Occupational safety measuring performance

Some tests can show whether you have been exposed to 2-butoxyethanol or 2-butoxyethanol acetate. 2-Butoxyethanol (from 2-butoxyethanol or 2-butoxyethanol acetate exposure) can be measured in blood and urine. In the body, both are converted to products called metabolites, such as 2-butoxyacetic acid. Certain metabolites of 2-butoxyethanol (2-butoxyacetic acid and others) can be measured in the urine. These tests will not necessarily be able to tell how much you have been exposed to. These tests need to be done within a day after exposure because 2-butoxyethanol and its metabolites leave your body within 24-48 hours. Certain blood tests can determine if your red blood cells are damaged, but this effect is not specific for 2-butoxyethanol. Some of these tests may be available at your doctor s office, or your doctor can send blood or urine samples to laboratories that specialize in performing these tests. If workers are exposed to concentrations of 5 ppm or above, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends that the level of 2-butoxyacetic acid in the urine be measured. For more information on tests for 2-butoxyethanol exposure, see Chapters 2 and 6. 

Material safety data sheets (MSDS) must be accessible to employees in their work areas by federal law and are frequently useful for determining the most likely agent(s) responsible for inducing respiratory disease (Bernstein, JA, 1992). Industrial hygienists, who routinely perform air sampling measurements in the workplace in compliance with established standards (e.g. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)), are often helpful in providing information about exposure levels of specific agents (Bernstein, JA, 1992). 

The directive imposes several obligations on employers, which have to be observed when young people are working under a working contract. As with all other directives in the field of occupational safety, the employer has to perform a risk assessment and then implement the measures necessary to provide protection against a variety of risks. Of course, the risk assessment has to be done before work is started and has to be adjusted in case of major changes of the working conditions. 

This chapter responds to a renewed interest in having measurement systems that are universally applicable, effectively assess occupational safety performance, and communicate well in terms that managements understand. Several safety measurement systems are discussed. A relatively new emphasis in safety performance measurement—leading indicators—is discussed. 

In the second edition of this book, I wrote that a renewed interest had developed in having measurement systems that effectively assess occupational safety performance, measurements that are universally applicable. Preferably, those measures would not only be historical but also predictive and serve as a base from which to prioritize future safety efforts. A significant goal was to have those measures communicate well in terms that managements understand. This renewed interest in performance measures arose out of the increased desire of some environmental, safety, and health professionals to move the profession forward by being able to establish more definitively the value of their work in relation to organizational goals. 

A study, conducted under actual conditions of use in the workplace, that measures the protection provided by a properly selected, fit-tested, and functioning respirator, when the respirator is worn correctly and used as part of a comprehensive respirator program that is in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134. Measurements of Co and Ci are obtained only while the respirator is being worn during performance of normal work tasks (i.e., samples are not collected when the respirator is not being worn). As the degree of protection afforded by the respirator increases, the WPF increases. 

There are numerous safety metrics available to safety and health professionals that can be used as performance indicators. These metrics include those established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Energy, and private industry. These resources provide the safety professional with methodologies to measure safety performance and serve as benchmark indicators. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration s VPP Program criteria can be used to establish safety performance measures for the workplace. The requirements are activity-based, which means they are easily applied to a monitoring and assessment program. The safety metrics could consist of monitoring and recording whether the activities have been conducted. 

Shaw, A. and Blewett, V (1995). Measuring Performance in OHS Positive Performance Indicators. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety -Aust. NZ, 11(4), 353-58. 

Lagging indicators are metrics used to measure past occupational safety and health performance. The results can be used to identify negative safety and health trends and identify corrective action necessary to prevent future work related injuries and illnesses. 

In order to be measure safety performance a consistent set of terms and reporting standards is required. In the area of occupational safety, considerable standardization has already been achieved through the use of measures such as the number of first aid cases or recordable injmies. Although different organizations will apply these terms slightly differently from one another, there is sufficient consensus to allow for their use across broad swathes of industry. These data are referred to as lagging or trailing indicators. 

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