Previous Issues
June 2012 - Feel like you're in a tight spot? It could be a confined space! »
December 2011 - Thinking out of the box to make your training effective »
July 2011 - Climate Change - what can you do to prepare for it's effects? »
June 2011 - Take a breath! The ins and outs of ambient air quality! »
Health Science Associates Newsletter
December 2012
Be Smart and be Safe This Holiday Season
In This Issue
Health Science Associates is busy this Holiday season and it looks like 2013 won't be any different. Our staff has grown again, we've added yet another CIH and increased our already substantial service area. Richard Bohrer, CIH has over 30 years of experience in the fields of construction safety, safety management, industrial hygiene, radiation safety, laser safety, medical surveillance, substance abuse, chemical safety programs, training and management of Health and Safety professionals. We welcome Rich to the HSA Team!
Joel I. Berman will be giving the CIHC Conference a miss this year so he can "person" our booth at HarrisMartin's New Industrial Toxins Litigation Conference on December 3rd and 4th in Marina Del Rey. Rich will attend in Joel's place at CIHC and the rest of our CIH team will be there as well.
Our Training Department has had some big changes as well and you can read about that farther down this newsletter. Some unusual projects and places are on the horizon! As we've said before - Industrial and Occupational Health & Safety can happen anywhere!
Seasonal events and decorations for the workplace can be a fun way to help employees enjoy the spirit of the holiday season together. Just remember to keep safety in mind, and make sure proper safety precautions are observed at all times.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 12,000 people nationally are treated for falls, cuts, shocks, and burns due to faulty lights, dried-out Christmas trees, and other holiday decorations.
Proper workplace safety precautions should be observed at all times to prevent potential personal injuries and property damage.
Decorating the workplace could result in falls and dangerous tripping hazards. Avoid placing trees, gifts, or freestanding decorations in busy areas where people might run into them or trip over them. Always use the proper step stool or ladder to reach high places safely. Before using a ladder, read and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Potential trips over cords or decorations and falls from a ladder are workers' compensation claims waiting to happen.
It's also essential to make sure that your holiday décor does not block exits, cover exit signage, or block access to fire safety equipment. Do not place any type of decorative items in exit corridors or on sprinklers.
Holiday decorations should create higher morale at the workplace, not hazards and potential for accidents and injuries, so take proper precautions. Choose artificial greenery made of fire retardant materials for office decorating. All decorations should be either inherently flame retardant (the label will say so), or have been treated with a flame retardant solution.
Join us in wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Upcoming Conferences and Events:
CIHC
The 22nd Annual California Industrial Hygiene Council Conference takes place December 3-5, 2012, at the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, CA.
The California Industrial Hygiene Council was founded in 1990 to establish a legislative presence in the California State Capitol for the industrial hygiene profession. It is supported by the local sections of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) within California. The local sections consist of Northern CA, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, and Southern CA. It is designated as the AIHA State Governmental Affairs Organization in California. There are ten official board members, made up of two to three volunteering directors from each AIHA local section. CIHC contracts with the firm Sacramento Advocacy to provide legislative representation. The board members review and monitor legislation which may impact the profession of industrial hygiene.
HarrisMartin's New Industrial Toxins Litigation Conference December 03, 2012 - December 4, 2012 - Marina del Rey, CA
An A to Z Discussion of Litigation Arising from Disease Caused by Exposure to Acrylamide, Bromopropane, Chlorinated Compounds, Diacetyl, Ethylene Oxide, Formaldehyde, Gasoline/Diesel Exhaust, Hydroquinone and more!
HarrisMartin's New Industrial Toxins Litigation Conference
HSA is excited to announce that Ingrid Zubieta, CIH, MPH has become a key figure in the expansion and improvement of our Training Department. Formerly from theLabor Occupational Safety and Health program(LOSH) at UCLA, where she was responsible for the development and oversight of training programs, we expect that her contributions here will help us continue to provide the high quality service that people have come toconsistently expect and receive from HSA.
HSA is proud to continue to host classes in our Orange county training facility offered by the Continuing Education and Outreach Office of the Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center at UCLA. Upcoming classes include Incident Investigation and Reportingand SAMPLING AND INSTRUMENTATION We are excited about offering the Health and Safety community an Orange county location for these valuable courses given by the ERC's highly qualified staff. For more information see the training page on our website or go directly to theCOEH website to register.
We continue to provide a variety of training courses for the professionals in California, ask about how we can assist you and your Team!