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‘A silent stressor’: Many pregnant workers say they risk their health, safe...

Photo: MaxRiesgo/iStockphotoVancouver, WA — Nearly 2 out of 3 pregnant workers say they stress about being stereotyped as weak or less committed to their job, leading many to conceal their pregnancies and overperform – in turn, risking their health and safety as well as that of their unborn child, according to a recent study.A pair of researchers from Washington State University surveyed pregnant workers in physically demanding jobs at three different times over a two-month span, starting with a group of more than 400. The respondents, who were all at different stages of pregnancy, worked in various industries, including health care, manufacturing and retail.Among the risky behaviors the women said they took part in to avoid being stereotyped were lifting heavy objects and standing for long periods of time. Further, women who reported a higher stereotype threat had almost three times as many work-related incidents at the end of the study period compared with those who felt a relatively low stereotype threat. Moreover, fears of confirming the stereotypes also increased.“The pregnancy stereotype is a silent stressor,” lead study author Lindsey Lavaysse said in a June 29 press release. “It is not always visible, but it really impacts women in the workplace.” Lavaysse and co-author Tahira Probst, a WSU psychology professor, noted that most workplaces have policies in place to accommodate pregnant workers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission adds that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 “forbids discrimination based on pregnancy when it comes to any aspect of employment.”Still, Lavaysse said, “if the organization’s culture suggests there will be retaliation or that workers will be looked upon differently, then women will shy away from using accommodations that are better for their health and safety.”Sign up for Safety+Health's free monthly email newsletters and get the news that's important to you. SUBSCRIBE NOWLavaysse and Probst recommend better social support for pregnant workers and following maternity leave policies. They also say further study is needed to investigate possible variables that might mitigate some of the negative stigma surrounding pregnancy while working.The study was published online June 5 in the journal Work and Stress.

from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20149-a-silent-stressor-pregnant-workers-say-they-r...
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- Aug 4
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‘We need to do it’: CPWR webinar puts spotlight on contact tracing in const...

Photo: AlexLMX/iStockphotoSilver Spring, MD — Effective contact tracing can be a challenge on construction sites, where supervisors, contractors, workers, vendors and visitors may be onsite at any given time.Still, this disease control measure – used to identify, support and monitor individuals potentially exposed to an infected person – remains essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say.“It is not a panacea. It’s not a perfect system,” said Travis Parsons, associate director of occupational safety and health for the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America. “But it does help curb the spread of the virus, and we need to do it.”Parsons spoke during a July 16 webinar on contact tracing basics and applications in construction hosted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. His presentation followed remarks by NIOSH medical epidemiologist Sara Luckhaupt, who said that although the concept might be new to some, contact tracing has been part of the public health sphere for decades.The authority and responsibility for implementing contact tracing lies with state, tribal, local and territorial health departments, Luckhaupt said. As detailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contact tracing is recommended for anyone who has come within 6 feet of an individual with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more within 48 hours of diagnosis.In a hypothetical situation, a health department official would ask an individual with COVID-19 about the people with whom he or she recently has had close contact. Making sure not to share the name of the infected individual, the health department then would alert contacts and assess symptoms.Should a health department official conclude that a case of COVID-19 impacts a work environment, it would notify the employer. Luckhaupt and Parsons stress the importance of employer collaboration.“The sooner that you can get a case and a contact who may potentially become a case out of circulation to the general public, then the sooner you can stop the spread,” Luckhaupt said. “The greater chance you can prevent further cases.”Symptomatic or asymptomatic contacts who test positive for COVID-19 should be treated and managed as a confirmed case, CDC advises. CDC recommends COVID-19 testing for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients. The agency also recommends that:
Asymptomatic contacts who test negative should self-quarantine for 14 days from their most recent exposure.
Symptomatic contacts for whom testing isn’t available should self-isolate and be managed as a probable COVID-19 case.
Asymptomatic contacts for whom testing isn’t available should self-quarantine and be monitored for 14 days after their most recent exposure, with linkage to clinical care for those who develop symptoms.
Luckhaupt outlined additional steps that CDC recommends employers take to prepare for a possible case investigation and contact tracing:
Identify a COVID-19 coordinator or team to oversee pandemic-related activities.
Identify and, if possible, contact or visit the health department website.
Create a COVID-19 preparedness, response and control plan.
Review CDC guidance on case investigation and contact tracing.
Encourage employees to cooperate with the health department.
Additionally, Parsons said, workers shouldn’t feel a stigma about reporting symptoms, because contact tracing should be kept anonymous and confidential.Sign up for Safety+Health's free monthly email newsletters and get the news that's important to you. SUBSCRIBE NOW“We encourage our workers. They have a role in this. They need to report symptoms,” Parsons said. “They need to report if they’ve had exposures. Everybody needs to work on this together. And the intention is not to interrogate or pass judgment on any one worker whatsoever. It’s to curb the disease and to collect information to keep everyone safe.”CDC has developed a fact sheet for various digital contact tracing applications that may enhance contact tracing data management, daily temperature and symptom checks of patients during isolation and contacts during quarantine, and exposure notification using proximity apps.The National Safety Council recently released an issue paper on contact tracing as part of its SAFER: Safe Actions Employee Returns initiative.

from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20150-we-need-to-do-it-cpwr-webinar-puts-spotlight-...
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- Aug 4
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OSHA revises rules on its access to employee medical records, adds new sect...

Washington — OSHA has finalized amendments to its rules on accessing employee medical records.The agency often reviews employee medical records to carry out its statutory obligations, as well as when gathering information during agency rulemaking to develop or revise occupational safety and health standards, an agency press release states. According to a final rule published in the July 30 Federal Register, the rule revisions “transfer certain responsibilities from the assistant secretary to the OSHA medical records officer. Specifically, the MRO will now be responsible for the overall administration and implementation of the procedures contained in 1913.10.”
OSHA adds in the press release: “The MRO is responsible for determining the transfer and public disclosure of personally identifiable employee medical information in OSHA’s possession.”Another significant change is the addition of paragraph (n) to 1913.10, covering the agency’s procedures for “access and safeguarding” electronic medical records. The principal OSHA investigator is charged with ensuring personally identifiable employee medical information is secure and properly used.The revisions include a clarification that medical access orders aren’t considered administrative subpoenas.

from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20154-osha-revises-rules-on-its-access-to-employee-...
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- Aug 4
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Company fined after an employee died and another worker was seriously injur...

Concrete manufacturer Treanor Pujol Ltd was sentenced for safety breaches following two separate incidents including the death of an employee and series injuries to a second worker.Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators also identified several electrical safety failings.Leeds Crown Court heard how on 5 June 2014 Treanor employee Mathew Fulleylove, 30, was operating a mobile saw unit on Line 12 at the factory in Stourton, Leeds, while another employee was operating a mobile bed cleaner on Line 11. Mr Fulleylove was standing on the footwell of the saw unit as the other machine passed on the adjacent production line. As the bed cleaner came past, Matthew’s head was crushed between the frames of the two machines and he was killed instantly.An investigation by HSE found that it was the nature of production for machines to routinely pass each other on adjacent lines. On lines 11 and 12 the gap between the passing bed cleaner and saw machines was very small – between 65 and 93mm at different parts of the frames. It was identified that Treanor Pujol Ltd failed to identify the risk of crushing posed by the passing machines; failed to devise a safe system of work to control this risk and failed to provide adequate training in such a procedure to employees.On 12 April 2018, in a second incident, a 47-year-old employee was operating a hooks machine, which embeds hooks into precast concrete when a fault developed during the operation. While attempting to reset the machine his elbow leant on a concrete dispenser box and a metal shutter designed to close off the flow of concrete. The metal shutter closed, trapping his hand resulting in a fracture and partial de-gloving of his left hand.An investigation by HSE found that the machine was not fitted with working interlocks, meaning several of the machine doors could be opened to gain access to dangerous moving parts whilst the machine was operating.In the early stages of the investigation into the incident involving Mr Fulleylove, HSE inspectors also noticed several electrical safety concerns with the equipment in the manufacturing shed. Inspectors carried out numerous visits between 2014 and 2018 and discovered further failings, one of which related to electrical equipment not being suitably constructed or protected from the environment. It was left in wet, dirty, dusty and corrosive conditions, which resulted in rapid deterioration and safety features becoming inoperable over time. This exposed employees to a risk of serious personal injury or death.Treanor Pujol Ltd of former Bison Works site, Pontefract Road Leeds pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974, breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and breaching Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 by failing to comply with Regulation 6(c). The company has been fined £285,000 and ordered to pay costs of £56,324.97.After the hearing, HSE inspector Kate Dixon said: “Treanor Pujol Ltd should have identified the risk of crushing between passing machines on the production lines. The company should have taken steps to reduce and control the residual risk, organising production to minimise the likelihood of machines passing each other on adjacent lines, as well as devising and implementing a safe system of work.“This should have included a designated place of safety where operators were required to stand as a machine passed. The operator’s manual for the bed cleaning machine stated an exclusion zone around the machine at 655mm should be implemented. If this had been in place, it would have addressed the significant crushing hazard and prevented the death of Mr Fulleylove.”Ms Dixon added: “In regard to the second incident, the company should have ensured that the dangerous parts of the Hooks Machine could not be accessed by anyone whilst they were moving by way of suitable guarding arrangements.“Duty holders should ensure they carry out site specific risk assessments to identify any issues relevant to a particular location, task or piece of equipment. It is important to ensure where safe systems of work are required, employees are properly trained and monitored to ensure the correct way of working is followed.”

from: https://press.hse.gov.uk/2020/07/29/company-fined-after-an-employee-died-and-another-worker-was-seri...
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- Aug 4
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Fine after employee is burnt following explosion

A plumbing and heating company has been fined after an employee suffered serious burns following an explosion at a domestic property in Preesall, Lancashire.John Leadley Limited had been replacing a gas boiler in the hallway of a bungalow. As part of this work, an employee was soldering new water pipes when there was a sudden explosion, which caused serious burn injuries. The homeowners were in the property at the time of the explosion, which happened on 13 March 2019, and were also put at risk of serious injury.The HSE’s investigation found that a flammable atmosphere had developed within the hallway of the property, which was subsequently ignited by a blow torch. A gas supply pipe has been cut prior to installation of the new boiler, but the open end of that pipe had not been sealed with an appropriate fitting. It was also identified that the gas supply had not been correctly isolated from the property, allowing gas to pass through the open-ended pipe into the hallway, creating the flammable atmosphere.The company, John Leadley Limited, of Victoria Road East, Thornton Cleveleys pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,756.35.Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Anthony Banks said: “The injuries sustained to this employee could so easily have been avoided, simply by John Leadley Limited carrying out the correct control measures and safe working practices.”

from: https://www.shponline.co.uk/in-court/fine-after-employee-is-burnt-following-explosion/
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- Aug 4