Author: Randy

Supervisors Beware – BP Workers Charged with Manslaughter

Two men who worked for BP during the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster have been charged with manslaughter and a third with lying to federal investigators, according to indictments made public Thursday, hours after BP announced it was paying $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government over the disaster. A federal indictment unsealed in New Orleans claims BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine acted negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before the explosion killed 11 workers in April 2010. The indictment says Kaluza and Vidrine failed to phone engineers onshore to alert them of problems in the drilling operation.

via Robert Kaluza, Donald Vidrine: BP workers indicted on manslaughter counts in Deepwater Horizon spill.

CDC Protects Cancer Patients from Infections

Each year, more than one million people are treated in a cancer clinic, and more than 60,000 cancer patients are taken to a hospital due to infection. October is the one-year anniversary of CDCs Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients Program, which helps raise awareness about the importance of preventing infections in this vulnerable group.

How to prevent an infection during chemotherapy

1. Prepare: Watch Out for Fever – If you get a fever during your chemotherapy treatment, its a medical emergency. Take your temperature any time you feel warm, flushed, chilled, or not well. If your temperature is 100.4°F 38°C or higher for more than one hour, or 101°F 38.3°C or higher for any length of time, call your doctor right away.

2. Prevent: Clean Your Hands – Dirty hands are especially dangerous when youre getting chemotherapy treatment because your body may not be able to fight off infections like it used to. You and anyone who comes around you should clean their hands often. Use soap and water to wash your hands, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water arent available.

3. Protect: Know the Signs and Symptoms of Infection – Call your doctor right away if you notice any of the following signs and symptoms of an infection—Fever this is sometimes the only sign of an infection.

  • Chills and sweats.
  • Change in cough or a new cough.
  • Sore throat or new mouth sore.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Nasal congestion.Stiff neck.
  • Burning or pain with urination.
  • Unusual vaginal discharge or irritation.
  • Increased urination.
  • Redness, soreness, or swelling in any area, including surgical wounds and ports.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Pain in the abdomen or rectum.
  • New onset of pain.

via CDC Protects Cancer Patients from Infections.

Physical Changes in Aging Workers

What physical changes occur, in general, as a person ages… and how can this affect their work?

Our bodies change as we age. People reach full physical maturity or development at around the age of 25 years. Then after a period of relative stability, our bodies begin to show signs of aging. Most of these changes are first noticed at ages 40 or 50, but changes can occur (or start) as early as 20 or 25. These changes include:

  • Maximum muscular strength and range of joint movement: In general, people lose 15 to 20% of their strength from the ages of 20 to 60.
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory systems: The ability of the heart, lungs and circulatory system to carry oxygen decreases. Between the age of 30 and 65, the functional breathing capacity can reduce by 40%.
  • Regulation of posture and balance: In general people may find it harder to maintain good posture and balance. When seated or standing still, this may not be a problem. However, accidents that happen because someone loses their balance do happen more often with age.
  • Sleep Regulation: As we age, our body is not able to regulate sleep as well as it used to. How long a person sleeps, and how well they sleep, can additionally be disrupted by changing work hours or by light and noise.
  • Thermoregulation (Body Temperature): Our bodies are less able to maintain internal temperatures as well as less able to adjust to changes in external temperature or due to physical activity. This change means that older workers may find heat or cold more difficult to deal with than when they were younger.
  • Vision: Vision changes with age. We will notice we cannot see or read from certain distances as well as we used to.
  • Auditory (Hearing): Hearing also changes. We may not be able to hear as well at higher frequencies (high pitch sounds). Most often, this change is noticed as the inability to listen to a particular voice or sound in a noisy environment.

via Aging Workers : OSH Answers.

Injury, Disability and Death on the Job

“Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy. American workers are not looking for a handout or a free lunch. They are looking for a good days pay for a hard days work. They just want to go to work, provide for their families, and get home in one piece.” – Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

via OSHA Commonly Used Statistics.

Quick Tips for Preventing Salmonella

  • Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
  • If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don’t hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
  • Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
  • Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
  • Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
  • Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
  • Don’t work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.
  • Mother’s milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

via CDC – Prevention – Salmonella.

Safety Lessons From BP Deepwater Horizon

What exactly is a negative pressure test?

If you’ve followed the coverage of the investigation into the causes of the BP Deepwater Horizon (DH) explosion that killed 11 workers, you’ve probably received a good introduction into Well Drilling 101. Terms like “annulator,”  “centralizers,” “drilling mud” and “blowout preventer” have become familiar if not completely understood; the specific purpose of each component may be hard to grasp without working in the industry. One such term that has been prominently featured in the coverage is a “negative pressure test.” Out of all of the questionable practices carried out by the companies involved in the DH disaster, the negative pressure test on April 20 may be the most critical one. According to Oil Gas Glossary.com, a negative pressure test is:

“A method of determining the amount of pressure that is allowed to appear on the casing pressure gauge as a kick is circulated out of a well. in general, it is determined by slowly pumping mud into the well while it is shut in and observing the pressure at which the formation begins to take mud.”

The negative pressure test showed there was a problem yet is was ignored by two workers with years of experience. That was a critical error that largely contributed to this tragedy. 

via What exactly is a negative pressure test?.

Surgery Risks Higher for Obese

Obese people have a much higher risk of potentially deadly complications following surgery, a new study shows.

Researchers found obese patients had a significantly higher risk of postoperative complications, such as heart attack, wound infection, nerve injury, and urinary tract infections.

In addition, the study showed morbidly obese patients (patients more than 100 pounds over their ideal weight) were nearly twice as likely to die as a result of complications following noncardiac surgery.

Researchers say the findings are especially troubling as obesity rates climb in the U.S. According to the CDC, more than 30% of the adult U.S. population is now considered obese.

“Our study provides further evidence of the dangers of obesity as it relates to surgery,” says researcher Olumuyiwa A. Bamgbade, MD.

via Surgery Risks Higher for Obese.

Office Environment – Worker Safety & Health

Maintaining a healthy office environment requires attention to chemical hazards, equipment and work station design, physical environment (temperature, humidity, light, noise, ventilation, and space), task design, psychological factors (personal interactions, work pace, job control) and sometimes, chemical or other environmental exposures.

A well-designed office allows each employee to work comfortably without needing to over-reach, sit or stand too long, or use awkward postures (correct ergonomic design). Sometimes, equipment or furniture changes are the best solution to allow employees to work comfortably. On other occasions, the equipment may be satisfactory but the task could be redesigned. For example, studies have shown that those working at computers have less discomfort with short, hourly breaks.

Situations in offices that can lead to injury or illness range from physical hazards (such as cords across walkways, leaving low drawers open, objects falling from overhead) to task-related (speed or repetition, duration, job control, etc.), environmental (chemical or biological sources) or design-related hazards (such as nonadjustable furniture or equipment). Job stress that results when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities or resources of the worker may also result in illness.

via CDC – Office Environment & Worker Safety & Health – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Physical Activity is Essential to Healthy Aging

As an older adult, regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can prevent many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others.

Not doing any physical activity can be bad for you, no matter your age or health condition. Keep in mind, some physical activity is better than none at all. Your health benefits will also increase with the more physical activity that you do.

via Physical Activity for Everyone: Guidelines: Older Adults | DNPAO | CDC.