of Robert Bunsen. Robert Bunsen is best known for the Bunsen burner though he has made many contributions to science. Bunsen made his biggest impact to the scientific world during his study of spectroscopy , the study of the rays in light, leading him to invent the Bunsen-Kirchoff spectroscope.  Using the spectroscope he eventually discovered the elements, cesium and rubidium (Source: www.wisegeek.com). 

Cartoon depiction of a bunsen burner

     To celebrate Bunsen’s birthday and his contributions to science, SafetySkills™ is featuring the Laboratory Safety series. The series is available at http://www.safetyskills.com/laboratory-safety. The series features Basic Laboratory Safety, Chemical Hygiene Safety and Hexavalent Chromium Safety.  

     If Bunsen had watched these courses, he may have obtained safety skills that could help prevent laboratory catastrophes. In 1838 when Bunsen was studying cacodyls, a compound made with arsenic, the substance nearly poisoned Bunsen and an explosion in his lab sent a sliver of glass in his one eye causing him to lose sight in the damaged eye.  Let’s honor Bunsen by practicing safe laboratory skills. For more information on other safe work practices, please visit www.safetyskills.com for a complete listing of all our course offerings. 

Seeing Eye to Eye with PPE and Workplace Eye Wellness Month

        According to the National Safety Council, March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month. Prevent Blindness America, the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization, states that more than 2,000 people injure their eyes at work each day. About 1 in 10 injuries require one or more missed workdays to recover from. Of the total amount of work-related injuries, 10-20% will cause temporary or permanent vision loss. (Source: www.preventblindness.org)

        The eye is the one of the most easily damaged parts of the body, yet 78 percent of eye injuries are due to a lack of protective eye wear. To show how strongly SafetySkills™ feels about this specific type of injury, we are featuring our Personal Protective Equipment course at http://www.safetyskills.com/personal-protective-equiptment/occupational-health-and-safety/personal-protective-equipment.

Screen shot from SafetySkills™ Personal Protective Equipment Course

  
        “It is much easier to prevent an eye injury rather than healing from one,” said Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com. “Our SafetySkills™ Personal Protective Equipment course is a quick and informative way to ensure the safety of your workers.”

100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Sparks Fire Safety Awareness

       Friday March 25 2011 marks the 100^th anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The infamous fire claimed the life of 146 garment workers on the upper floors of a New York City sweatshop. The outcome of this horrific event helped to inspire the labor movement and shape the regulations of new fire safety and building codes.

The charred interior of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York, March 25, 1911. The building - which had no sprinklers, only one fire escape, and locked doors - was a deathtrap for 146 workers.  (Cornell Univ./Kheel Center)

 

       Although, fire safety has improved immensely from 100 years ago it is still an unfortunate occurrence in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 174 fatal injuries due to fires and explosions in 2008, 18 of which were in the oil and gas industry.  To honor this tragedy’s importance on the birth of workplace safety regulations, SafetySkills™  features a free online course at http://www.safetyskills.com/basic-fire-safety. This fire safety course will teach employees and individuals how to stay safe in a fire emergency. Viewers will learn their responsibilities in a fire emergency, how to identify different alarm signals, evacuation routes, procedures and fire extinguisher use.  Let’s make this one part of history that does not repeat itself.

Can the Gulf of Mexico Handle Another Oil Spill?

       The Gulf of Mexico hasn’t seen the last of the oily waters that have plagued the Louisiana coast. On Friday, March 18^th 2011; an oil spill was discovered off the coast of Louisiana’s Grand Isle. Privately owned Houston based company Anglo – Suisse Offshore Partners (ASOP) accepted responsibility for the spill on Tuesday March 24^th but were “surprised” that the 5 gallons they claimed to of leaked from an abandoned well 30 miles off shore could have caused the miles – long slick. ASOP announced on Tuesday, March 22 that they have successfully plugged the well and have agreed to assist in the cleanup of the area.

A worker helping clean up the Gulf shoreline

        Due to the environmental concerns that plague the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and other areas, SafetySkills™  has created a free online oil spill cleanup course at http://www.safetyskills.com/oil-and-gas/environmental-performance/oil-spill-worker-safety.  This free online oil spill cleanup course details possible hazards associated with oil spill cleanup work, and hazardous waste training specifically in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. This training is based on materials developed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, together with OSHA, which focus on the necessary hazard awareness and safety training for all oil spill workers. This course is designed for all individuals who will participate or are already participating in oil spill cleanup work, and who will have minimal contact oil with spill products.