The Safety and Health Movement Today

United States Consumer Product Safety Commission 

Another governmental organization is the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control of the Department of Health and Human Services, NIOSH is required to publish annually a comprehensive list of all known toxic substances. It will also provide onsite tests of potentially toxic substances so that employees know what they are handling and what precautions to take. 

The safety and health movement has come a long way since the mid-1800s. It took a long time and paradigm shifts by both society and business management before safety and health was recognized as an important facet of every job and that it added to efficiency and profitability. 

Maintaining a safe and healthy workplace is more complex than it has ever been. New materials and new processes have created new problems. About 8,000 new chemical compounds are created each year. Production materials have become increasingly complex and exotic. Engineering materials now include carbon steels, stainless steels, cast irons, tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, powdered metals, plastics, etc. Each of these metals requires its own specialized processes and has its own associated hazards. Nonmetals are more numerous and have also become more complex. Plastics, plastic alloys, and blends, advanced composites, fibrous materials, elastomers, and ceramics also bring their own potential hazards to the workplace. 

In addition to the more complex materials being used in modern industry and the new safety and health concerns associated with them, modem industrial processes are also becoming more complex and the potential hazards associated with them often increase. Here is a partial list of fairly new industrial equipment and processes, which may introduce new safety and health problems into the workplace. 

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