Temporary disability

Substances which can cause temporary disabilities or possible permanent injuries following intense or continuous exposure if no prompt medical treatment is undertaken. Included are all substances that require a breathing insulating mask, substances that give off toxic combustion gas. In addition to these are highly irritant combustion substances and those that can release toxic substances, which cannot be identified. 

An incapacitant is a chemical agent, which produces a temporary disabling condition that persists for hours to days after exposure to the agent has occurred (unlike that produced by riot control agents). Medical treatment while not essential may in some cases facilitate more rapid recovery. In the narrower sense the term has come to mean those agents that are ... 

Serious onsite injuries (Temporary disabling worker injuries), n Property damage 1 to 20 times base level. Moderate environmental impact (Cleanup or remediation in less than one week and no lasting impact on food chain, terrestrial life or aquatic life). Loss of production from 1 to 20 times base level. Minor offsite impact (Public nuisance - noise, smoke, odor, traffic). Potential adverse public reaction. 

Onsite fatality or less than 4 permanent disabling worker injuries. Property damage 50 to 200 times base level. Serious environmental impact (Cleanup or remediation requires three to six months and moderate impact on food chain, terrestrial life and/or aquatic life). Loss of production up from 50 to 200 times base level. Significant offsite impact property damage, short term health effects to the public or temporary disabling injuries. Significant public concern or reaction. 

Harassing agents may be defined as chemical substances that are capable when used in field conditions, of rapidly causing a temporary disablement that lasts for little longer than the period of exposure. ... 

BZ. A nonlethal gas that causes temporary disability. It is a derivative of lysergic acid. 

General Remarks BZ, also known as (1) QNB, (2) 3-quinuclidyl benzilate, and (3) benzilic acid, 3-quinuclidinyl ester, is a synthetic glycolic ester. Its medical action is as a competitive muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, that is, an incapacitating agent. Like other such agents, its purpose is to produce temporary disability, not death (Wiener and Nelson, 2004). Indeed, the onset of symptoms may not appear until several hours after exposure. 

Safety professionals should be aware that the basic requirement of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act is to treat a pregnant anployee the same as you would treat any other employee with a temporary disability, ascertaining and accommodating their ability or inability to perform the job. 

Serious on-site injuries (temporary disabling worker injuries)... 

Significant off-site impact property damage, shot-term health effects to the public or temporary disabling injuries... 

Critical Permanent, partial, or temporary disability in excess of 3 months,... 

Major - Evacuation of local populace - Temporary disabling and hospitalisation - Serious toxic effect on beneficial or protected species - Widespread but not persistent damage to land - Significant fish kill over 5 mile range... 

All loss-causation events follow the CECAL pattern, but their progress through the loss-causation sequence is channeled either by Luck Factor 1, Luck Factor 2, or Luck Factor 3. The difference between a fatality, permanent or disabling injury, temporary disabling injury, lost-time injury, and a first aid case is largely a matter of luck. 

But this was even worse. Julia Tieneman, a young and inexperienced operator in Texas City in 1974, was assigned to my unit. Why my foreman, old Henry Zipreian, chose Julia to connect the chlorine bottles to the water slip stream, I can t say. Dear Julia got a whiff of chlorine and went off on temporary disability pay, which I charitably approved. 

Ordinal Consequence categories (e.g. first aid, temporary disability with a few days of absence, temporary disability over an extended period of time, permanent disability, fatality) ILO s consequence categories (temporary incapacity to work, less than one day lost, 1-3 days lost, 4-7 days lost, 8-14 days lost, 15-21 days lost, 22 days-one month lost, one to three months lost, three to six months lost, permanent incapacity to work or more than 183 days lost, fatal injury)... 

In Norway, a series of ex post-accident cost studies have been performed within the chemical, metallurgical and mechanical industries (Sklet and Mostue, 1993). When the market-pricing model was applied, average costs to the company of accidents were about 1000 euro. They were lowest in the chemical industry (800 euro) and highest in the metallurgic industry (1100 euro). Costs increased with the severity of the accident. Costs to the company for permanent disabilities and fatalities varied between 1500 and 10000 euro. Uninsured salary to the injured worker accounted for between 74 per cent and 90 per cent of the total costs for the temporary disabilities. In-plant accident costs were significantly less than 1 per cent of the salary costs. 

When the accounting model was applied, the costs were even lower. For temporary disabilities of up to 10 days of absence, they varied between 10 and 350 euro. For accidents resulting in more than 10 days of absence, the company actually experienced economic benefits of up to 3400 euro. This is because the company could produce at normal level with a reduced work force, while the insurer paid the wage costs for the victim. 

Many optical injuries will be minor in nature, principally small comeal foreign bodies nevertheless it must be remembered that these relatively trivial injuries cause significant temporary disability and if not treated may be associated with permanent scarring and visual deficit. 

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