With falls the leading cause of injury and deaths for people 65 and over, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the “Safety of Seniors Act” (S. 845) to combat this growing and disturbing trend.

“We applaud the House and the leadership of Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ralph Hall (R-TX) for the passage of Safety of Seniors Act,” said Leo Carey, vice-president of Government Affairs for the National Safety Council.

“This action is a strong signal that Congress not only recognizes that falls among older Americans is a growing public health concern but that Congress is committed to addressing this problem.”

The Senate passed the Safety of Seniors Act last August. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), calls for a public education campaign, research, and demonstration projects to “expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder falls.”

The mortality rate from falls for older Americans has grown 39 percent between 1999 and 2005. Each year one in three Americans 65 and older falls and nearly 16,000 die from complications due to a fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, 1.8 million older Americans were treated in emergency rooms and 433,000 were hospitalized for falls.

“With the nation’s more than 79 million baby boomers headed into their senior years this is a problem that will only continue to escalate,” Carey continued.

“It’s also an underreported health problem that is already having a major impact on our nation’s health care system.”

In 2000, medical treatment for falls among people over the age of 65 cost our nation more than $19 billion. That number is projected to increase to $43.8 billion by 2020.

“With this legislation Congress has taken an important step in finding a way to deal with the growing crisis of falls,” said Carey. “We hope the White House recognizes the devastating impact of falls on our elderly and signs this bill into law.”

The NSC began its commitment to secure a Congressional bill for the prevention of older adult falls in 2002. In later years it joined with the Falls Free Coalition to build momentum behind this effort.

In addition to NSC, this campaign brought together the National Council on Aging, the Home Safety Council, AARP, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association.

Magid Glove & Safety Manufacturing Co. LLC, has received ISO 9001:2000 recertification for quality management at its Chicago-based corporate headquarters, distribution, manufacturing, R&D and customer service facilities.

The audit was conducted by Quality Systems Registrar, Inc., an accredited provider of ISO certification testing and assessment services.

“Customers demand that the PPE provider they trust to keep their employees safe in the workplace meets or exceeds the highest standards of quality management in the world,” said Adam Cohen, executive vice-president of Magid Glove & Safety.

“Magid’s pursuit of continuous improvement in everything we do and the resulting achievement of ISO 9001:2000 recertification reaffirms to our customers our unwavering commitment to their satisfaction.”

This is the second ISO 9001:2000 recertification earned by Magid Glove & Safety, making for ten years the manufacturer and distributor has adhered to the internationally recognized quality management principles and practices set forth by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Magid’s ISO 9001-2000 re-certification (Registration Number QSR-550) covers design, manufacture, import, and distribution of work gloves, protective clothing and safety equipment.

Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Magid Glove & Safety is a manufacturer, importer, distributor and direct supplier of hand protection, personal protective equipment (PPE) and industrial hygiene products.

A partner in safety to thousands of companies since 1946, Magid offers its own signature Magid branded products as well as products from such top-quality brands as Aearo, Ansell, Best, 3M, Uvex, MSA and many more.

J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. honored Dan Ryan, Vice President of Environmental Health, Safety and Security at Veolia Water North America, as its 2007 KellerOnline Safety Professional of the Year (SPOTY).

Held at the J. J. Keller headquarters on March 20, the annual SPOTY Award, initiated in 2002, is sponsored by KellerOnline, a safety management tool on the web. The award program recognizes three individuals each year for their accomplishments in the safety industry, and winners are chosen from a field of more than 100 applicants.

Ryan received first place for creating a safety culture that is unsurpassed in the water and wastewater industry. Veolia Water North America posted their best employee safety statistics for a calendar year in 2006, and in 2007 had an even better year with a recordable incidence rate of 3.8 and a lost time incidence rate of 0.9 compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average for private-industry water, wastewater and other systems of 5.2 and 1.6 respectively, proving that their outstanding results were due to a true culture change.

Ryan said that the arrival of President and CEO Joseph Burgess in 2005 brought a renewed focus on safety, and his leadership has been a critical aspect of the organization’s success. “He not only knew the impact safety could have on our organization, but he was passionate about it,” Ryan said. “He did more than talk about safety; he made people accountable for working safely.”

“Although we have an Environmental Health, Safety and Security staff of 14, we truly believe that we have 2,700 employees with a full-time responsibility for safety and compliance,” he said. “It is because of our employees’ awareness and dedication to safety that we have been able to be so successful in our efforts.”

Ryan received a $2,500 cash award during the special ceremony, along with a plaque, a certificate and one year’s use of KellerOnline for himself and his coworkers.

Chris Seider, Environmental Health and Safety Manager of Burger Boat Co., was awarded second place at the KellerOnline SPOTY ceremony. He was recognized for helping his organization, a manufacturer of custom motor yachts ranging in size from 100 to 200 feet, overcome staggering incidence rates to be well below the industry averages. Six years ago, the company’s incidence rate peaked at a staggering 37.7.

At the end of 2007 the company had successfully lowered their incidence rate to 7.5, well below the industry average of 12.1. Becoming a company where safety was a priority did not come easy for the Burger Boat Company, as it required a culture-changing focus. “There are reasons some companies succeed at safety; it’s their ability to change the culture that exists,” Seider said. “It’s the combination of a positive culture and various tools that make safety work.

Our new culture has employees pushing each other, holding one another accountable for unsafe acts and congratulating the safe acts.”

For his efforts, Seider received a $500 cash award, a plaque, a certificate  and a one-year subscription to KellerOnline.

Mike Martin, safety director for S&S Transport, Inc., was awarded third place. He received a $50 cash award, a plaque, a certificate and a one-year subscription to KellerOnline.

The Health & Safety Institute (HSI), the new parent company of Medic First Aid International and the American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI), has named Craig S. Aman, former national manager of training and implementation for Philips Medical Systems, vice president of sales.

In his new position, Aman will lead and expand the sales department and use his considerable experience and expertise to fine-tune products and services to better meet customer needs.

“Because he has worked in many of the same positions and businesses as the clients we serve, we couldn’t ask for a more perfect choice as our new VP of sales,” said Bill Clendenen, HSI’s CEO.

“Craig has essentially been preparing for this position his entire career.”

Indeed, Aman’s deep understanding of customer needs stems from being on the other side of the industry for the last 25 years as a Seattle Firefighter and Paramedic; owner of his own training business; a Master Instructor Trainer; and National Manager of Training and Implementation for a leading medical device company. During that period, Aman also helped develop the National Guidelines for First Aid Training in Occupational Settings, and the company relied on his expertise when developing or refining programs.

Industrial Scientific Corp., a manufacturer of gas detection equipment, has announced that its corporate mission statement has been enlarged with a broader scope and vision.

In the first significant re-write since 1985, the new mission reads as follows:

Our Mission: Preserving human life on, above and below the earth; delivering highest quality, best customer service…every transaction, every time.

“Our people have always been fully authorized and empowered to do everything possible to achieve Our Mission,” said Chairman and CEO, Kent McElhattan. “It’s our only reason for being. Now we are increasing the stakes to include everything possible to eliminate death on the job. It’s a noble challenge and our people are ready to tackle it. To achieve the kind of success we’re looking for will require innovation and determination.”