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Europeans Adapting Coast Guard’s Night Work Program
The Norwegian shipping and health industries are working to adapt for the European shipping industry a fatigue management program for commercial vessels developed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sunnex Biotechnologies is collaborating with the Norwegian Shipping Health Service and Eidesvik Offshore to adapt the fatigue management program for commercial vessels developed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Crew Endurance Management System (CEMS) was developed by the USCG R&D Center using the patented low-intensity GreenLight technology from Sunnex Biotechnologies to realign night shift workers’ body clocks with their sleep and work schedules, thereby improving performance and well-being.

After years of laboratory trials and studies with the GreenLIGHT System on operational
Coast Guard cutters and commercial vessels, U.S. maritime companies are currently implementing CEMS protocols on commercial vessels operating on inland and coastal waterways of the U.S. with support from the USCG and the American Waterways Operators (AWO).

CEMS is a night work adaptation program that utilizes education, nutrition, exercise, modification of sleep environments, scheduling of shifts, as well as light management to combat the health and performance problems inherent in 24/7 operations. Misalignment of night shift workers’ body clocks with their sleep and activity patterns has been shown to be at the root of deterioration in performance and judgment on the night shift.

Misaligned sleep patterns are known to contribute to increased levels of health problems among night workers, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Adjusting the body clock of night shift workers through light management technology can rapidly align the internal body clock of workers with their night work schedule so that they do not continue to work and sleep contrary to their internal day/night cycles. The low intensity GreenLIGHT system is well suited to this purpose because of its adaptability to any work environment, as well as its comfort and safety.

EPA Seeks Public Comment on Lead-Safe Work Practices
The EPA is seeking public comment on proposed work practice standards to reduce exposure to lead hazards in light of two new lead dust studies.

Once the agency reviews the public comments, it will determine if any changes to the proposed rule are warranted.

The studies include one conducted by the EPA, “Characterization of Dust Lead Levels after Renovation, Repair, and Painting Activities,” and a second study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, “Lead-Safe Work Practices Survey Project.”

The EPA study was designed to compare the amount of lead dust remaining after the use of the proposed lead-safe work practices, and after clean-up with typical work practices. The National Association of Home Builders study was intended to assess whether routine renovation activities increase lead dust levels. The EPA study also will be peer reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee this summer.

In support of the Federal government’s goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a major public health concern by 2010, EPA proposed a rule on Jan. 10, 2006, establishing requirements to protect residents of pre-1978 housing units from lead hazards due to renovation, repair, and painting activities. The proposed rule introduces new training and work practice requirements to reduce exposure to lead hazards created by renovation, repair, and painting activities that disturb lead-based paint.
Public comments must be received on or before April 16, 2007. For more information about the two new studies on lead-safe work practices, go to www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm.

ANSI Approves New Construction Safety Standard Focusing On Hoists
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has announced the approval of the new American National Standard Institute (ANSI) A10.22-2007 standard, “Safety Requirements for Rope-Guided and Non-Guided Workers’ Hoists.

The standard recognizes the need for protection of personnel from injury when using rope-guided and non-guided worker’s hoists in construction and demolition operations.

The ANSI A10.22-2007 standard is one of a series of standards that focus on construction and demolition operations. It was approved by ANSI on February 7, 2007.

The standard establishes minimum requirements for temporary personnel hoisting systems used for the transportation of persons to and from working elevations during normal construction and demolition operations, including maintenance, and is restricted to use in special situations such as work in chimneys, chimney linings, silos, towers, stacks, shafts and similar projects; when necessary to hoist or lower a person in a boatswain’s chair or equivalent; and for transportation of materials, but not along with hoisting of personnel.

ASSE serves as the secretariat for the A10 Accredited Standards Committee on construction and demolition operations. The A10 standards serve as a guide to contractors, labor and equipment manufacturers in the construction and demolition industry.

“The A10.22 standard provides important safety requirements for the protection of individuals using rope-guided and non-guided workers’ hoists while working in construction and demolition operation,” said A10 Committee Chairman and ASSE Professional Member Richard King, CSP. “The A10.22 standard is a valuable tool that encourages and supplies employers and workers with practical guidelines for providing a safer workplace.”

The A10.22-2007 standard, Safety Requirements for Rope-Guided and Non-Guided Workers’ Hoists, will be available soon in both print and electronic format. For more information, contact ASSE Customer Service at 847-699-2929 or visit ASSE’s website.

Roadway Fatalities in Focus During NAOSH Week
In support of the annual May 6-12 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH), ASSE has developed and made available a special “Call to Action” TransActions newsletter with information aimed at helping prevent the increasing number of roadway fatalities and injuries that directly impact workers.

Worldwide, roadway crashes and fatalities are at an all time high. Transportation incidents continue to be the number one cause of on-the-job deaths each year in the U.S. The 6,159,000 vehicle crashes in 2005resulted in the deaths of 43,443 people, in¬jured 2.7 million more people and cost the
U.S. $230.6 billion.

The majority of those killed in crashes were drivers, and of those that died, 75 percent were male. According to the U.S. Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), 6,483 motor vehicle operators involved in fatal crashes had previous records for suspensions, revocations, DUI, speeding and harmful moving convictions.

In the special NAOSH Week 2007 TransActions newsletter, ASSE’s Transportation Practice Specialty (TPS) group provides key information on preventing roadway fatalities and injuries. It can be found on the ASSE web site at www.asse.org/naosh07. It also provides statistics and an overview of the problem from a global perspective. ASSE is encouraging its members to distribute it at work, to download it and forward it to family and friends in support of NAOSH Week, a week focused this year on all modes of transportation safety. FSM