Safety in the Workplace

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Safety in the Workplace

• BME/CompE/EE/ME 297 Senior Design Seminar

• Robert Wheaton, MPH, CIH
• Vanderbilt University
• Director, Vanderbilt Environmental Health and
  Safety

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Introduction

• Safety isnt just fire extinguishers and
  extension cords!
• Well define what Safety really is in the real
  world and discuss concepts you can use in the
  workplace

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Agenda

• What we do here at Vandy
• The safety profession
• The drivers for safety
• Key workplace safety issues you should know

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Vanderbilt Environmental Health and Safety

• Environmental Engineering
• Hazardous Materials Management
• Industrial Hygiene
• Biological Safety
• Health Physics
• Safety Engineering

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Vanderbilt Environmental Health and Safety
Administration
Occupational Safety, Health and Emergency
Preparedness
Radiation Safety Operations
BiologicalSafety
Laboratory and Environmental Compliance
Medical Center Safety and Training
Radiation Safety Management
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Environmental Engineering (PE, REM, CHMM)

• Air Pollution Control
• Water Pollution Control
• Environmental Management Systems
• Permits
• Remediation/Construction
• Pollution Prevention

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Hazardous Materials Management (CHMM)

• Hazardous Chemical Waste Disposal
• Radioactive Waste Disposal
• Manufacture and storage of hazardous materials
• Packaging, shipping and transportation of
  hazardous materials
• HAZMAT Emergency Response

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Industrial Hygiene (CIH)

• Anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control
  hazards on the workplace
• Chemical Hazards
• Physical Hazards
• Exposure Monitoring
• Ergonomics
• IAQ/Mold
• Ventilation

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Biological Safety (CBSP)

• Human Gene Transfer
• Recombinant DNA
• Biocontainment facilities
• Pathogenic and infectious agents
• Select Agents and High Consequence Livestock
  Pathogens
• Disinfection and Biological Waste

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Health Physics (CHP)

• Radiation Safety
• Ionizing radiation producing equipment
• Radioactive materials
• Sealed sources
• Shielding
• Dosimetry/Exposure Monitoring

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Safety Engineering (CSP)

• Fire Prevention and Codes
• Accident Prevention and Fault-tree analysis
• Process Safety Management
• Emergency Preparedness
• Construction Safety
• Risk Management

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The Drivers of Safety

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  (OSHA)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Established 1970
• Principle functions
• Major EPA laws

• PPA
• CAA
• CWA
• CERCLA/SARA
• EPCRA

• FIFRA
• SWDA/RCRA
• SDWA
• TSCA
• NEPA

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Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)

• OSH Act of 1970
• Federal and State OSHA Plans
• 29CFR1910 Occupational Safety and Health
  Standards
• Principle Areas of enforcement

• Occ Health and Env. Controls
• PPE
• General Duty Clause

• General Safety
• Fire Safety
• Hazardous Materials

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC)

• Atomic Energy Act of 1954
• Energy Reorganization Act of 1974
• Federal and State NRC Plans
• Principle Areas of regulation
• Nuclear Reactors
• Radioactive Materials (RAM)
• Radioactive Waste

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Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Agency of Health and Human Services
• Lead federal agency for protecting the health and
  safety of people
• Organized around 12 National Centers

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Key workplace safety issues

• OSHA Hazard Communication Standard
• Right-to-Know
• Training
• Chemical Information
• OSHA Laboratory Standard
• Chemical Hygiene Plan
• Training
• Inventory
• SOPs

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Key workplace safety issues

• When SOPs go wrong!

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Key workplace safety issues

• Electrical Safety (LO/TO)
• Construction Safety Confined Spaces, Shoring
  and Trenching
• Emergency Planning and Reporting
• Permit applications Hot Work, Storm Water, Air,
  etc.
• Proper Hazardous Waste Disposal
• Radiation safety with low-level RAM
• Compressed Gas Safety

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Key workplace safety issues

• Physical hazards - noise, heat, cold,
• PPE hard hats, safety glasses , steel toed
  shoes, etc.
• Laser safety
• HazMat Team member
• EHS Training
• Etc., etc, etc

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Where to Get More Information

• Regulatory Agencies
• Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  www.osha.gov
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission www.nrc.gov
• Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov
• Federal Register Search Enginehttp//www.access.g
  po.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
• Code of Federal Regulations Search
  Enginehttp//www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.ht
  ml

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Where to Get More Information

• Environmental Profession
• Institute of Hazardous Materials Management -
  www.ihmm.org
• Air and Waste Management Association
  -www.awma.org
• Industrial Hygiene
• American Industrial Hygiene Association
  www.aiha.org
• American Conference of Governmental Industrial
  Hygienists www.acgih.org
• American Board of Industrial Hygiene
  www.abih.org

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Where to Get More Information

• Safety Profession
• American Association of Safety Engineers
  www.asse.org
• National Safety Council www.nsc.org
• Board of Certified Safety Professionals
  www.bcsp.org
• Biosafety Profession
• American Biological Safety Association
  www.absa.org
• American Society of Microbiology www.asm.org

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Summary

• Understanding of the differing EHS professionals
  (and potential career choices)
• Understanding the drivers of workplace safety
• Some key issues facing you when you enter the
  workforce as a Vandy engineer!

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Questions?