8th Edition Monday Morning Newsletter

Good morning! As we enter the holiday season, we felt the need to cover some holiday workplace safety tips. After all, all we want this holiday season is for everyone to go home to their loved ones! We will also take a sneak peak into the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work conference and provide which was held in Australia. So if you’re ready, grab your favorite morning beverage (we’re still sans cream) and let’s dive into this weeks news!

THIS WEEK’S TIPS

Tips you’ll find in this weeks edition:

• Holiday Worker Safety

• EDM Health Awareness

• Workplace Ergonomics and Safety

WORLD CONFERENCE
23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work Conference.

The 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, held in Sydney, gathers 3,000 attendees from 127 countries. The theme, "Shaping Change – collaborating for a healthier and safer world of work," emphasizing collaboration for a safer future amidst changing work dynamics, a theme that couldn’t seem more timely.

A report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that nearly three million workers die annually from work-related accidents and diseases, reflecting a 5% increase since 2015. The majority (2.6 million) result from work-related diseases, while 330,000 are due to accidents. The top causes include circulatory diseases, malignant neoplasms, and respiratory diseases with men being more affected than women, and the Asian-Pacific region having the highest work-related mortality (63% of the global total). Agriculture, construction, forestry, fishing, and manufacturing were identified as the most hazardous sectors. The ILO introduced a Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health for 2024-2030 to prioritize workers' well-being and promote decent work worldwide. The strategy focuses on improving national frameworks, enhancing coordination and investment, and strengthening workplace management systems.

Ironically enough, this past week we had a reader ask if we could cover chemical vapor inhalation. And since, Occupational particulate matter, gases and fumes rank #2 in attributable deaths worldwide we decided to focus a little more on this as we discuss one of the widely used non-traditional material removal processes, Electrical Discharge machining (EDM; told you it wasn’t that EDM).

A research paper published this past May in Materials Today: Proceedings journal, The role of various dielectrics used in EDM process and their environmental, health, and safety issues took a look at the “well-known newer machining processes which are used to machine ceramics, alloys, composites, and hard metals.” Incase you are unfamiliar with EDM here’s a video on it here and we will do our best to explain it below.

EDM is a process where high-frequency electrical discharge pulses between the tool and workpiece facilitate material removal. This occurs through the breakdown of the liquid dielectric at the spark gap, induced by repeated electrical sparks. The process generates intense heat, causing localized material melting and vaporization. The operational sequence involves applying a gap voltage to the tool electrode and workpiece, creating an electric field. The breakdown of dielectric triggers a spark, initiating plasma expansion and generating temperatures ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 °C. The dielectric fluid evaporates, forming gases, and debris is expelled, resulting in a discharge crater on the machined surface.

While choosing EDM comes with benefits, it also comes with some inherent environmental and health concerns as the extreme temperatures create a harmful gas biproduct. “The fumes produced…can readily be inhaled by the operator during the EDM process, posing a health risk…Fire explosions, poisonous, and hazardous fumes put EDM operators at risk.”  

In addition to the immediate environmental and health concerns, “The sludge formed at the end of machining, the used dielectric, filter cartridges and de-ionizing resins should be properly disposed of, or else there will be a chance of land and water being polluted. The wastes generated from the dielectric fluid are very toxic and cannot be recycled [6] therefore their disposal should adhere to the environmental regulations.”

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DISEASE
Preventing the Spread.

Tis’ the season for getting sick. Which makes research coming out of the University of Plymouth concerning. A recent study by the University of Plymouth reveals that the primary chlorine disinfectant used in hospitals does not effectively eliminate spores of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). The study found that the bleach used in hospitals, even at high concentrations, did not affect C. diff spores, making it as effective as water. These findings are highlighting the potential risk to workers and patients in the clinical setting. The researchers emphasize the need for alternative strategies to disinfect C. diff spores to prevent the transmission of the superbug. The study calls for urgent research to develop disinfectants and guidelines that are effective against bacterial evolution and antimicrobial resistance.

A Systematic Review of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Systems

Additional research indicates the need for greater tech and robotic adoption in the clinical setting. A retrospective study on Infection prevention and control took a look at technological innovation and it’s role in the “new approach” of Health 4.0 and it certainly offers promising solutions for hospital responses to future epidemic/pandemic outbreaks.

Infection Control Today, provides a good summary on the research which you can read here.

HOLIDAY SAFETY
Don’t have a Christmas Vacation. 

As we enter the holiday season and the decorations go up, we are reminded not to be like Clark Griswold. All joking aside, the U.S. Department of Labor is reminding employers and workers to prioritize workplace safety and health during the holiday season. They shared a tragic incident in Akron, Ohio, where a 25-year-old worker died after his fiberglass extension pole made contact with a high-voltage power line while hanging holiday lights.

“While employees celebrate during the holidays, employers must pay close attention to the safety hazards workers face atop ladders or roofs mounting decorations, handling customer orders in busy warehouses and crowded retail stores, and working outdoors as winter approaches,” OSHA Regional Administrator Eric S. Harbin in Dallas said in the release. “We encourage all employers to stress the importance of workplace safety and health and training with their employees to prevent serious and potentially fatal injuries this holiday season.”

OSHA Resources

• 9 Tips to Protect Workers During the Holidays

• Holiday Workplace Safety

We hope sharing these resources will keep you and your employees safe this holiday season.

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NEWS
Your Virtual Water Cooler

• EPA seeks to increase protections for two toxic chemicals.

• Dust Control Safety on Demolition Sites.

• Trends in ... women’s PPE.

• F1 safety car: What is it and how does it work?

• DOL targets wood industry for excessive noise.

• Preventing worksite slips, trips and falls.

• Workplace Ergonomics and Safety: Tips, Equipment, and Examples.

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