The Department of Homeland Security Declares 2015 the Year of Drug Related Overdose

"It’s the highest number of drug-related deaths our country has ever seen. In a single year, we’ve lost nearly as many Americans to drug overdose as we lost in battle in World War I. Almost as many as was lost in 12 years in Vietnam.

The Department of Homeland Security recently unveiled that there was an unprecedented number of drug overdoses and drug related deaths in 2015. In 2015, over 52,000 American deaths were due to drug overdose and the CDC ranks opiates which include heroin and painkillers as the primary cause of the carnage.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly:

"It’s the highest number of drug-related deaths our country has ever seen. It’s more deaths than the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1995. In a single year, we’ve lost nearly as many Americans to drug overdose as we lost in battle in World War I. Almost as many as was lost in 12 years in Vietnam.

"And that’s just overdose deaths. That number—as high as it is—says nothing about the long-term health damage to our citizens who survive, to say nothing about the human misery, the families ripped apart, and the extremes of crime and violence inherent in the illegal-drug enterprise.

With the widespread abuse of oxycontin, heroin and other opiates, employers need to be sure that employees are drug free and work-sites are safe for all.  Learn more about onsite medical services and keeping large scale construction projects safe with safesitemedical.com

Safe Site Medical Takes a Look at Global Work Site Safety in New Zealand

As an American safety company that provides on-site medical services to large-scale construction projects in North America, Safe Site Medical believes it is strategically important to carefully review the global landscape for construction news and workplace safety happenings. Safe Site Medical strives to be knowledgeable and up-to-date on not only U.S. workplace safety and OSHA standards but of our global partners standards as well.   In this post, we look at New Zealand and The Health and Safety at Work Act of 2016.

Safeguard Magazine recently released it's survey findings on what New Zealand workers think of The 2016 Health and Safety at Work Act, one year later.

Here are some of the survey results:

• 78% of respondents believe health and safety is taken seriously, a double-digit increase from the 67% who felt the same way last year.
• 72% of respondents agree that in their workplace, risks are discussed with other businesses which share the same site.
• Only 48% of respondents felt confident that the health of workers is taken seriously (compared to 78% who were confident about safety)
• Only 46% felt that organizations view health & safety as an opportunity to improve rather than just to comply with the law.
• Only 47% of respondents were confident that no one would be harmed or made unwell by the activities carried out at their workplace.

To read more about New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work Act of 2016 and the survey visit Scoop.

Be engaged and learn more about how American construction companies are utilizing onsite medical services to reduce OSHA recordables and keep work sites safe with Safe Site Medical.

10th International Conference on Managing Fatigue

The 10th International Conference on Managing Fatigue is being held in San Diego, California this week from March 20 – 23, 2017.  This year's theme is “Managing Fatigue to Improve Safety, Wellness, and Effectiveness.”  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) states that fatigue is either a probable cause or contributing factor in 20 percent of their major transportation investigations. The NTSB has issued more than 200 safety recommendations to address the problem of fatigue in transportation.

Learn more about the 2017 workplace fatigue conference, keynote speakers and much more here.

To learn how to combat fatigue on construction work-sites and additional on-site medical services that can help keep construction projects safe visit safesitemedical.com.

Addressing Traumatic Brain Injuries on Construction Sites

The Center for Disease Control and NIOSH have concluded that Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) happen more frequently on construction work sites then in any other U.S. workplace.  Falling from a ladder, getting hit in the head with a steel beam and vehicle accidents are some of the leading reasons TBIs happen on construction projects.
 
A 2016 NIOSH study reported these alarming stats:

• Workers in small construction companies (<20 employees) were more than 2.5 times more likely than those in larger companies (≥100 employees) to die from a TBI.
• Males were 7 times more likely than females to die from a TBI.
• Older workers (≥65 years) were almost 4 times more likely than younger workers (25–34 years) to have a fatal TBI.
• The TBI fatality rate was significantly higher for foreign-born than for native-born workers.
• Falls, especially from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds, led to >50% of fatal work-related TBIs.
• Structural iron and steel workers and roofers had the highest fatal TBI rate, and TBIs related to falls caused most of their deaths.

NIOSH addressed the issue of TBIs in the construction industry with the following recommendations:

• Improve harness sizing designs for protecting workers from falls due to poor fit or improper size selection.
• Provide worker-support bracket and safety rail assembly that provides a guardrail system to protect workers from falling through unprotected roofs.

Read the rest of the NIOSH Science report here and to learn more about on-site medical services and safety programs for large construction projects visit safesitemedical.com.

March is National Ladder Safety Month!

Safe Site Medical is always on the lookout for newest safety data, construction work site information and the latest building industry buzz.  This month we wanted to help you celebrate 2017 National Ladder Safety Month! Check out these ladder safety resources from laddersafetymonth.com:

Did you know that, on average, work-related ladder falls result in one death and more than 180 nonfatal injuries every two days in America?*

• Why Ladder Safety and How it Affects Everyone
• Ladder Safety Training
• Ladder Safety Checklist
• Ladder Safety 101
• Safety Standards

Learn more about onsite medical services for large scale construction projects at safesitemedical.com.

Eye Protection Should Be Part of Your Onsite Medical Services Program

Eye Protection Should Be Part of Your Onsite Medical Services Program. Prevent Blindness, a Chicago-based volunteer eye health and safety organization recently reported that 2,000 workers per day experience a job-related eye injury that requires medical attention.  There are so many different type of eye injuries and they can come from so many different activities that preventive measures should be in place for protection. The National Safety Council (NSC) recommends the following eye protections:

• Spectacles – Semi/flat-folded sideshield. Provides primary protection against impact and optical radiation. Sideshield spectacles are recommended.
• Goggles – There are many different kinds of goggles that vary in appearance and protection.
• Face Shield – Plastic or mesh window. Designed to protect the whole face; must be supplemented with safety glasses.
• Welding Helmet – Stationary window or lift-front window. Protects from welding, soldering and brazing. Must be supplemented with safety glasses.

The NSC lists the following as top workplace eye injuries:

Chemical Splash 

Flying Particles

Radiation Injuries, Burns 

Blows to the Eyes 

Eyestrain 

Learn more about eye injury protection and construction onsite medical services at safesitemedical.com.

The Most Common Construction Site Accidents

As you've read in our recent Safe Site Medical blog post titled Fatal Occupational Injuries Rose in 2015 Urging Use of Pre-Emptive On-site Medical Services and Safety Trainings that construction is a very hazardous industry.  Having a rapid on-site medical services team on the job site can help treat injuries quicker and save time and money.

Per the Rybak Firm these are most common construction site accidents:

• Falls: Falls are consistently one of the most common causes of injury at construction sites throughout the United States. Some of the most common places from which workers fall are from scaffolding, ladders, roofs, and cranes.
• Falling Objects: Construction workers are at risk from falling objects, particularly tools or pieces of machinery that are dropped from above. Workers who are struck in the head by falling objects face potentially severe brain and spinal injuries.
• Equipment: Most construction sites utilize heavy machinery to get the job done, which increases the risks that workers will be injured by it. Some of the most common equipment-related injuries are caused by forklifts, dumpsters, and nail guns.
• Backovers and crushed-betweens: Unfortunately, construction workers are at risk from being run over by large trucks backing out of construction sites or being crushed in between large vehicles and walls.
• Fires and explosions: If a construction site contains hazardous materials or exposed wiring (and most of them do), construction workers are at risk of being injured in a fire or an explosion.
• Building or trench collapses: Construction workers who are working in buildings that are being demolished or are under construction are at risk from building collapse. Serious injury can also occur when a trench that’s being built collapses on the workers inside it.
• Respiratory diseases: Construction workers are particularly at risk from a condition known as pneumoconiosis, which is a chronic disease of the lungs that is caused from working for many years in dusty environments.

Is your construction site safe?  Learn more about Safe Site Medical On-site Medical Services for large-scale construction projects.