Completely revised and updated, taking the scientific rigor to a whole new level, the second edition of the Occupational Ergonomics Handbook is now available in two volumes. This new organization demonstrates the enormous amount of advances that have occurred in the field since the publication of the first edition. The editors have brought together researchers from a wide range of disciplines with pioneering practitioners in industry to cover a diverse list of ergonomics topics. The second edition not only provides more information but makes it more accessible. Each individual volume narrows the focus while broadening the coverage, supplying immediate access to important information. One of the most comprehensive sources for ergonomic knowledge available, providing both sound theory and practical examples, this book is a valuable resource for anyone in the field. Interventions, Controls, and Applications in Occupational Ergonomics begins with descriptions of the elements of the ergonomics processes, including success factors for implementation of industrial ergonomics programs. It includes coverage of injury surveillance database systems and corporate health management for the design and evaluation of health in industrial organizations, ergonomics processes from the small and large industry perspectives, and human digital modeling, as well as facilities planning and organizational design and macro-ergonomics. Additional chapters present methods and techniques for engineering control, including tried and true strategies and pitfalls to avoid, and discuss the theory and practice of ergonomics interventions in the workplace. Using this information as a cornerstone, the book addresses the issues of medical management of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, systems approach to rehabilitation, wrist splints, and application of the clinical lumbar motion monitor. It provides an overview of best practices for ergonomics intervention with respect to the des

Sewer systems fall into the category "out of sight, out of mind" - they seldom excite interest. But when things go wrong with the air in the sewer system, they go very wrong. Consequences can be dramatic and devastating: sewer workers killed instantly by poisonous gas when they lift a sewer lid, or entire suburban blocks levelled by explosions. This book describes the atmospheric dangers commonly found in the sewer system. It provides easily-understood explanations of the science behind the hazards, combined with real-life examples of when things went dramatically wrong.

The interest of AI in problems related to understanding sounds has a rich history dating back to the ARPA Speech Understanding Project in the 1970s. While a great deal has been learned from this and subsequent speech understanding research, the goal of building systems that can understand general acoustic signals--continuous speech and/or non-speech sounds--from unconstrained environments is still unrealized. Instead, there are now systems that understand "clean" speech well in relatively noiseless laboratory environments, but that break down in more realistic, noisier environments. As seen in the "cocktail-party effect," humans and other mammals have the ability to selectively attend to sound from a particular source, even when it is mixed with other sounds. Computers also need to be able to decide which parts of a mixed acoustic signal are relevant to a particular purpose--which part should be interpreted as speech, and which should be interpreted as a door closing, an air conditioner humming, or another person interrupting. Observations such as these have led a number of researchers to conclude that research on speech understanding and on nonspeech understanding need to be united within a more general framework. Researchers have also begun trying to understand computational auditory frameworks as parts of larger perception systems whose purpose is to give a computer integrated information about the real world. Inspiration for this work ranges from research on how different sensors can be integrated to models of how humans' auditory apparatus works in concert with vision, proprioception, etc. Representing some of the most advanced work on computers understanding speech, this collection of papers covers the work being done to integrate speech and nonspeech understanding in computer systems.

For novices and experienced health and safety professionals alike, the Respiratory Protection Handbook fills a critical gap in the respiratory protection literature. This extensive guide provides all the information you need to dramatically expand your understanding of the concepts and day-to-day operations of respiratory protection. It is a fully self-contained text that expertly accomplishes two goals: first, for the novice, it clearly explains how to establish and implement an effective respiratory protection program; and second, for the experienced professional, it provides in-depth knowledge that goes beyond basics. Respiratory Protection Handbook addresses the development of respiratory protection devices, the capabilities and limitations of specific respirators, the respirator certification system, how to select appropriate filters, how to predict the service life of sorbents, fit testing methods, assigned protection factors, and much more. Nowhere else will you find a single source on this topic containing so much information.

This book is a comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) characterized as sick or problem buildings. Significant emphasis is given to defining the nature of the problem, the various potential causal and risk factors, problem building diagnostic protocols and contaminant measurements, and the mitigation of IAQ problems, including case histories. The book features a discussion on the potential causal factors studied extensively in Europe and recognized in North America as well.

This single source asbestos reference/text book incorporates major legal issues and cost estimating methods. Every aspect of abatement work from initial survey through final cleanup is detailed. In addition, medical aspects, respirator use, training, sample contracts and other topics, coupled with a practical approach, make this the book to have when the goal is to get the job done. The book contains lots of valuable information and data, including CFR 1910 and NFPA 220/241, and will serve as an ideal reference source for asbestos contractors, building owners, industrial hygienists, consultants, and schools.

This book gathers cutting-edge research and best practices relating to occupational risk and safety management, healthcare and ergonomics. It covers strategies for different types of industry, such as construction, food, chemical and healthcare. It gives a special emphasis on challenges posed by automation, discussing solutions offered by technologies, and reporting on case studies carried out in different countries. Chapters are based on selected contributions to the 17th International Symposium on Occupational Safety and Hygiene (SHO 2021), held virtually on November 17-19, 2021, from Portugal. By reporting on different perspectives, such as the ones from managers, workers and OSH professionals, and covering timely issues, such as safety evaluation of human-robot collaboration, this book offers extensive information and a source of inspiration to OSH researchers, practitioners and organizations operating in both local and global contexts.

Occupational accidents have a massive personal and social cost as well as a major financial cost. The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries, accounting for around 20-30% of all occupational deaths worldwide. The accompanying financial cost is either absorbed directly or passed on in the form of higher insurance costs. In addition, regulatory bodies have started to impose legal accountability on all the parties along the construction supply chain. OHS is hard to implement. Construction projects are complex, with a fluid workforce, and the regulatory framework is highly elaborate. OHS Electronic Management Systems for Construction presents a theoretical framework which is designed to overcome these difficulties, integrating OHS management in construction using knowledge management and web technologies. This framework is explained in a clear step-by-step way, as are features such as a systematically developed corporate safety memory, and a virtual learning portal to facilitate on-demand safety training. The ultimate aim of this book is to aid the development of an established safety culture at the organisational level, and the formation of an industry-wide community of safety practice. This is essential reading for OHS professionals and construction managers attempting to change their industry for the better, as well as advanced students and researchers.

20 murders every week. 18,000 assaults in the same time. All on the job. Sharp increases in workplace violence continue to take an unfortunate toll on American business-and its employees, families and communities. Preventative measures may be well-intentioned, but pose troubling conflicts in themselves, pitting each employee's privacy vs. overall worker protection. A full-self evaluation of your business and its personnel may be the key to safeguard against workplace violence. Thomas D. Schneid's Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace provides the important guidelines for that careful, all-encompassing examination. Most books on workplace violence focus on psychological profiles. In a change of pace, Schneid examines the issue from a safety/health professional's viewpoint, taking all angles, legal issues, and potential ramifications into account. Chapters focus on not only in-house efforts to prevent violent incidents, but also government and legal standards directly or indirectly related to worker's rights and corporate liability. Make every effort to prevent workplace violence from hitting home: start with advice from the Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace

The Behavior-Based Safety Process Since the behavior-based approach to accident prevention was launched in 1980 by the author and his associates, safety performance is increasingly prominent on the agendas of many companies. Several powerful factors contribute to this trend. The widespread reorganization of personnel into work-groups that are leaner and more self-directed, the increasing importance of international competition, the growing awareness of critical environmental issues—these and related factors highlight the value of any mechanism that promotes continuous improvement in safety performance. Detailing a step-by-step approach to just such a mechanism for continuous improvement, The Behavior-Based Safety Process is a path-breaking guide that represents an important resource for anyone concerned with performance related issues in the workplace. As the title indicates, the focus is on process versus programs. The reason is simple: off-the-shelf safety imposed from the top down does not meet the safety needs of most organizations. This fact has been abundantly demonstrated in facility after facility throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In genuinely meeting the need for continuous improvement in safety performance, the behavior-based approach presents many parallels with the quality improvement process. Both of these approaches use scientific methods to identify, measure, and provide feedback on upstream factors of excellence. In the case of the behavior-based approach to safety, these upstream factors are critical behaviors that are the leading indicators of safety performance in the organization, targeting areas of concern in advance of even first-aid incidents. For an in-depth treatment of how to integrate behavioral and statistical methodologies, see the author’s companion volume from Van Nostrand Reinhold: Employee-Driven Systems for Safe Behavior. In addition to presenting these parallels with quality. The Behavior-Based Safety Process also provides powerful techniques aimed at implementation issues: organizational development, trainer-training, and employee involvement. The author and his associates developed these techniques over a decade of consultation with a variety of industries, working closely in that time with such safety leaders as Monsanto, Shell Chemical Company, ARCO Chemical, ALCOA, Rohm and Haas, Scott Paper Company, Georgia Gulf Corporation, The Pillsbury Company, and Chevron U.S.A.

Professionals in environmental health and safety (EHS) management use statistics every day in making decisions. This book was created to provide the quantitative tools and techniques necessary to make important EHS assessments. Readers need not be statistically or mathematically inclined to make the most of this book-mathematical derivations are kept to a minimum and subjects are approached in a simple and factual manner, complemented with plenty of real-world examples. Chapters 1-3 cover knowledge of basic statistical concepts such as presentation of data, measurements of location and dispersion, and elementary probability and distributions. Data gathering and analysis topics including sampling methods, sampling theory, testing, and interference as well as skills for critically evaluating published numerical material is presented in Chapters 4-6. Chapters 7-11 discuss information generation topics-regression and correlation analysis, time series, linear programming, network and Gnatt charting, and decision analysis-tools that can be used to convert data into meaningful information. Chapter 12 features six examples of projects made successful through statistical approaches being applied. Readers can use these approaches to solve their own unique problems. Whether you are a EHS professional, manager, or student, Health, Safety, and Environmental Data Analysis: A Business Approach will help you communicate statistical data effectively.

While it has aided far many more than it has harmed, radiation is forever etched in the public's mind as an indiscriminate and particularly pernicious killer. Consequently, it is especially critical in this age of terrorist threats that we equip ourselves with accurate information and practical tools that will serve us in the rare chance that we find ourselves in a radiation crisis. Radiation Threats and Your Safety: A Guide to Preparation and Response for Professionals and Community offers a calm and authoritative approach to crisis preparation. Written by a health physicist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the book informs us about what we should know ahead of time, how to prepare, and the best ways to respond to a nuclear or radiological incident either as an emergency responder or community/family member. Organized to serve both as a preparation guide and as a reference in a crisis, this book - Uses common language while avoiding unnecessary scientific jargon Details protocols for both accidental and intentional radiation emergencies such as nuclear explosions and dirty bombs Shows how to prepare a family emergency plan Covers medical responses to radiation emergencies including radiation drugs Provides an emergency supply list Discusses radiation from microwaves and cellular phones as well as food irradiation There is no reason why we should feel helpless when faced with a radiation emergency. We can take action to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. How we react to a radiation emergency will determine its true final impact. To this end, we need information and leaders we can depend upon. This book provides the factual details and the approach needed to proactively prepare for any radiation emergency, while a

Professionals striving for accident reduction must deal with systems in which both technical and human elements play equal and complementary roles. However, many of the existing techniques in ergonomics and risk management concentrate on plant and technical issues and downplay human factors and "subjectivity." Safety Management: A Qualitative Systems Approach describes a body of theories and data that addresses safety by drawing on systems theory and applied psychology, stressing the importance of human activity within systems. It explains in detail the central roles of social consensus and reliability and the nature of verbal reports and functional discourse. This text presents a new approach to safety management, offering a path to both greater safety and to economic savings. It presents a series of methodological tools that have proven to be reliable through extensive use in the rail and nuclear industries. These methods allow organizational and systems failures to be analyzed much more effectively in terms of quantity, precision, and usefulness. The concepts and tools described in this book are particularly valuable for reliability engineers, risk managers, human factors specialists, and safety managers and professionals in safety-critical organizations.

Filled with practical insights, solutions, and tools, this book will help even veteran safety professionals better understand behavioral approaches to safety, improve safety performance and employee involvement, and obtain senior management support. Manning's book presents a simplified, non-technical explanation of the human relations and psychology of safety and uses anecdotes and real-life experiences from the author's own professional experiences.

A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession: The Relentless Pursuit will help reshape the way we talk about safety, prompt action, and engage workers from all levels of an organization. The book includes real-life experiences and characters that are relatable to anyone who has worked in the safety and health field for any amount of time. It will provide answers for every safety professional who has ever asked: "Is this actually making people safer?" It shines a light on ineffective practices that drive a wedge between the safety professional and the people they support and then provides meaningful alternative practices. Features Provides a streamlined process for eliminating high impact hazards Emphasizes concepts that are immediately actionable with little to no investment costs Includes real-life studies and examples

The relationship between health and work is widely recognized as complex and multifaceted. In the context of an aging population, our ability to enable individuals with health issues to continue working is becoming more critical. Addressing these current policy concerns, "Work, Health and Wellbeing" brings together new, original research from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to investigate how we can define and act on a biopsychosocial model of ill health to improve work participation in middle and later life.

In the early twentieth century, asbestos had a reputation as a lifesaver. In 1960, however, it became known that even relatively brief exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a virulent and lethal cancer.
Yet the bulk of the world's asbestos was mined after 1960. Asbestos usage in many countries continued unabated.
This is the first global history of how the asbestos industry and its allies in government, insurance, and medicine defended the product throughout the twentieth century. It explains how mining and manufacture could continue despite overwhelming medical evidence as to the risks. The argument advanced in this book is that asbestos has proved so enduring because the industry was able to mount a successful defense strategy for the mineral--a strategy that still operates in some parts of the world. This defence involved the shaping of the public debate by censoring, and sometimes corrupting, scientific research, nurturing scientific uncertainty, and using allies in government, insurance, and medicine.
The book also discusses the problems of asbestos in the environment, compensating victims, and the continued use of asbestos in the developing world. Its global focus shows how asbestos can be seen as a model for many occupational diseases--indeed for a whole range of hazards produced by industrial societies. The book is based on a wealth of documentary material gained from legal discovery, supplemented by evidence from the authors' visits and researches in the US, the UK, Canada, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Australia, Swaziland, and South Africa.

The goal of this book is to prepare safety and health professionals to recognize and address human resource issues, applicable laws and regulations, as well as change management techniques used to alter the safety culture within their operations. This book will provide awareness to avoid or address HR related policies/issues/laws which can result in costly litigation, grievances, and other negative implications. The book will address the "pitfalls" for safety professionals to avoid as well as provide the methodology to attain the cultural change necessary to achieve and maintain safety performance. Features Prepares safety professionals how to avoid or address HR issues and laws Provides awareness of applicable labor and employment laws and regulations Covers change management skills applicable to the safety function Enables the safety professional to recognize legal requirements from everyday questions asked by employees Helps safety professionals to prevent becoming entangled in legal issues resulting from their actions or inactions

Using the detailed instructions in this book, readers will learn how to comply with product safety regulations, how to develop safe products, and how to implement safe manufacturing processes. In addition, readers will learn how to understand the federal regulations, determine how those regulations apply to their businesses, and understand the scope of their responsibilities.

Many companies have taken steps to improve awareness and management of safety systems, yet safety directors continue to report high injury rates. In Keeping People Safe: The Human Dynamics of Injury Prevention, author Josh Williams provides safety leaders with information they can use to further reduce injuries and improve workplace safety. This book addresses five integral components of workplace safety: Systems/Conditions, Leadership, Behaviors, People-Factors, and Communication. It recommends strategies for every aspect of safety management from organizational commitment and safety culture to improving managerial behavior and working with union members. These recommendations are based on years of practical experience, empirical research on the human dynamics of safety, and seminal studies in social psychology on authority and conformity. Utilizing the hugely influential and widely practiced model of Behavior Based Safety, Williams provides the safety manager with all the tools needed to lower injury rates and improve safety. Numerous charts and tables, a checklist for improving safety performance, and a foreword by world-renowned safety leader E. Scott Geller complement the text.

Wellbeing is now at the top of almost everyone's agenda and many technical books have been published on the topic. More than that, an ever-increasing number of organisations are understanding that getting wellbeing right is a win-win that can boost profits or simply make sustainability viable. Organised Wellbeing: Proven and Practical Lessons from Safety Excellence seeks to present, in a user-friendly way, all of the key wellbeing themes. It views these through the lessons learnt from safety excellence because, at present, UK safety is world class but, frankly, wellbeing seldom is. In any organisation, culture is even more important than strategy and tactics, and training is just the base of a process in which facilitation and embedding of key behaviours and mindsets is the essential element. Practical and coordinated processes, not initiatives, are required. This book, therefore, seeks to show how aspects of wellbeing, both organisational and personal, are inexorably interconnected. From an organisational perspective, approaches need to address the truth that 'good work is good for you'. This book, also an individual guide to thriving with passion, compassion, humour and style, is essential reading for health and safety, occupational health and HR professionals at all levels. It is also highly recommended for all managers and staff who seek to maximise their potential and that of their colleagues.

Wellbeing is now at the top of almost everyone's agenda and many technical books have been published on the topic. More than that, an ever-increasing number of organisations are understanding that getting wellbeing right is a win-win that can boost profits or simply make sustainability viable. Organised Wellbeing: Proven and Practical Lessons from Safety Excellence seeks to present, in a user-friendly way, all of the key wellbeing themes. It views these through the lessons learnt from safety excellence because, at present, UK safety is world class but, frankly, wellbeing seldom is. In any organisation, culture is even more important than strategy and tactics, and training is just the base of a process in which facilitation and embedding of key behaviours and mindsets is the essential element. Practical and coordinated processes, not initiatives, are required. This book, therefore, seeks to show how aspects of wellbeing, both organisational and personal, are inexorably interconnected. From an organisational perspective, approaches need to address the truth that 'good work is good for you'. This book, also an individual guide to thriving with passion, compassion, humour and style, is essential reading for health and safety, occupational health and HR professionals at all levels. It is also highly recommended for all managers and staff who seek to maximise their potential and that of their colleagues.

Whether you call them work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs), cumulative trauma disorders (CTDS), or occupational overuse syndromes (OOSs), these conditions are a cause of pain, disability and suffering to workers worldwide. These designations often imply that their causes are related to work, but the supporting evidence can be unclear. Transparency is important, especially when it is necessary to form a connection with work factors to obtain treatment or compensation. This book addresses the dilemma. Written by a professional ergonomist with almost 40 years of experience in workplace ergonomics, this book combines a critical summary and assessment of the epidemiological literature with an exploration of the scientific and medical evidence for possible causal mechanisms to develop well-informed conclusions on causation of a number of common musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb and intervertebral disc injury. Although much of the book focuses on physical factors, the role of psychosocial factors is increasingly being recognized and an additional chapter reviews a number of the current theories relating to this important issue. Features Focuses on a clear and authoritative account of the evidence for the role of work in the causation of commonly occurring ULDs and disc injury Provides an up-to-date compilation of the scientific evidence, devoid of views based on assumptions or prejudice Presents a clear explanation of the most likely causal mechanisms for common ULDs and disc injuries Includes a summary of theories concerning the role played by psychosocial factors Outlines the statistical evidence in a clear and understandable manner Bridges the gap between the evidence-base in the scientific and medical research literature and the practitioner

This book covers how to analyze awkward working postures, particularly of the spine and lower limbs, in specific groups exposed. The methods covered suggests how to evaluate the postures correctly, taking account of the duration and sequence of the tasks involved, even in very complex scenarios where workers are involved with multiple tasks and work cycles varying from day to day. Excel spreadsheets located on the authors' website (www.epmresearch.org) have been developed to gather, condense, and automatically process the data. The tools serve to implement the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures, i.e. the TACOS method. Included are 5 case studies which include physiotherapists, workers from construction, archaeological digs, vineyards, and kindergarten teachers. Features Provides a coherent definition of what the study of awkward postures is Clarifies and explains which parameters need to be detected and analyzed for the study of the working postures Defines the phases of a proper organizational study (e.g. tasks, postures, duration, and how often the postures will last) in the working cycle Presents a new and original risk calculation model for awkward postures, with particular attention to the study of the spine and the lower limbs Offers a free excel spreadsheet located on the authors' website which implements the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures

If you're new to the safety field, or if you've just been given safety responsibilities, making sense of your compliance responsibilities can be overwhelming! This newly updated and easy-to-read guide is your key to understanding and complying with the Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 1900-1910.END. It addresses common OSHA regulations in alphabetical order and helps eliminate the regulatory circles that make compliance difficult. Filled with illustrations, recommendations, and sample documents, this reference contains 34 sections on selected topics from the CFRs that all general-industry safety professionals must understand, including the forklift, personal protective equipment, and respiratory standards; workplace ergonomic standard; and Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER). New features included in this edition include terms and definitions within each section, section summaries to help you quickly locate needed information, and new "Best Practice" recommendations for achieving compliance. Other features in this book include a description of the authority and mechanics of the OSHA inspection; addresses, telephone numbers, and fax numbers for the OSHA Regional Offices; a list of published resources; useful references; and a self-inspection checklist featuring 19 pages of requirements.