Page 87 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2018

Managing an OSHA-compliant respiratory program today means understanding the risk of toxic substances and environ- ments that are not only more prevalent for many workers, but very dangerous should they not be adequately protected.
ailments are common among farmers and other agricultural workers.” The article cit- ed a pulmonary disease specialist who said that between 10 and 15 percent of those who work around grain have chronic respi- ratory symptoms, which can rise to 25 per- cent11 for workers who work in and around animal confinement systems.
Next Steps for Safety Managers
The risks highlighted above do not repre- sent a complete inventory of respiratory risk factors. They were highlighted because they are the most common and likely to intersect with the daily exposure of many workers within the United States and else-
REFERENCES
1. https://www.osha.gov/Top_Ten_Standards. html
2. https://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/silicac- rystalline/
3. https://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/silicac- rystalline/
4. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo- way/2018/03/28/597576628/congress- boosts-black-lung-treatment-funding-by-millions
5. https://www.nytimes.com/interac- tive/2018/02/22/climate/black-lung-resur- gence.html
6. https://www.constructionequipment.com/ welding-fumes-danger-revised-upward
7. https://munews.missouri.edu/ news-releases/2018/0404-wildfires-will- become-more-frequent-due-to-rising-tempera- tures-but-mu-study-finds-changes-will-be-far- from-uniform/
8. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/firefight- ing/default.html
9. https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/best- practice/health-and-safety/asbestos-one-in-four- construction-workers-exposed/10029843.article
10. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/
11. https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/ article/Growing-sick-More-farmers-see-connec- tion-between-12779786.php
where around the world.
Managing an OSHA-compliant respira-
tory program today means understanding the risk of toxic substances and environ- ments that are not only more prevalent for many workers, but very dangerous should they not be adequately protected. Different equipment protects against different risks. Ensure your equipment matches the risk.
More importantly, the health risks to workers from these and other substances are the best justification for implement- ing a very disciplined and robust respira- tory program. Understanding important
and overarching respiratory risks is a proper foundation for establishing a re- spiratory program that is both compliant and prioritizes employee safety in a com- plex environment.
Sally J. Smart, CSP, is a technical safety spe- cialist at Grainger, a leader in safety services and solutions, offering technical support and training to help customers comply with workplace safety regulations and safeguard facilities. For more information on creating a safer working environment, visit http:// safety.grainger.com.
www.ohsonline.com
Circle 23 on card. 81