Occupational Health Management Archives – April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
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Collaborate with safety to get some truly head-turning results
If occupational health and safety fail to work together as a team, "it is a waste of time and talent," says Jonelle K. Leach, BSN, RN, CRRN, CCM, COHN-S, an occupational health nurse and medical services technician at U. S. Pipe and Foundry's North Birmingham (AL) plant. "The free flow of ideas suffers if you aren't able to easily bounce thoughts off a teammate. That is counterproductive." -
What safety should know about occ health role
Employees at U. S. Pipe and Foundry's North Birmingham (AL) plant seem to have a "sense of well-being and security" when they come into the office of Jonelle K. Leach, BSN, RN, CRRN, CCM, COHN-S, an occupational health nurse and medical services technician. Leach credits this to close collaboration with safety, as follows: -
Be the "go to" person to keep all in compliance
Who do company leaders expect to keep them in the loop about changes in regulations that impact your workplace? Youthe occupational health professional. -
Workers' comp costs are closely linked to depression
Three factors: depression, stress and obesity, together account for about half of the variance in the average workers' compensation cost per case at PPG Industries. -
Don't ignore the powerful influence of peer pressure
Often, getting results from wellness programs requires a lot of money and timesometimes more than you have to give. Why not capitalize on a resource that is completely freethat of positive peer pressure from co-workers? Some approaches: -
OSHA may track MSDs, warns of inspections
Keeping track of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) would be a new priority under a proposed record-keeping rule, evidence of a new direction for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. -
As pandemic eases, EHPs look to the next one
The collective sigh of relief was almost audible at the approach of the one-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic of novel H1N1 influenza. Hospitals had dodged a bullet. -
Cal-OSHA: RN death not fully probed
The death of a nurse from the novel H1N1 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) should have been more thoroughly investigated for a work-related link, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA). -
TN hospital: No jobs for smokers
Smokers need not apply. That is the new policy of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, TN.