Several hazardous materials – specifically, how they are handled in the workplace and how to control employee exposure to them – will fall under more intense scrutiny.  Crystalline silica, which is essentially the dust produced by a wide variety of different industrial, manufacturing and construction operations will be subject to a new rulemaking that will change current exposure limits.  It will also institute additional regulations concerning worker protections from exposure to the dust.  OSHA hopes to make their intentions known with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to be issued in July, 2010.

Two other substances will also be dealt with in the spring and fall of that same year.  In March, the metal beryllium will be the focus of a peer review its health effects and overall risk with regards to permissible exposure limits and worker protections.  The dust or fumes emitted by this metal can in some cases result in an immune disease that eventually brings forth a host of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms that may take as long as 30 years post-exposure to develop.  Then, in October diacetyl will take its turn undergoing the same analysis.  A food additive most commonly found in butter-flavored microwave popcorn, there have been several concerns regarding its possible respiratory impact on workers when inhaled over a long period of time.  Specifically, OSHA will examine a disease called bronchiolitis obliterans linked to the chemical.

Combustible dust, which has grabbed headlines over the past few years due to several spectacular and fatal explosions at a number of facilities in the United States, is set to gain its own standard from the Administration.  The process is already well underway, and the goal is for OSHA to gather what regulations they currently have on the books related to combustible dust hazards and combine them with additional research and information in order to complete a general standard and prevent future tragedies.  Crane and derrick safety will also see similarly sweeping standards changes in the summer of 2010 when a new final rule is issued.  In an industry where almost 100 lives are lost each year in workplace accidents, OSHA is working quickly to update safety regulations which were first implemented in 1971 and rarely altered since.

The final component of the Fall 2009 agenda addresses infectious diseases which have an airborne vector, otherwise known as the H1N1 initiative.  OSHA is looking to expand the epidemic response guidelines that were heavily publicized in August and September of 2009 through a Request for Information that will focus on how healthcare workers can better protect themselves from not just influenza but all other types of illness which can be easily transmitted through the air.  The formal Request will take place in March of next year, and it is hoped that the effort will be able to head off an increasingly large number of reported sick workers on the front lines of American’s healthcare industry.

Most likely spurred on by the fact that flu season has arrived in earnest across the country, OSHA first drew attention to its H1N1 web site that became available earlier in November.  The site, which can be found by clicking here is divided into two distinct sections.  The first is oriented towards providing workers with guidance on how to best protect themselves from becoming infected while performing their jobs, while the second is meant as a reference for employers dealing with the need to not only keep their workers safe from possible flu contagion, but also the requirement to come up with contingency plans for dealing with the possibility of major business disruptions as the result of a serious pandemic.

The OSHA site is further broken down into information targeted towards healthcare workers and that which is meant for all other types of professions.  Healthcare workers, particularly those on the front lines in emergency rooms or who work as first responders face an increased risk of developing an H1N1 infection thanks to their vastly larger exposure to those who are already ill.

To follow up its information campaign, OSHA has also put together an H1N1 compliance directive that is meant to enforce the adequate protection of those employed in a healthcare capacity.  The directive itself is quite comprehensive, and has been modeled after similar guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control.  OSHA has chosen to define any workers who find themselves within 6 feet of confirmed or merely suspected swine flu patients as “high risk”, while those who actually find themselves exposed to coughing patients or those who must perform invasive procedures on the infected have been labeled “very high risk.”

At its core, the directive is meant to provide a means for OSHA to provide inspections of healthcare facilities in order to determine whether workers are being adequately protected from H1N1.  Acceptable forms of protection include disposable and reusable respirators that have been properly fitted, as well as demonstrable controls to limit the exposure of employees to possible swine flu patients.  OSHA also encourages aggressive vaccination policies in order to better safeguard all of those reacting to the potential pandemic.  Inspectors will themselves be instructed to navigate all medical facilities in the least intrusive manner possible so as not to interrupt or negatively impact the quality of care being provided to those who have been admitted.

Not all facilities have the ability to outfit their entire staff with respirators on short notice, and OSHA is fully cognizant of the fact that certain protective items might be in short supply in certain areas.  In cases where OSHA has judged that employers have acted in good faith and made an attempt to procure respiratory protection, no disciplinary action will be taken.

The forum, which is named “Workplace Preparedness: How Small Businesses Can Prepare for H1N1 Influenza,” is scheduled to take place on the 30^th of September at the Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building auditorium.  There will be a number of different topics covered by the panelists, which include OSHA and local health department members, as well as representatives from private industry.

Of particular focus will be strategies on how risk managers can prevent or slow the transmission of H1N1 in the workplace itself.  There are a number of different steps that can be taken in order to reduce the vectors that an infectious agent can use to work its way through a group of workers.  The first line of defense for most companies is the reliance on proper hygiene, which can include the of hand and surface wipes such as Dupont RelyOn biosecurity equipment.  This antiseptic material is also available in a hand spray bottle, which is useful for distributing amongst employees who move through many different worksites throughout the day, and could potentially be encountering a number of different germ and bacteria situations while performing their tasks.  Those on the front lines of customer and client interaction may also benefit from Safe2Breather Pandemic Masks, which are designed to reduce the chances of transmitting the flu virus through coughing or other airborne methods.

The OSHA forum will also explore methods for properly evaluating the work environment in order to determine the most likely areas where exposure could occur, as well as how risk managers can communicate to employees the dangers posed by H1N1.  Behavioral changes can play as important a role as the use of pandemic-related hygiene equipment when it comes to lowering the chances that a flu could infiltrate an office or facility.  The option of modifying business practices so as to encourage safe habits during a pandemic situation is an important component of a manager’s arsenal, and should be discussed before the fact with decision makers.

The final item on the forum’s agenda relates to the challenges posed by a severe pandemic.  Panelists will discuss how companies can cope with supply chain interruption as well as the client and customer issues that can present themselves when a population either chooses or is forced to remain at home due to sickness.  The potential for high absenteeism during a pandemic will also be examined, with experts providing their opinions on how best to plan for and cope with the possibility that only a small percentage of the work force may be healthy enough to work over an extended period.

The very idea of a global pandemic is enough to cause universal concern – not just amongst risk managers at corporations worried about losing a large percentage of their workforce for a potentially extended period of time, but also amongst the general population, including employees and their families.  In fact, a sizable aspect of risk management at all levels of pandemic preparation includes dealing with panic and misinformation.  Recent scares such as H1N1 flu have thrown this reality into a harsh light, especially as the media continues to amplify coverage regarding a possible resurgence in flu cases.

Those responsible for defining the risk management policies dealing with an organization’s pandemic preparations can go a long way towards reassuring their employees of their safety by taking every possible step towards protecting their health.  Creating a work environment where everyone involved feels like they are the focus of a concerted effort to limit the effects of a possible pandemic is the responsibility of any manager dedicated to mitigating the disruption that such an event could possibly entail.

In recognition of this fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have put together a series of recommendations as to how to best protect employees from possible infection during the course of a pandemic.  There are many levels to OSHA’s guidelines, but for the most part they can be divided into three main areas.

The first has to do with changes that are made to the workplace itself in order to lessen the chances that a harmful agent could be introduced or spread throughout a facility¹.  This includes analyzing the physical environment and identifying vectors along which a sickness could potentially spread, as well as determining which employees might face the highest risk of exposure. Next, encouraging administrators to alter the behavior of employees through policies that encourage healthy decisions to be made when interacting with both clients and other workers is recommended¹. Everything from travel itineraries and habits to attitudes regarding absenteeism must be examined. Finally, changes that can be made at the level of everyday routines with regards to hygiene and personal protective clothing and other equipment are also deemed to be helpful . This can include the provision by the company of disposable hygiene equipment and bacterial control products such as hand sanitizers.

This three-tiered approach is meant to be part of an over-arching pandemic response policy that takes into account and integrates with the details of everyday operations and overall business flow.  The documentation and guidelines issued by OSHA offer an important starting point for risk managers looking to adopt meaningful changes to their disaster response strategies with an eye towards effectively dealing with a serious and growing employee health and safety concern.

Risk managers should be aware that many of the traditional attitudes of the typical American work force can actually increase the likelihood of a pandemic spreading throughout the population.  Although these behaviors are ingrained in our society, it is up to managers to communicate to their employees that in the event of a pandemic threat, certain changes and allowances will be made that contradict “business as usual” from an HR perspective.

A key policy that must be implemented deals with absenteeism and how it is treated by management.  The single most effective way to prevent the transmission of a flu agent is to avoid exposure in the first place.  Unfortunately, Americans have become accustomed to working through colds, the flu and other ailments that are typically considered minor, coming into work and interacting with co-workers and clients despite their discomfort.  Within the context of a pandemic, this can spell disaster, especially if the flu in question is highly transmissible.  It is important to impress upon employees that the most helpful action on their part is to stay at home should they feel even the least bit under the weather.  Make sure that they do not feel as though they are being judged for being “too cautious” or “weak.”  Even in a competitive corporate culture, allowances must be made for sick workers in order to protect the health of those around them. Risk managers should also prepare HR to deal with questions concerning pay and potentially child day care.

Continuing the theme of lowered exposure to possible contagion, the internal affairs of a business should also change during a pandemic alert. In-person meetings, where many employees are gathered in a single space should be either postponed or handled electronically through web, telephone or video conferencing. In fact, it is wise to enact a policy whereby as much communication as possible is accomplished electronically, limiting the amount of face-to-face contact within a facility’s walls.  Taken to the extreme, this can include a temporary telecommuting requirement amongst as many workers as can accomplish their tasks without having to come in to the work place at all.

Logistics during a pandemic can pose a number of concerns and headaches for risk managers.  For some businesses, it can be difficult to avoid the acceptance of packages and other supplies from outside sources.  Employees required to handle mail or other externally sourced items during a pandemic alert should be provided with face masks and gloves in order to protect them from exposure.  In terms of travel, any trips to areas where a pandemic has taken root should be cancelled unless they are considered absolutely essential.  Furthermore, if at all possible workers should be discouraged from taking public transportation.  If they are not capable of driving themselves, the possibility of a shuttle service that can transport employees to and from work should be explored.

Above all, risk managers should identify and maintain a resource for providing accurate and factual information regarding the pandemic itself, so as to prevent the dissemination of potentially harmful misinformation³.  This can be in the form of a physical or electronic bulletin board, or even access to a qualified health professional capable of answering employee questions.