Page 47 - OHS, June 2023

Bannafarsai_Stock/Shutterstock.com Although the proverb “It takes a village” applies to raising a child, its foundation and meaning apply to many aspects of life. It often takes the effort of many people to accomplish just one goal. This is especially true when it comes to occupational health and safety. Whether an employer has one employee or hundreds, keeping these workers safe and healthy takes time and work from many parties. If we look back at the start of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, it took many members of Congress to get it approved. After President Richard Nixon signed the OHS Act into law, an administration had to be created. Years and years of work from OSHA and thousands of other people resulted in the adoption of new standards as well as state OSHA plans. Federal OSHA and state plans are still continually working to implement more standards and programs to ensure that workers remain safe and healthy at work. When it comes to holding employers accountable to the standards, that’s not just the job of one person. In the fiscal year 2018, about 32,000 inspections were performed by OSHA. The following fiscal year (FY), that number increased by more than 1,000, for a total of 33,393 inspections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, inspections decreased. FY 2020 saw 21,710 inspections, and FY 2021 saw 24,333 inspections.1 Still, breaking down the inspections from FY 2021, if just one person was performing all of these inspections across the U.S.—a feat not possible—that one person would have to conduct 66 inspections every single day, or slightly more than two per hour, for an entire year. Another key member in OHS is a safety professional. Whether working full-time for an employer or consulting multiple employers in part-time roles, these professionals perform many duties—from ensuring that standards and regulations are followed to implementing programs to helping with training and much more—all of which are essential to make sure that employees make it home at the end of the day. There’s always more to learn in our ever-changing world, and some of the many leading the charge in education include researchers, institutes and organizations. The result of time spent studying both old and new areas of interest has a major impact on what employers, safety professionals, government organizations and companies can do to improve workers’ lives. Without companies and all the people that work for them, there wouldn’t be advancements in health and safety products. These companies work to create and improve upon products that have a direct impact on workers’ lives. As research reveals new findings, companies are continually adapting their products and inventing new ones. With technology continuing to develop and become a part of our everyday lives, these companies also aren’t standing back and watching. They’re actively finding ways to incorporate technology into our work lives. It’s advancements and efforts like these that help protect workers on the job. In these next few pages, you’ll learn about some of the latest safety products on the market today. These solutions were not developed overnight. It took effort from many people in numerous jobs to get these solutions across the finish line and available to employers and workers. We hope you enjoy learning about some of the great products and services available in the industry. Alex Saurman is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety magazine. REFERENCE 1. www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-health-and-safety-specialists- and-technicians.htm#tab-1 www.ohsonline.com JUNE 2023 | Occupational Health & Safety 45