Last data update: Sep 16, 2024. (Total: 47680 publications since 2009)
Records 1-7 (of 7 Records) |
Query Trace: Heidel D [original query] |
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Perspectives on the design of safer nanomaterials and manufacturing processes
Geraci C , Heidel D , Sayes C , Hodson L , Schulte P , Eastlake A , Brenner S . J Nanopart Res 2015 17 (9) 366 A concerted effort is being made to insert Prevention through Design principles into discussions of sustainability, occupational safety and health, and green chemistry related to nanotechnology. Prevention through Design is a set of principles, which includes solutions to design out potential hazards in nanomanufacturing including the design of nanomaterials, and strategies to eliminate exposures and minimize risks that may be related to the manufacturing processes and equipment at various stages of the lifecycle of an engineered nanomaterial. |
Renewable energy and occupational health and safety research directions: a white paper from the Energy Summit, Denver Colorado, April 11-13, 2011
Mulloy KB , Sumner SA , Rose C , Conway GA , Reynolds SJ , Davidson ME , Heidel DS , Layde PM . Am J Ind Med 2013 56 (11) 1359-70 Renewable energy production may offer advantages to human health by way of less pollution and fewer climate-change associated ill-health effects. Limited data suggests that renewable energy will also offer benefits to workers in the form of reduced occupational injury, illness and deaths. However, studies of worker safety and health in the industry are limited. The Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC) Energy Summit held in April 2011 explored issues concerning worker health and safety in the renewable energy industry. The limited information on hazards of working in the renewable energy industry emphasizes the need for further research. Two basic approaches to guiding both prevention and future research should include: (1) applying lessons learned from other fields of occupational safety and health, particularly the extractive energy industry; and (2) utilizing knowledge of occupational hazards of specific materials and processes used in the renewable energy industry. |
Overview of risk management for engineered nanomaterials
Schulte PA , Geraci CL , Hodson LL , Zumwalde RD , Kuempel ED , Murashov V , Martinez KF , Heidel DS . J Phys Conf Ser 2013 429 (1) 012062 Occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is considered a new and challenging occurrence. Preliminary information from laboratory studies indicates that workers exposed to some kinds of ENMs could be at risk of adverse health effects. To protect the nanomaterial workforce, a precautionary risk management approach is warranted and given the newness of ENMs and emergence of nanotechnology, a naturalistic view of risk management is useful. Employers have the primary responsibility for providing a safe and healthy workplace. This is achieved by identifying and managing risks which include recognition of hazards, assessing exposures, characterizing actual risk, and implementing measures to control those risks. Following traditional risk management models for nanomaterials is challenging because of uncertainties about the nature of hazards, issues in exposure assessment, questions about appropriate control methods, and lack of occupational exposure limits (OELs) or nano-specific regulations. In the absence of OELs specific for nanomaterials, a precautionary approach has been recommended in many countries. The precautionary approach entails minimizing exposures by using engineering controls and personal protective equipment (PPE). Generally, risk management utilizes the hierarchy of controls. Ideally, risk management for nanomaterials should be part of an enterprise-wide risk management program or system and this should include both risk control and a medical surveillance program that assesses the frequency of adverse effects among groups of workers exposed to nanomaterials. In some cases, the medical surveillance could include medical screening of individual workers to detect early signs of work-related illnesses. All medical surveillance should be used to assess the effectiveness of risk management; however, medical surveillance should be considered as a second line of defense to ensure that implemented risk management practices are effective. |
Occupational safety and health, green chemistry, and sustainability: a review of areas of convergence
Schulte PA , McKernan LT , Heidel DS , Okun AH , Dotson GS , Lentz TJ , Geraci CL , Heckel PE , Branche CM . Environ Health 2013 12 31 With increasing numbers and quantities of chemicals in commerce and use, scientific attention continues to focus on the environmental and public health consequences of chemical production processes and exposures. Concerns about environmental stewardship have been gaining broader traction through emphases on sustainability and "green chemistry" principles. Occupational safety and health has not been fully promoted as a component of environmental sustainability. However, there is a natural convergence of green chemistry/sustainability and occupational safety and health efforts. Addressing both together can have a synergistic effect. Failure to promote this convergence could lead to increasing worker hazards and lack of support for sustainability efforts. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has made a concerted effort involving multiple stakeholders to anticipate and identify potential hazards associated with sustainable practices and green jobs for workers. Examples of potential hazards are presented in case studies with suggested solutions such as implementing the hierarchy of controls and prevention through design principles in green chemistry and green building practices. Practical considerations and strategies for green chemistry, and environmental stewardship could benefit from the incorporation of occupational safety and health concepts which in turn protect affected workers. |
Risk assessment: closing the exposure gap
Heidel DS , Ripple SD . Synergist (Akron) 2012 23 (4) 22-23 In January 2011, over 107,000 chemicals were manufactured within or imported into the European Union in quantities exceeding 1,000 tons. Chemical manufacturers and importers were required by EU's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation to register these chemicals with the EU. By 2018, REACH registration requirements will be extended to all chemicals manufactured or imported in quantities greater than 1 ton. A similar number of chemcials are likely handled in the United States and can cause adverse health effects if exposures are nto controlled below the associated occupational exposure limit (OEL). |
Making green jobs safe
Schulte PA , Heidel D , Okun A , Branche C . Ind Health 2010 48 (4) 377-379 Can a job be “Green” if it is not safe? Unfortunately, | the current answer is yes. The United Nations | Environment Program defines a green job as work in | agricultural, manufacturing, research and development, | administrative, and service activities that contribute | substantially to preserving or restoring environmental | quality1). The US Bureau of Labor Statistics proposes | to define green jobs as jobs involved in producing | green products and services that increase the use of | energy from renewable sources, increase energy efficiency, or protect, restore, or mitigate damage to the | environment2). From these definitions it is apparent that, | although a green job must preserve environmental quality and/or produce green products and services, green | jobs have no requirement that they be safe for those | individuals performing the jobs (or for that matter, the | consumers using green products and services). |
Prevention through design in health care settings
Heidel DS , Collins JW , Stewart EJ . Synergist (Akron) 2009 20 (10) 27-31 Health care is the second-fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, employing more than 12 million workers. Health-care workers are exposed to infectious agents; chemical agents, including hazardous drugs and anesthetic gases; physical agents, including ionizing radiation; ergonomic hazards associated with lifting and repetitive tasks; and workplace violence. Health-care workers also experience higher rates of occupational injuries and illnesses than workers in all private industry. Recordable and lost-time injury rates for health-care workers in hospitals and nursing and residential care are particularly high. A number of initiatives provide compelling evidence that the health care and social assistance sector presents significant opportunities for injury and illness reduction from PtD (Prevention Through Design). |
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