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Do you think a health hazard exists in your
workplace? Do any of the following stories resemble situations at your
workplace?
- A factory worker was feeling numbness and tingling in her fingers.
She learned that three coworkers had the same problem, and two had headaches
while at work but not over the weekend. Some workers said the air at
work smelled bad. Their supervisor noticed the smell but didn’t
think it was anything to worry about.
 A
manager noticed that employees in one work area had more skin rashes
in the past year than the year before. He wanted to know why, but didn’t
know what to do.
- A work crew was putting cement tiles on a roof. They were working
outside, but the air seemed dusty. The saws used to cut the tiles were
noisy. Someone told them that this work was dangerous and they should
have it checked out.
At no cost to employers or employees, or their representatives, the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program may be able to help with problems like these. This site lets you know about the program and how to ask for NIOSH help. It also has links to reports from thousands of HHEs done by NIOSH.
One New Health Hazard Evaluation Reports Now Available
The HHE Program evaluated hospital employees’ exposure to an enzymatic cleaner and a sterilant used to clean and sterilize endoscopes. Investigators found that air samples did not contain detectable concentrations of acetic acid; concentrations of peracetic acid were thought to be low, but could not be measured. The ventilation in the sterilization room was found to be inadequate. Investigators recommended increased ventilation in the sterilization room and use of appropriate PPE to prevent eye, face, hand, arm, and body contact with concentrated peracetic acid and contaminated equipment. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2006-0298-3090.pdf
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You can download Acrobat Reader from adobe.comLearn More About the HHE Program
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