Page 35 - OHS, September 2020

■ Have there been changes in tools, process equipment or the facility in general? Are tools and machines getting older? Are things still being done the same as when noise dosimetry was last conducted? Have cycle times changed? New noise testing may be warranted.
Pandemic Considerations
While not the focus of this article, the ANSI/ASSP Z10.0 standard discusses, in the section on Emergency Preparedness, requirements that organizations plan and prepare for issues that include those of a public health nature. This was written before the COVID-19 pandemic and could now be seen as a bit prescient. OHS professionals have been playing an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic that we are now in. OHS professionals have played an important role before the pandemic, but they might not have always been able to convince organizations to allocate related resources.
Planning required under the Emergency Preparedness section could be interpreted to include the development of plans such as COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plans, employee training and communication, respiratory protection and mask guidance, the addition of workplace controls and more.
The point here is that there are industrial hygiene related requirements woven into the Emergency Preparedness section of ANSI/ASSP Z10.0, with links to risk assessment, planning and budgeting. You just need to seek them out.
Conclusion
The ANSI/ASSP Z10.0 standard now clearly describes the inclusion of occupational health and industrial hygiene stressors as part of an organization’s risk assessment process. Compliance to the standard requires organizations to take actions to address identified risks within the scope of its OHSMS, in a prioritized manner and as driven by its interrelated OHSMS processes.
It is likely that this emphasis will continue and become highlighted in more OHSMS standards over time. What processes does your organization have to conduct solid industrial hygiene related risk assessments? Organizations should plan ahead and ensure the use of competent resources and high-quality monitoring equipment for the most cost effective and helpful evaluations.
Greg Zigulis, CIH, CSP, is President of Sixth Sense Safety Solutions. Greg is a multifaceted professional with over 30 years of experience in the development and implementation of safety, industrial hygiene and environmental programs for organizations with industrial, construction, medical, administrative and environmental operations. Greg has worked in many states and for organizations both large and small, in public, private, military, academic and highly regulated government settings. Greg is an active member of the ANSI/ASSP Z10 committee on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. For questions or more information, you can reach him by email at gz@sixthsensesafetysolutions.com.
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