Workplace Injuries and the Importance of Industry Safety Standards - May 13, 2010

Partly because of the work done by personal injury lawyers, safety in the workplace has become a high priority in virtually every industry. This emphasis on safety is highlighted each year with the North American Ocupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) week. This year that week is celebrated on May 2-8, 2010. The NAOSH week began in 1997 with an agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico and is designed to help workers across North America to be productive and successful without risking health problems, personal injury or death in the workplace.

During the week the focus is to remind employers, workers and the general public of the importance of injury prevention, including illness in the workplace, the community and at home. To achieves this, workplace standards are paramount. There's an old saying; "if you can measure it, you can manage it."  Handling workplace safety from a managerial perspective is addressed in a American National Standard which has been developed by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, which is an accredited standards developer of the America National Standards Institute (ANSI).  American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems outlines the requirements and guidelines suggested for improving health and safety in the workplace based on the recommendations of experts from labor, government, industries and professional organizations.

Standards are critical in order to manage dangerous workplace environments. While every industry may have unique safety concerns, there are some areas where standards can be helpful across a broad range of industries. Some examples of that would include noise levels which workers are exposed to in the workplace. The ANSI member has developed a standard Measurement of Occupational Noise Exposure that helps industries measure the amount of noise employees may be subjected to in a factoryfor instance, to assist the industry in preventing hearing loss. An example of possible management steps is detailed in Hearing Loss Prevention in Construction and Demolition W orkers developed by ANSI member the American Society of Safety Engineers for those workers.

Another example is Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection developed by the Accredited Standards Committee Z87. This outlines injury protection for the eyes and face which can be faced by workers in many occupations such as operating machinery, welding, cutting, chemical handling and assembly operations. This document sets forth important criteria for the use and selection of protectors to minimize or prevent injuries to eyes and faces from impact, non-ionizing radiation and chemicals.

Serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace can be reduced. Standards can give use some benchmarks in which industries can and should manage those risks.