Safety

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Safety Health Issues

• Heather Lorenz, MSOH, CIH, CSP
• Sr. Industrial Hygienist

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Occupational Safety Health

• Lab Safety and Health
• Ergonomics
• Mold Prevention and Remediation

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Lab Safety and Health
Chemical, Biological and Physical Hazards
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Hazards

• Chemical Hazards
• Chronic
• Carcinogens
• Reproductive Hazards
• Acute Hazards
• Acutely toxic
• Corrosive
• Unstable/Reactive/Incompatibility
• Biological Hazards
• Select Agents and Toxins
• Biosafety Level 1-4
• Physical Hazards
• LASER
• Fire
• Noise
• Radiation
• Electrical

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Hazard Recognition, Evaluation, and Control

• Anticipation and Recognition
• Research chemicals prior to use for health and
  safety hazards
• Safety and Health Lab Surveys (General, LASER,
  Biosafety 2 and 3)
• Department of Homeland Security Chemical
  Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards survey
• Evaluation
• Safety and Health Survey Report
• Industrial Hygiene Monitoring
• Hazard Control
• Engineering Controls
• Local Exhaust (Lab Hoods)
• Biosafety Cabinets
• Administrative Controls
• Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan
• Animal Handler Occupational Health Program and
  Protocol approval
• Regulatory Compliance and liaison with outside
  agencies (OSHA, CDC, ODH, USDA, EPA, DOT, etc.)
• Training
• Other Safety and Health procedures and plans

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Ergonomics
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Ergonomics

• Working with the body in a neutral position
  reduces stress and strain on the muscles,
  tendons, and skeletal system and reduces your
  risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder
  (MSD).
• Safety and Health offers computer work station
  assessments and other ergonomic evaluations.

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Monitors

• Monitors placed too close or too far away may
  cause you to assume awkward body positions that
  can lead to eyestrain.
• Working with your head and neck turned to the
  side for a prolonged period loads neck muscles
  unevenly and increases fatigue and pain.
• A display screen that is too high or low will
  cause you to work with your head, neck,
  shoulders, and even your back in awkward
  postures. Working in these awkward postures for a
  prolonged period fatigues the muscles that
  support the head.

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Keyboards

• A keyboard or pointer/mouse that is too close or
  too far away may cause you to assume awkward
  postures such as reaching with the arms, leaning
  forward with the torso, and extreme elbow angles.
  
• Keyboards, pointing devices, or working surfaces
  that are too high or too low can lead to awkward
  wrist, arm, and shoulder postures.
• If the pointer/mouse is not near the keyboard you
  may be exposed to awkward postures, contact
  stress, or forceful hand exertions while using
  the device.

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Wrist/Palm Rests

• Performing keying tasks without a wrist rest may
  increase the angle to which users' wrists are
  bent. Increasing the angle of bend increases the
  contact stress and irritation on tendons and
  tendon sheathes.

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Document Holders

• Documents positioned too far from the monitor
  may require awkward head postures or frequent
  movements of the head and neck to look from the
  monitor to a document. Those awkward postures can
  lead to muscle fatigue and discomfort of the
  head, neck, and shoulders.

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Desks

• Limited space on the work surface may cause users
  to place components and devices in undesirable
  positions.
• The location of frequently-used devices
  (keyboard, phone, and mouse) should remain within
  the repetitive access (primary work zone)
• Limit reaching as much as possible.
• Desk surfaces that are too high or too low may
  lead to awkward postures, such as extended arms
  to reach the keyboard, and raised shoulders.

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Chair

• A chair that is well-designed and appropriately
  adjusted is an essential element of a safe and
  productive computer workstation.
• The more adjustable the chair the better!!
• Lumbar Support Adjustment
• Height Adjustment
• Arm Adjustment (pivot)
• Seat Pan Adjustment

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Telephone

• Placing the telephone too far away can cause you
  to repeatedly reach, resulting in strain on the
  shoulder, arm, and neck.
• Prolonged conversations with the phone pinched
  between your shoulder and head (Figure 1) may
  cause stress and neck pain

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Mold Prevention and Remediation
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Mold Prevention and Remediation

• The objective of the Mold Prevention and
  Remediation Program is to utilize prevention
  techniques to minimize the potential for mold and
  fungal growth, identify, control and remediate
  areas containing fungal growth, and to protect
  all University employees.
• Mold Prevention and Remediation Safety and Health
  Procedure HM-08-035.

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How Does Mold Exposure Occur?

• Mold is a naturally occurring organism that
  produces seed-like spores that are small enough
  to travel through the air.
• We are exposed to mold daily in the air we
  breathe.
• Exposure occurs through breathing, ingestion,
  and/or skin contact.
• The level of airborne molds increase when
  moisture problems arise in buildings creating
  mold growth on building materials.

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Requirements for Mold Growth

• Moisture or high relative humidity (gt60)
• Temperature between 40-100 F
• Organic matter
• Source of spores

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Health Effects Associated With Mold Growth

• The most common health effect of mold is allergic
  reaction.
• Molds can cause a variety of health risks
  dependent on the type and amount of mold present,
  and the susceptibility and sensitivity of the
  person being exposed.
• Most workers will have no reaction at all when
  exposed to mold, while others may have underlying
  health conditions that make them more sensitive
  to the effects of mold exposure.

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Recognition

• The presence of water damage or known moisture
  intrusion in a building that has not been
  completely dried out within 24-48 hours must be
  recognized as a potential source for mold growth.

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Water Damage Clean-up and mold Prevention

• Mold needs moisture and a food source to grow.
• The key to mold and fungus growth prevention is
  eliminating the moisture source and clean-up of
  materials!!!
• When any source of moisture is found, report it
  to Facilities Services for repair and dry out the
  area as soon as possible.
• Safety and Health has the equipment to monitor
  the drying process and should be involved at the
  onset of an event.

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Hazard Assessment

• Report visible growth to Safety and Health.
• If warranted EHS will conduct a hazard
  assessment.
• Visual Inspection
• The presence of mold, water damage, or musty
  odors must be addressed immediately, beginning
  with a visual inspection.
• Ventilation systems may be visually checked for
  damp filters and other damp conditions. Ceiling
  tiles, walls, cardboard and paper must also be
  visually inspected for mold growth.
• When visible mold growth is present, the
  remediation process must begin regardless of
  type.
• If building material has been wet for longer than
  24-48 hours, it is likely mold growth will occur
  without initiating the drying process.

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Safety Health

• Please contact Safety Health with any concerns
  or issues
• Main Campus 419-530-3600
• Health Science Campus 419-383-5069