Many OHS pros believe that going beyond OSHA requirements demonstrates the use of best practices. Going beyond OSHA, however, requires careful considerations.
Among the properties of chemicals such as molecular weight, solubility, reactivity, pH and such, vapor pressure (VP) is the most important property for worker health considerations.
In the earliest days of OHS, disputes of who was responsible for the payment of a workplace injury or illness was settled by litigation. Every US state eventually passed workers’ compensation insurance law to establish a no-fault system where responsibility for injury/illness payment nearly always falls upon the employer.
Anyone may call themselves an industrial hygienist and anyone may practice industrial hygiene. No license, certificate, formal education, or years of experience are required for someone to practice industrial hygiene in the United States. Whether IH is a profession, trade or practice is just semantics.
Long working hours are now considered by the WHO/ILO to be the occupational risk factor with the largest attributable disease burden. WHO/ILO advise, “Protecting and promoting occupational and workers’ safety and health requires interventions to reduce hazardous long working hours.”
CEOs Action for Diversity & Inclusion (1) state that “… diversity and inclusion are multifaceted issues and that we need to tackle these subjects holistically to better engage and support all underrepresented groups within business.”
“First do no harm” is a fundamental ethical principle practiced among physicians and related healthcare professions throughout the world. OHS pros should be aware of its concepts.
If you are prepared for an OSHA visit, you likely also have a better safety program and culture. You likely have trained employees, plans in place, emergency drills up to date, and records ready for review.
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