OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed Ohio workers' compensation (WC) data to identify potential prevention strategies for common Oil and Gas Extraction industry claims. METHODS: Claim rates for 2001-2018 were calculated per full-time equivalent employee. Descriptive analyses on free-text descriptions of lost-time (LT) claims (>7 days away from work) identified common characteristics among claims and injured workers. RESULTS: Among 3,134 claims, 860 (27%) were LT. The industry group, Drilling contractors, experienced the highest LT claims rate, while the cost from Servicing contractors was highest. Contact with objects and equipment caused the highest LT claims rate. The most frequent LT occupation was Roustabout and LT work activity was Material Handling. Transportation Incidents caused most fatalities and hospitalizations. Over half of LT claims were from short-tenured workers. CONCLUSIONS: Both proven and innovative approaches are needed to reduce severe WC claims in this industry.

Respirable crystalline silica is one of the oldest occupational hazards, yet exposures to RCS still cause illness today. Inhalation of RCS is associated with a range of serious illnesses, but it is known primarily for causing silicosis, an incurable and often fatal fibrotic lung disease. Although engineering controls to reduce inhalation of RCS have been known and available for decades, people continue to succumb to its associated health effects. Researchers in the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch (EPHB), in the Division of Field Studies and Engineering (DFSE) at NIOSH, have extensively studied engineering controls for tasks that produce RCS. In other NIOSH divisions, research on RCS controls also continues to be a priority. Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), can be found in crystalline or amorphous forms. Its most abundant crystalline form is alpha quartz, an extremely common mineral found in sand, gravel, soil, clay, shale, slate, sandstone, granite, calcined diatomaceous earth, portland cement concrete, asphalt pavement, ceramics, brick, tile, masonry, mortar, and other materials. It is frequently found alongside deposits of ores and other resources that are mined, such as coal. We are surrounded by it-we walk on it, drive on it, eat and drink from it, and build with it. Although it can comprise many useful materials, it becomes hazardous after it is pulverized, aerosolized, and inhaled.

OBJECTIVE: This study employed analysis of workers' compensation (WC) claims in the landscaping services industry to identify occupational factors associated with claims from workers of different ages. METHODS: Private sector claims for 2005-2017 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) and their free-text descriptions were used along with data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey to examine rates and types of WC claims by worker age. RESULTS: Although the claim rate for younger workers was higher than for older workers overall (593 vs. 261 per 10,000 full-time equivalent employees, p < 0.001), claims from older workers had higher nonzero median cost ($1002 vs. $522, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Analysis of WC claim rates shows significant differences between claims in different age groups. These differences can be used to target safety interventions for the greatest impact.

BACKGROUND: The landscaping services industry is one of the more dangerous in the United States, with higher rates of both fatal and nonfatal injuries than the all-industry average. This study uses claims from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) database to identify high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses in this industry in Ohio. The causes of those illnesses and injuries are highlighted to identify common factors. METHODS: The OHBWC database includes injured-worker industry identification, occupation, business size, demographics, diagnoses, and free-text descriptions of injury circumstances. We identified landscaping service industry claims from 2001 to 2017, and describe annual claim counts and rates. RESULTS: Over the 17-year period, 18,037 claims were accepted, with "Struck by object or equipment" and "Overexertion involving outside sources" being the most common events or exposures. Sprains and fractures were the most prevalent of the more serious lost-time (LT) injuries. Free-text descriptions of claims indicate that arborist work and loading/unloading of work vehicles and trailers are particularly hazardous. Younger and shorter-tenured workers were injured most frequently, although the average workers' age was higher for LT claims. The total cost of claims to the OHBWC from the landscaping services industry for 2001-2017 was over $226,000,000. Almost $214,000,000, or 94.4%, was for LT injuries and illnesses, even though LT claims comprise only 18% of total claims. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted improvements in landscaper safety could come from controlling events leading to LT claims. Engineering controls and improved training are strongly recommended to reduce falls, overexertion, and struck-by injuries.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the development of a prototype dry decontamination system (DryCon) for use in the event of a contamination incident involving a particulate contaminant. Disrobing and showering is currently recommended almost exclusively in mass decontamination, although it may not be feasible when water is scarce, in cold weather environments, or when there may be compliance issues with the requirement to disrobe, ie, unwillingness to disrobe. During disrobing, dust particles could also re-aerosolize, leading to inhalation of contaminants. DESIGN: The DryCon prototype uses air jets for dry decontamination. The system is portable and can run on building-supplied 220-V power or generator power. Multiple contaminated persons can be treated rapidly, one after the other, using this system. SETTING: We tested DryCon in a controlled environment, using a manikin and three different types of fabric squares to investigate its effectiveness, with a decontamination time of 60 seconds. MAIN OUTCOME: At the higher airflow tested, ie, 90 percent of full blower speed or approximately 540 cfm (15 m3/minute), mean decontamination efficiencies of 56.8 percent, 70.3 percent, and 80.7 percent were measured for firefighter (FF) turnout fabric, cotton denim, and polyester double knit fabric, respectively. RESULTS: Removal of this easily re-aerosolized fraction of the contaminants helps protect contaminated people, as well as healthcare providers they come in contact with, from the potential risk of further inhalation exposures from the re-aerosolization caused by doffing clothing. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the promise of the DryCon system for use where water is not available, as a first step prior to wet decontamination, or in an industrial setting for post-work-shift decontamination. Further lab and field research will be necessary to prove the effectiveness of this technique in real-world applications and to determine if respiratory protection or other personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed during use of the DryCon system.

The OSHA final rule on respirable crystalline silica (RCS) will require hydraulic fracturing companies to implement engineering controls to limit workers' exposure to RCS. RCS is generated by pneumatic transfer of quartz-containing sand during hydraulic fracturing operations. Chronic inhalation of RCS can lead to serious disease, including silicosis and lung cancer. NIOSH research identified at least seven sources where RCS aerosols were generated at hydraulic fracturing sites. NIOSH researchers developed an engineering control to address one of the largest sources of RCS aerosol generation, RCS escaping from thief hatches on the top of sand movers. The control, the NIOSH Mini-Baghouse Retrofit Assembly (NMBRA), mounts on the thief hatches. Unlike most commercially-available engineering controls, the NMBRA has no moving parts and requires no power source. This article details the results of an evaluation of generation 3 of the NMBRA at a sand mine in Arkansas from May 19 - 21, 2015. During the evaluation, 168 area air samples were collected at 12 locations on and around a sand mover with and without the NMBRA installed. Analytical results for respirable dust and RCS indicated the use of the NMBRA effectively reduced concentrations of both respirable dust and RCS downwind of the thief hatches. Reductions of airborne respirable dust were estimated at 99+%; reductions in airborne RCS ranged from 98-99%. Analysis of bulk samples of the dust showed the likely presence of freshly fractured quartz, a particularly hazardous form of RCS. Use of an improved filter fabric and a larger area of filter cloth led to substantial improvements in filtration and pressures during these trials, as compared to the generation 2 NMBRA. Planned future design enhancements, including a weather cover, will increase the performance and durability of the NMBRA. Future trials are planned to evaluate the long-term operability of the technology.

There is a high incidence of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers in firefighters that may be related to their occupational exposure to hazardous substances. Exposure may result from contaminated personal protective gear, as well as from direct exposure at fire scenes. This study characterized flame retardant contamination on firefighter personal protective clothing to assess exposure of firefighters to these chemicals. Samples from used and unused firefighter protective clothing, including gloves, hoods and a coat wristlet, were extracted with methylene chloride and analyzed by EPA method 8270D Specific Ion Method (SIM) for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Until recently PBDEs were some of the most common flame retardant chemicals used in the US. Fifteen of the seventeen PBDEs for which analysis was performed were found on at least one clothing swatch. Every clothing sample, including an unused hood and all three layers of an unused glove, held a detectable concentration of at least one PBDE. These findings, along with previous research, suggest that firefighters are exposed to PBDE flame retardants at levels much higher than the general public. PBDEs are found widely dispersed in the environment and still persist in existing domestic materials such as clothing and furnishings. Firefighter exposure to flame retardants therefore merits further study.

Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a significant risk to worker health during well completions operations (which include hydraulic fracturing) at conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction sites. RCS is generated by pneumatic transfer of quartz-containing sand during hydraulic fracturing operations. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers identified concentrations of RCS at hydraulic fracturing sites that exceed 10 times the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and up to 50 times the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL). NIOSH research identified at least seven point sources of dust release at contemporary oil and gas extraction sites where RCS aerosols were generated. NIOSH researchers recommend the use of engineering controls wherever they can be implemented to limit the RCS released. A control developed to address one of the largest sources of RCS aerosol generation is the NIOSH mini-baghouse assembly, mounted on the thief hatches on top of the sand mover. This manuscript details the results of a trial of the NIOSH mini-baghouse at a sand mine in Arkansas, November 18 - 21, 2013. During the trial, area air samples were collected at 12 locations on and around a sand mover with and without the mini-baghouse control installed. Analytical results for respirable dust and RCS indicate the use of the mini-baghouse effectively reduced both respirable dust and RCS downwind of the thief hatches. Reduction of airborne respirable dust ranged from 85% to 98%; reductions in airborne RCS ranged from 79% to 99%. A bulk sample of dust collected by the baghouse assembly showed the likely presence of freshly fractured quartz, a particularly hazardous form of RCS. Planned future design enhancements will increase the performance and durability of the mini-baghouse, including an improved bag clamp mechanism and upgraded filter fabric with a modified air-to-cloth ratio. Future trials are planned to determine additional respirable dust and RCS concentration reductions achieved through these design changes.