Media interviews with the water
taxi operators demonstrated that they were aware of the situation
and responded swiftly and appropriately. The Red Cross also was
aware of the crisis within minutes and had supplies ready and people
available to help.
Conditions can change quickly in the day-to-day
work. Be aware and be ready to respond if the unexpected happens.
The airline industry is rife with
mandatory rules. One of the tenets of commercial flight safety is
that all checklists will be followed. Passengers are required to
follow the directions of the flight crew, including reviewing
passenger information in the seatbacks prior to take-off. (How many
of us really do that?)
Think about the rules and
regulations associated with your industry and the safe work
practices for your job. If you have questions about how to apply the
rules or practices, let your supervisor know. Above all, take time
to review checklists and to conduct pre-job briefings.
5. Continually learn everything
you can about safety.
It’s essential that you continue
to take opportunities to learn everything you can about doing your
job. Many sources exist for information. For instance FAA.gov
contains information about accidents and incidents.
This is a source that many pilots
refer to as part of their ongoing development.
Likewise, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration has information at OSHA.gov that can help
you learn more about how to do your work safe. Specific information
may be available in other industry sources.
Take the time to learn from
incidents in your workplace and your industry.
When you see a written near-miss
or accident investigation report, take time to study it and learn
what you can apply to your own job. And, help others learn by
turning in meaningful reports of incidents you are involved in.
We will all learn more about how
this miracle on the Hudson occurred in the weeks and months to come.
Take time to consider what you can apply to your own work from the
lessons learned.
The words of NTSB (National
Transportation Safety Board) spokesperson Kitty Higgins sum it all
up: “These people knew what they were supposed to do and they did it
and as a result, nobody lost their life.”
That’s the best lesson. Follow
the five tips presented here and you’ll be ready to be a safety hero
if and when the time comes.
Carl Potter,
CSP,
CMC, CSP, is the author of the newly released book “I Am Safe –
Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing.”
Deb Potter,
PhD, CMC is a researcher and the author of “Simply Seamless Safety.”
For more information about their programs and products, see
www.potterandassociates.com.
AIHA Wants Congress
to Support
GAO Study of NIOSH
The
American Industrial Hygiene Association is asking Congress to
request a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of the pros
and cons of whether the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health should remain within the organizational structure of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AIHA made the request in letters
sent to the chairman and ranking minority leaders of the Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Subcommittee
on Employment and Workplace Safety; the House Committee on Education
and Labor; and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections suggested
that the time is right for an in-depth look at the Institute.
AIHA suggests that NIOSH might
remain within the Dept. of Health and Human Services but be moved to
the National Institutes of Health, which is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting research that leads the way in
improving people’s health and saving lives. Disease prevention
research within NIH is of the utmost importance to the millions of
workers at risk in this country.
“While AIHA believes moving NIOSH
to NIH has merit, we are not sure anyone has thoroughly looked at
what impact a possible move could, or would, have on occupational
health and safety,” said AIHA President Lindsay E. Booher, CIH, CSP.
“Because of the ongoing changes that have taken place within NIOSH
and CDC the past several years and the future challenges they may
face, a GAO study is really needed.”
In 2004, CDC announced it was
planning to reorganize CDC’s programs into four “coordinating
centers” as part of the Agency’s Futures Initiative. Under the plan,
NIOSH would have been placed under one of these “centers.” As a
result of tremendous opposition, Congress recommended that CDC
“maintain the status quo with respect to the direct reporting
relationship of the NIOSH director to the CDC director” and that
“CDC make no changes to NIOSH’s current operating procedures and
organizational structure.”
Again, in 2009, the NIOSH budget
is facing a crisis. NIOSH research funding remains flat and an
ever-increasing part of the budget flows back to CDC for
administrative costs. In addition, NIOSH is without a permanent
director, as Dr. John Howard was not reappointed to another term
last July. AIHA says, many are not aware that NIOSH is the only
federal agency responsible for conducting research and making
recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and
illness.
According to Aaron Trippler, AIHA
director Government Affairs, “with a new administration, this is the
perfect time to take a serious look at this question. There are
undoubtedly other stakeholders who feel NIOSH is being shortchanged,
so why not direct the GAO to talk to those who benefit from NIOSH to
see what they think.”
The full text of the AIHA letter
is available at
www.aiha.org under “Government Affairs.” For further information
regarding AIHA government affairs, contact Aaron Trippler at (703)
846-0730 or
atrippler@aiha.org.
