Volume 10 Number 10 February 2013
From the Director’s Desk
John Howard, M.D., Director, NIOSH
We often speak of “working under pressure” in a metaphoric sense. For workers employed in digging highway or rail tunnels underground, it can be a literal description. In projects where workers are enclosed in caissons or other protective structures, compressed air is used to increase the atmospheric pressure inside the structure to prevent water seepage or to stabilize the surrounding soil.
Working in high pressure exposes tunnel workers to the risks of decompression sickness, which can take the form of “the bends” and other painful and potentially fatal disorders unless the body properly decompresses in returning to normal outside pressure. Similar risks face deep-sea divers who return too quickly to the surface. The main occupational safety and health tool for preventing decompression sickness is the use of tables that set specific schedules for gradually decreasing pressure at varying time intervals. The first such tables were developed in 1908.
I am indebted to one of NIOSH’s partners, Anita Johnson with Sound Transit Inc., in Seattle, Washington, for raising the issue of tunnel worker safety in a conversation not long ago at the Washington State Governor’s Safety and Health Conference. Large tunneling projects are on the increase worldwide, given the availability of new tunnel boring machine technologies. In Seattle, for example, the expansion of the city’s light rail system involves a tunneling project.
The conversation with Anita prompted NIOSH to do a little digging of its own into the question of whether current decompression tables are sufficiently protective.
Working in high pressure exposes tunnel workers to the risks of decompression sickness, which can take the form of “the bends” and other painful and potentially fatal disorders unless the body properly decompresses in returning to normal outside pressure. Similar risks face deep-sea divers who return too quickly to the surface. The main occupational safety and health tool for preventing decompression sickness is the use of tables that set specific schedules for gradually decreasing pressure at varying time intervals. The first such tables were developed in 1908.
I am indebted to one of NIOSH’s partners, Anita Johnson with Sound Transit Inc., in Seattle, Washington, for raising the issue of tunnel worker safety in a conversation not long ago at the Washington State Governor’s Safety and Health Conference. Large tunneling projects are on the increase worldwide, given the availability of new tunnel boring machine technologies. In Seattle, for example, the expansion of the city’s light rail system involves a tunneling project.
The conversation with Anita prompted NIOSH to do a little digging of its own into the question of whether current decompression tables are sufficiently protective.
Total Worker Health™ In Action Available Now
The quarterly issue of the NIOSH Total Worker Health™ newsletter, TWH™ in Action!, is now available. Hear from our TWH™managers, updates from the NIOSH Centers of Excellence to Promote a Healthier Workforce and more! www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/newsletter/TWHnewsV2N1.html
Updated Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System Resource
NIOSH, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), has posted an updated resource for the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). The enhanced web site provides graphical interfaces to the BLS-redesigned OIICS Code Trees and prior versions, along with downloadable software applications. The web site is a resource for anyone who may need to use the OIICS for characterizing occupational injuries and illnesses or for a better understanding of the national occupational injury and illness data released by BLS and NIOSH.wwwn.cdc.gov/wisards/oiics/
New Funding Opportunity for Development and Demonstration of Mine Safety and Health Technology
The NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research has announced a new funding opportunity. NIOSH considers the following five topics, which are listed in no special order, to be areas of elevated interest: Technology for Detection of Hazardous Conditions, Battery Technology, Technology to Reduce Float Dust, Through-the-Earth Communication, and Rapid Drilling for Mine Rescue. As described in this solicitation, other topics are also appropriate for consideration. Deadline for responses: March 21 at 4:30 PM ET. www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/omshr4u/fundingseekers.html.
NIOSH Congratulates
NIOSH congratulates Ron Hall, industrial hygienist, on passing the Certified Safety Professional Comprehensive Exam. A recipient of the CSP certification is recognized as having met the professional challenge of illustrating competency through education, experience, and examination.
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