Safety & Health Effects of Shift Work - ASSE Members

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Figure 1 Blue Grass (LEX) Airport Diagram plane onto the correct runway can be perceived as a lowrisk event. Pilots always get it right. This perception lured all three crewmembers into a trap; they failed to verify the correct runway. Now, their perception of reality is lethally different than their actual reality. The lack of runway lights was trying to intervene, but the pilots failed to listen. Why Simply because when hints, clues or suggestions from our surroundings begin to show us that actual reality is different from our perception of reality, it is human nature to rationalize away and to not listen. The Comair crew knew construction was underway at Lexington airport. Perhaps the runway lights were off for that reason We will never know. We do know they continued the takeoff, wanting to maintain their perception of reality as being real. In these cases, we want to be right, but if the job is hinting that “something is not right,” listen to the clues. It might be your last domino. The final accident is perhaps the saddest. It stands today as the worst aviation accident in history. Five hundred and eighty-three people lost their lives when two 747 Jumbo jets collided on a fog-enshrouded runway at Tenerife island in March 1977. I personally interviewed Capt. Robert “Bob” Bragg, the only surviving pilot of this tragedy. Capt. Bragg was the co-pilot onboard the Pan American 747 airplane when the KLM 747 emerged out of the fog, at more than 150 mph, in an attempt to take off. It failed to get airborne high enough and slammed into the top of Capt. Bragg’s Pan American jet. I asked him to listen to the cockpit transcripts of the KLM 747 crew and to discuss the final dominos. KLM Captain: We’re going. KLM Engineer: Is he not clear then KLM Captain: What do you say KLM Engineer: Is he not clear, that Pan American KLM Captain: Oh yes (emphatically). In reference to this transcript, Capt. Bragg said of the KLM captain, “I think he got in too big of a hurry, trying to get back on schedule. He mistook his route clearance for a takeoff clearance. He then failed to listen to his engineer.” Being in a hurry on a foggy runway and misunderstanding the control tower led to degradation in overall cockpit situational awareness. The overbearing captain (supervisor), with a new co-pilot (new hire) and an unsure engineer (peer-to-peer) made a complete recipe for workplace disaster. This tragedy laid the foundation for cockpit resource management for airline pilots. The lessons we have learned is now applied to businesses around the world. Bottom-up approachability can be difficult for the one who feels threatened or intimidated by another’s experience, skill and knowledge. Supervisors, actively listen when others have questions. It might be you who is mistaken. No one wants to look stupid in front of the boss or peers, so be sure to thank those who have the guts to bring up concerns. Take the time to listen to ambiguous, odd or vague statements. This encourages open communication. Ask probing questions. Make sure everyone has a high level of situational awareness. Never assume. Lastly, watch for clues from the job itself. It might be a light, a switch, a piece of equipment, a tool or a procedure that is speaking up. It is always better to slow down and spend a few seconds of your life than to lose your life in a few seconds. Jeff “Odie” Espenship is the founder of TargetLeadership. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia and participated in the Air Force ROTC program. After 6 years of service in the Air Force, Espenship became an airline pilot. He began his career with Delta Air Lines in 1992, where he currently flies international routes out of Atlanta, GA. Amid his tenure as an airline pilot, Espenship also flew a 1943 T-6 “Texan ” on the airshow circuit. A tragic accident took the lives of his brother and a pilot. This event led Espenship to create TargetLeadership. 24 Safely Made www.asse.org 2011
WORKPLACE PRACTICES BY KEN WENGERT NIOSH-NORA Manufacturing Research Agenda NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH’s mission is to generate new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and to transfer that knowledge into practice for the betterment of workers. To accomplish this mission, NIOSH conducts scientific research, develops guidance and authoritative recommendations, disseminates information and responds to requests for workplace health hazard evaluations. NIOSH provides national and world leadership to prevent work-related illness, injury, disability and death by gathering information, conducting scientific research and translating the knowledge gained into products and services, including scientific information products, training videos, and recommendations for improving safety and health in the workplace. NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL RESEARCH AGENDA The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improve workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA has become a framework for guiding occupational safety and health research in the U.S. Diverse parties collaborate to identify the most critical issues in the workplace. Partners then work together to develop goals, objectives and an implementation plan for addressing these issues. MANUFACTURING In 2007, more than 16 million U.S. workers were employed in 21 manufacturing subsectors ranging from food, beverages, tobacco and textiles to petroleum, chemical, metals, machinery, computers, transportation equipment and furniture manufacturing. The largest subsectors were transportation equipment manufacturing, fabricated metal products manufacturing and food manufacturing. Thirty percent of the manufacturing sector workers were women and about 30% were minorities (15% Latino, 10% African-American and 5% Asian). In 2007, 393 manufacturing sector workers died from work-related injuries. The leading causes of death were contact with objects and equipment (140), transportation incidents (102) and falls (48). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 783,100 recordable injury or illness cases in manufacturing industries in 2007, with more than half of these requiring days away from work, job transfer or restriction. The leading causes of days away from work cases were contact with objects or equipment (70,210), overexertion and repetitive motion (52,120) and falls (26,160). Fourteen industries reported more than 100,000 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses to BLS in 2007; three of these were in the manufacturing sector: transportation equipment manufacturing (120,000), fabricated metal product manufacturing (112,800) and food manufacturing (102,000). Although the data on occupational illnesses are limited, manufacturing had the highest numbers and rates of occupational illnesses in 2007. More than one quarter of these were hearing loss. The data on occupational illness morbidity and mortality are sparse, but we know that exposure to dusts, gases, mists, vapors, fumes, chemicals, fibers, shift work, and job strain can affect health outcomes ranging from cancer to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to cardiovascular disease and many others. The extent of exposure and disease in manufacturing is a major gap in our knowledge due in large part to the often long latent period between exposure and the onset of disease. As a result, occupational diseases are often missed by traditional occupational health surveillance systems. This provides verification for the importance and relevancy of a national research agenda in partnership with the manufacturing stakeholders. The manufacturing sector is categorized by 473 different six-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes (31-33). These industry segments are grouped and described by 21 subsectors, three-digit NAICS codes. Federal statistical agencies use NAICS to classify business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. A goal of the NORA Manufacturing Sector Council is to identify the most salient needs of this large and diverse sector. It seeks to facilitate the most important research, understand the most effective intervention strategies and learn how to implement those strategies to achieve sustained improvements in workplace practice. The NORA Manufacturing Sector Council has devel- Although the data on occupational illnesses are limited, manufacturing had the highest numbers and rates of occupational illnesses in 2007. More than one quarter of these were hearing loss. 25 Safely Made www.asse.org 2011
Page 1 and 2: A TECHNICAL PUBLICATION OF ASSE’S
Page 3 and 4: C O N T E N T S PAGE 4 PAGE 8 VOLUM
Page 5 and 6: EH&S Training Experts since 1981 En
Page 7 and 8: WORKPLACE SAFETY NEMA Launches Prem
Page 9 and 10: Photo 1: Old helmet. DP: There is a
Page 11 and 12: hythms, a 24-hour rhythm that makes
Page 13 and 14: AIR QUALITY BY RICHARD BENNETT, CIH
Page 15 and 16: Safety 2011 MPS Recap Safety 2011 w
Page 17 and 18: tle. Housekeeping programs are the
Page 20 and 21: ELECTRICAL SAFETY BY MICHAEL KOVACI
Page 22 and 23: CONCLUSION So, what is fact, what i
Page 26 and 27: Strategic Goal 5 Reduce the number

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