Editor's note: The ranks of safety and health consultants have exploded in recent years. Patricia Carlisle, CIH, who has been certified in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene since 1990 and has been a private consultant for about 20 years, discussed competition, networking, and other consulting challenges in an April 21, 2005, conversation with Occupational Health & Safety's editor.
YOU wouldn't think Ed Smolinski has much in common with Sherlock Holmes. But upon closer examination, you would realize the president of Allied Environmental Corp. does bear a similarity to the famous fictional sleuth.
If you've visited an amusement park or outdoor fair in recent years, you've likely encountered with relief the misting stations that are something like the distant cousins of these fogging systems. Heat is by far the number one source of illness and injury at theme parks, largely because visitors often aren't acclimated to the extreme temperatures or aware until it's too late how vulnerable their bodies are to the conditions.
So just how hazardous is mold, and what are the real risks to a facility and its occupants? Here's what we know: Mold is naturally occurring fungi that can thrive wherever moisture is present, especially in combination with poor ventilation and humidity above 60 percent.
WHILE you might not realize it, the chemical chlorine (Cl2) and its compounds are part of almost everyone's daily life. The water you drink, the food you eat, the medicine you take, the clothing you clean, the pool you swim in, the car you drive, and thousands of other products are sanitized or manufactured with chlorine.
EXPOSURE to bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) is an occupational hazard for many workers, including, among others, health care workers, law enforcement officers, fire service personnel, funeral service employees, body piercers, day care workers, environmental service workers, and wastewater workers.
WHEN an employee is injured on the job, the incident usually triggers a predictable series of events. First and foremost is getting the employee appropriate treatment for the injury.
IN the late 1990s, mold became an enormously popular topic because of a dramatic increase in the amount of media coverage and a resulting increase in the awareness by some of the potential health effects fungi may cause.
OSHA regulations for the use of chemical cartridges require the establishment of change schedules based on objective information. One of the most commonly used mathematical models for estimating the service life of organic vapor (OV) cartridges was developed by Wood.
INDOOR air pollution has been present since man moved into enclosed shelters. The earliest dwellings, from caves to lean-tos, undoubtedly held some amount of pollutants, especially once fire was domesticated.
VOLATILE organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds characterized by their tendency to evaporate easily at room temperature.
COMPUTER simulation is helping to protect astronauts on board the International Space Station from carbon dioxide buildup when the crew quarters ventilation system is out of service.
MOLD problems and reports of suspected mold-related illness and injury are quickly becoming a health issue for many safety professionals. When excessive moisture accumulates indoors, mold growth often occurs, bringing with it health complaints ranging from asthma to severe allergic reactions.
TODAY there are a variety of sensors used to detect flammable gases. There are also many different flammable conditions, each requiring a specific type of sensor to be accurately measured.
INDUSTRIAL hygiene gas surveys play a key role in helping industrial hygienists evaluate and determine whether workers are being exposed to hazardous conditions within their workplace environment. Portable gas monitoring instruments can be a valuable tool used in these surveys to provide data that is vital to the success of the mission.
WHAT is your company's agenda when an employee cuts himself while handling a knife (or any other incident that induces bleeding)? What happens if an employee contracts Hepatitis B (HBV) or the HIV virus while rendering first aid or CPR to a critically injured employee?
THE attack on the World Trade Center and the anthrax scare have forced the government and private industry to increase safety and security precautions. The anthrax scare, in particular, has prompted greater safety controls in the mailroom.
DURING the past 45 years, the metalworking production capacity of the United States has increased dramatically because of innovative changes in equipment technology. Machining, tools, and measuring instrumentation deliver lower tolerances that create finer lines of acceptance or rejection between profit and waste.
THROUGHOUT industry, from chemical and petrochemical processing to wastewater utilities and pulp and paper mills, workplaces have the potential to be exposed to toxic gases, combustible gases and vapors, and oxygen deficiency.
DEVELOPING and implementing a comprehensive industrial hygiene strategy can be daunting even under the best circumstances. Ensuring proper characterization, prioritizing actions, performing monitoring, and interpreting the results requires process knowledge, technical skills, sufficient personnel, and of course, money.