Tuberculosis in the Workplace

Tuberculosis in the Workplace
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2001-05-15
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309171253

Before effective treatments were introduced in the 1950s, tuberculosis was a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Health care workers were at particular risk. Although the occupational risk of tuberculosis has been declining in recent years, this new book from the Institute of Medicine concludes that vigilance in tuberculosis control is still needed in workplaces and communities. Tuberculosis in the Workplace reviews evidence about the effectiveness of control measuresâ€"such as those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâ€"intended to prevent transmission of tuberculosis in health care and other workplaces. It discusses whether proposed regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would likely increase or sustain compliance with effective control measures and would allow adequate flexibility to adapt measures to the degree of risk facing workers.

OSHA and the Politics of Health Regulation

OSHA and the Politics of Health Regulation
Author: David P. McCaffrey
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2013-03-13
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1461592879

By way of introduction to this fascinating book, let me highlight two of its many contributions. First, it is a good example of something all too rare in sociology: testing competing general theories. Most of us either try to develop or refine theories about how the social world works, and cite convenient data as support, or we select and collect data that will fit some general theoretical position. In the first case, the data playa subor dinate role-bits of evidence for our view of life. In the second, the theory plays a subordinate role-a way to make sense of the social behavior we have observed. McCaffrey's position subsumes these two. He has gathered data on an important social agency, but with an im plicit problem in mind: which of the several theories about the social world he was exposed to in graduate school would do the best job of interpreting the data? Or, we might just as well turn it around. In a graduate department such as Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, there is a lively, never ending debate about the "truth" of competing perspectives on the political and social world. By selecting a data base and remaining alert to the kind of evidence each theory required, McCaffrey circumvented the usual" data for a theory" vs. "a theory for the data" dilemma that most of us live with.

A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century

A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2018-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309462991

The workplace is where 156 million working adults in the United States spend many waking hours, and it has a profound influence on health and well-being. Although some occupations and work-related activities are more hazardous than others and face higher rates of injuries, illness, disease, and fatalities, workers in all occupations face some form of work-related safety and health concerns. Understanding those risks to prevent injury, illness, or even fatal incidents is an important function of society. Occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance provides the data and analyses needed to understand the relationships between work and injuries and illnesses in order to improve worker safety and health and prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. Information about the circumstances in which workers are injured or made ill on the job and how these patterns change over time is essential to develop effective prevention programs and target future research. The nation needs a robust OSH surveillance system to provide this critical information for informing policy development, guiding educational and regulatory activities, developing safer technologies, and enabling research and prevention strategies that serves and protects all workers. A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of OSH surveillance. This report is intended to be useful to federal and state agencies that have an interest in occupational safety and health, but may also be of interest broadly to employers, labor unions and other worker advocacy organizations, the workers' compensation insurance industry, as well as state epidemiologists, academic researchers, and the broader public health community. The recommendations address the strengths and weaknesses of the envisioned system relative to the status quo and both short- and long-term actions and strategies needed to bring about a progressive evolution of the current system.

Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Primates

Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Primates
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2003-06-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309167949

The field of occupational health and safety constantly changes, especially as it pertains to biomedical research. New infectious hazards are of particular importance at nonhuman-primate facilities. For example, the discovery that B virus can be transmitted via a splash on a mucous membrane raises new concerns that must be addressed, as does the discovery of the Reston strain of Ebola virus in import quarantine facilities in the U.S. The risk of such infectious hazards is best managed through a flexible and comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Program (OHSP) that can identify and mitigate potential hazards. Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Primates is intended as a reference for vivarium managers, veterinarians, researchers, safety professionals, and others who are involved in developing or implementing an OHSP that deals with nonhuman primates. The book lists the important features of an OHSP and provides the tools necessary for informed decision-making in developing an optimal program that meets all particular institutional needs.

Safe Work in the 21st Century

Safe Work in the 21st Century
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2000-09-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0309070260

Despite many advances, 20 American workers die each day as a result of occupational injuries. And occupational safety and health (OSH) is becoming even more complex as workers move away from the long-term, fixed-site, employer relationship. This book looks at worker safety in the changing workplace and the challenge of ensuring a supply of top-notch OSH professionals. Recommendations are addressed to federal and state agencies, OSH organizations, educational institutions, employers, unions, and other stakeholders. The committee reviews trends in workforce demographics, the nature of work in the information age, globalization of work, and the revolution in health care deliveryâ€"exploring the implications for OSH education and training in the decade ahead. The core professions of OSH (occupational safety, industrial hygiene, and occupational medicine and nursing) and key related roles (employee assistance professional, ergonomist, and occupational health psychologist) are profiled-how many people are in the field, where they work, and what they do. The book reviews in detail the education, training, and education grants available to OSH professionals from public and private sources.

Bargaining for Job Safety and Health

Bargaining for Job Safety and Health
Author: Lawrence S. Bacow
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
Total Pages: 194
Release: 1980
Genre: Accidents
ISBN:

In 1977, a grain elevator explosion in Westwego, Louisiana, took the lives of thirty-five workers. The next year, fifty-one men who were working on cooling tower for a West Viginia power plant died when their support scaffolding collapsed. And more recently, a Senate subcommittee hearing revealed that the incidence of lung cancer among uranium miners is nearly four times the national average rate for men of the same age. Clearly, as Lawrence Bacow writes in this book, occupational safety and health is a big problem that may be getting bigger. What can be done about it? This book argues that OSHA is not up to the task. Most accidents are caused by hazards that are unique to individual firms. A single regulatory authority like OSHA cannot be everywhere at once; it lacks the resources needed to ferret out firm-specific hazards and to ensure day-to-day compliance with health and safety regulations. If government is to make the workplace safe, it must enlist the help of the parties that have the greatest influence over safety and health on the job--labor and management. Bargaining for Job Safety and Health examines how labor and management work together and against each other to abate occupational hazards. It describes OSHA's influence, both positive and negative, over collective bargaining on health and safety issues. Through a series of case studies in develops a theory to explain why some unions are more aggressive than others in pursuing health and safety objectives. The book also outlines strategies that OSHA might take to encourage labor and management to assume a larger role in curbing job hazards through collective bargaining. Although it focuses on job safety and health, this book draws a number of very interesting parallels between OSHA and other types of regulatory programs. It should interest a wide audience, including labor and management officials, health and safety professionals, policymakers, labor relations scholars, and others interested in regulatory reform and program design.

Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry

Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2015-01-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9781622701070

The Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry is a handy guide for workers, employers, supervisors, and safety personnel. This latest 2011 edition is a quick field reference that summarizes selected safety standards from the California Code of Regulations. The major subject headings are alphabetized and cross-referenced within the text, and it has a detailed index. Spiral bound, 8.5 x 5.5"