Health & Safety

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat about the impacts of safety on health.

Join the conversation at healthchatterpodcast.com

Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.

More about their work can be found at http://huemanpartnership.org/

Research

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives:

Based on the American Time Use Survey, we spent about 62% of our waking time at home.
33% of your life is spent at work → The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime.
The average American driver spends 60.2 minutes behind the wheel each day

We spend most of our time at home, at work, or getting to and from work. How can we make these times more safe for us and our communities?

Occupational Safety

History

Workplace safety concerns began in Europe with the labour movement during the Industrial Revolution. During this movement, Workers formed unions and began to demand better working conditions.
In the United States, occupational health and safety truly begin in 1970, with the passing of the OSHA act to address issues related to known health and safety hazards, such as unsanitary conditions, cold/heat stress, and environmental toxins

Unsafe conditions example: Mines at the time often employed children, and were incredibly dangerous. Besides equipment accidents, miners faced collapsing beams, rock falls, suffocation, and floods. Poisonous and flammable gases were unseen dangers that could explode if ignited.

Like the Industrial Revolution, the Digital Revolution has changed where and how people work.

Statistics

In 2022 there were 5,486 total fatal injuries across all sectors in the U.S, a 5.7-percent increase from 2021
The fatal injury rate for Black or African American workers and for Hispanic or Latino workers have higher rates of fatal injuries than the all-worker rate.
transportation and material moving occupations had the most fatalities in 2022
Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the second most fatalities
One of the most common workplace-related injuries is musculoskeletal disorders.
OSHAS big 4:

Falls: Approximately 36.5% of all deaths in the workplace occurred due to employees falling. These include workers who have fallen due to unprotected sides or holes, improperly constructed walking or working surfaces, workers who have fallen off ladders, roofs, scaffolding, large skyscraper construction areas, etc., all due to failure to use proper fall protection. Incorporating the OSHA fall protection requirements would resolve these issues, which includes 1910.269(g)(2) Fall Protection.
Struck by an Object: An estimated 10.1% of deaths occurred due to swinging, falling, or misplaced objects. These also include falling objects due to rigging failure, loose or shifting materials, equipment malfunctions, and vehicle or equipment strikes.
Electrocutions: About 8.6% of employees died due to electrocution. Workers face a number of electrocution risks on construction sites, such as exposed wiring, wet conditions while outlets are exposed, etc. These are caused by contact with overhead power lines or energized conductors or circuit parts in electrical panels and equipment panels, poorly maintained extension cords and power tools, as well as lightning strikes. Strict adherence to OSHA 1910.331-.335, 1910.269, and NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace would prevent these accidents.
Caught-in or Caught-between: Employees caught in or between machines, devices, or tools causing death accounted for about 2.5% of deaths. These also include trench or excavation collapses, as well as workers caught between moving or rotating equipment, or caught in collapsing structures or materials.

10 most frequently cited standards at OSHA inspections:

Fall protection in construction
Hazard Communication, general industry
Ladders, construction
Scaffolding, construction
Powered Industrial Trucks, general industry
Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout), general industry
Respiratory Protection, general industry
Fall Protection Training, construction
Eye and Face Protection, construction
Machinery and Machine Guarding, general industry

How to stay safe

The digital revolution, much like the industrial revolution, is changing how and where we work. Most of us are sitting at desks for large portions of the day with little safety oversight if you are working from home. Heres a few tips for safe work in the digital age:

Prioritize Ergonomics: Ergonomics is the practice of fitting a job to a person. That is, making sure an individual’s equipment fits their body and their task so they can work comfortably with good posture for a decreased risk of injury. Employers are required to provide workers with a workspace free from hazards, so be sure management supports ergonomic efforts.
Prioritize Mental, Psychological, and Physical Health: As employees experienced greater stress due to world events, workers became acutely aware of feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction.
Maintain proper posture

For those who are not working at desks:

Always Report Unsafe Conditions
Follow OSHA guidelines and standards
Keep a clean work station
Wear appropriate clothing and equipment for the job
Take breaks

Home Safety

History

Ancient security systems came in the form of moats, drawbridges, guard dogs, and strategically placed mirrors.
The first burglar alarm, invented in 1853 by Augustus Pope, used electromagnets to ring a bell with a hammer when a door or window opened.
In 1852, Dr. William Channing spearheaded the first city-wide fire alarm system in Boston, Massachusetts. This system took the “central bell tower” idea and turned it into a “central station.”
1955 that compact, functional heat detectors began use in homes.
Battery-powered carbon monoxide detectors were developed en masse in the early 1990s, and the first combination smoke/carbon monoxide detectors hit the market in 1996.

Statistics

In 2019, 85% of all accidental poisonings in kids happened at home.
A study by the Hospital for Special Surgery found 60% of falls happen in the home
the U.S. Department of Justice showed about 93% of all crime experienced by adults 65 and older was property crime, which includes general theft, burglary, and car theft.

How to stay safe at home:

making your home safe depends on who is in the home with you. For children:

Install smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors throughout your home, at least one on every level and outside bedrooms. Develop a fire escape plan and practice it.
Put non-choking hazard safety plugs in all unused electrical outlets.
Avoid window coverings that have cords to prevent strangulation.
Check floors constantly for small objects that can be dangerous if a child swallows them.
Know which items your home have button or lithium coin batteries and keep them out of reach of children.These items can be toxic and start fires.
Check furniture for stability and tip-over risk.
To prevent falls from windows, open windows from the top if possible. If you must open them from the bottom, install operable window guards that only an adult or older child can open from the inside. A screen is not strong enough to prevent a fall.Never leave plastic bags lying around the house. They can suffocate children.
Put safety locks on all cabinets containing cleaning fluids or other dangerous items, including all medications. Do not depend on child safety caps to protect your child from getting into medicine bottles.

Safe homes for older adults

Medical alert system - a wearable help button, which, in the event of a fall or another emergency, the wearer can push to connect with a 24/7 monitoring center
An emergency phone tree, which specifies which caregivers and family/friends to contact in an emergency and in what order, can help alert others of an emergency and get the help you need quickly.
Improve lighting
Removing trip hazards: especially rugs
Be sure heavy furniture is safely secured to avoid tip-overs.

Auto / Road Safety

History

The first separate driver’s education course was offered in 1927 in Gilbert, Minnesota.
1900s-1920s: A Safety First paradigm. Cars are introduced and driver's bear the responsibility for road users’ safety.
1920s-1960s: A Control paradigm emerges, focused on preventing crashes using the “Three Es”—engineering, education, and enforcement.
1960s-1980s: As the number of crash-related deaths exceeded 50,000 in the mid-1960s, a Crashworthiness paradigm emerged. Stakeholders called for improved vehicle crashworthiness, asserting that the “Three Es” were not enough. Seatbelts and airbags were introduced, and vehicle design was a principal traffic safety consideration.
1980s-present: The Responsibility paradigm overlaid the previous paradigm. This represented a course correction from a strong focus on vehicle design to a revived emphasis on driver responsibility. Public health-informed behavior changes and traffic calming measures to improve drivers’ attention and reduce speeds were promoted.

Statistics

The population motor-vehicle death rate reached its peak in 1937 with 30.8 deaths per 100,000 population. The current rate is 13.8 per 100,000, representing a 55% improvement.
In 1913, 33.38 people died for every 10,000 vehicles on the road. In 2022, the death rate was 1.50 per 10,000 vehicles, a 95% improvement.
Despite these historic drops, we cannot remain complacent. From 2019 to 2022, the vehicle death rate increased 6.4%, the mileage death rate increased 10.8%, while the population death rate increased 16%.
Heatstroke is one of the leading causes of non-crash vehicle-related fatalities among children.
in 2022, the number of traffic deaths — 8,572 — involving a driver 65 and older was the highest since at least 1975.

How to stay safe

Kids

never leave a child alone in or around a car for any reason.
Many children are killed or seriously injured in backover incidents. → be aware of small children and teach children not to play in or around cars.

Teens/Young Adults:

Restrict night driving and passengers
prohibit driving while using the phone or other electronic devices
require seat belt use at all times
Set a good example for your kids

Adults

require seat belt use at all times
prohibit driving while using the phone or other electronic devices
Maintain a safe distance
Don't drink and drive / don't drive impaired
Obey traffic rules
Make sure your vehicle is fully functional and safe to drive.

Older Adults

Decisions about your ability to drive should never be based on age alone.
changes in vision, physical fitness and reflexes may cause safety concerns.
accurately assessing age-related changes, you can adjust your driving habits to remain safe on the road or choose other kinds of transportation.

Firearm Safety

History
Statistics

Unintentional injury is a leading cause of death among U.S. children and adolescents aged 0–17 years, and firearms are a leading injury method.
Two thirds of accidental child gun deaths could have been prevented if guns had been stored locked and unloaded.
Approximately one half of unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and adolescents occurred at their home;
In 2021, approximately 30 million children lived in homes with firearms, including 4.6 million in households reporting storing firearms loaded and unlocked

How to stay safe

BASIC RULES OF GUN SAFETY

Assume guns are always loaded.
Finger off trigger until ready to fire.
Never point at anything you don't intend to kill or destroy.
Always check all chambers before cleaning.

The safest way to store a gun in your home is unloaded and securely locked, with the bullets locked in a separate container.

Children can easily access guns left in cars, and cars are often targets for gun theft
parents’ reliance on children’s ability to distinguish between real and toy firearms and to not handle a firearm if they encountered one is insufficient to prevent unintentional firearm injury deaths of children.