The Safety of Recovery Personnel and Rescue Workers - Essay Example

 The Safety of Recovery Personnel and Rescue Workers Prior to actual hands-on recovery procedures, the incident commander who is in-charge of the whole operation must be made to understand that the entire procedure entails the following: 1) worksite analysis, 2) recognition and control of hazards, 3) personal protective equipment (PPE) and 4) air monitoring. As in all kinds of emergency and hazardous situations, the safety of recovery personnel and rescue workers is [paramount and must be given top priority when deciding or planning how to approach a certain catastrophic situation. Industrial hygiene surveys must be accomplished together with provisions for any corrective feedback as needed (SLAC 2009). Such feedbacks must be forwarded and processed by the appropriate supervisors and personnel who are in-charge of monitoring end results (SLAC 2009). A worksite analysis must be done and should be the preliminary step in determining what jobs and work stations are the impending sources of the problems. In the worksite analysis, exposures, problem tasks and risks are evaluated and identified (Herman et al 1998). A valuable worksite analysis is comprised of all the jobs and work activities needed in the whole operation. As an industrial hygienist, I would personally recommend adequate inspection, research and examination on how a certain physical or chemical hazard at the job site can affect the workers’ health before actually letting them enter the work zone; since this is part and parcel of the worksite analysis phase. The result of which will be given appropriate remedial or corrective action (Herman et al 1998). The recognition and control of hazards is relative to the utilization of environmental monitoring and methodical appraisal of hazards in order to detect the range of risks they pose that pertains to the employment of engineering and work practice controls along with other methods to contain any potential hazards, which workers may be exposed to (Herman et al 1998). The appraisal and identification of work hazards including traumas and tensions which are grounds for sickness, impaired health and creates a certain degree of discomfort to workers by way of having contact with chemicals, physical, ergonomic and biological factors is done essentially to recognize said potential conditions and eradicate or manage them through the application of any suitable corrective measures (Herman et al 1998). To decrease the adverse health hazards which employees or workers are exposed to, engineering controls must be modified and put into operation by either reducing or removing said hazard at its original source (Herman et al 1998). Another way is to isolate workers from the identified sources of danger with the application of suitable engineering controls where toxic chemicals are eliminated or replaced with other materials that are less damaging in nature (Herman et al 1998). Additionally, all work processes and operations are either enclosed or confined; and is done together with the installation of general and local ventilation systems (Herman et al 1998). With regards to PPE or personal protective equipment, as an industrial hygienist I will carry on in conducting researches and will consult with various industrial and standard organizations about the proper personal protective equipment or PPE which will be used to do the recovery job at the New Orleans Hospital. Since various forms of personal protective equipment are needed in various circumstances that present different forms of hazards that comes in the form of chemicals, biological and physical causes (American Industrial Hygiene Association, n.d.). Proper consideration must be given to personal protective equipment which will be used against chemicals because these present problems of permeability which calls for durability in the protective clothing. Moreover, the execution and authorization of using protective personal equipment necessitates proper training based on a maintenance program and a set of guidelines to take full advantage of the personal protective equipment’s defense capabilities. These types of programs must be put into practice in the greater division of settings that involves hazardous factors in any given occupational situation (American Industrial Hygiene Association, n.d.). In monitoring and sampling methodologies used to address various carcinogens and contaminants present in the air, there should be a standard respiratory protection within the different rescue and response organizations (American Industrial Hygiene Association, n.d.). Said respiratory protection must adhere to a set of respiratory protection guidelines that can be developed to become an effective and applicable program that will be based on site incidents’ atmospheric characteristics (American Industrial Hygiene Association, n.d.). The program guideline that which should be developed needs to include proper training, fit-tests and fit-checks (American Industrial Hygiene Association, n.d.). In the proper delegation of responsibility and tasks among the different teams who are involved in the work recovery procedure, the best way is to find the right person or people who have the necessary skills and knowledge (All Business, A D&B Company 2009). Objective and deadlines need to be voiced out and clarified. It is needed that the right person or individual whom the task is assigned to knows why they were selected to do the job in the first place. Encouraging every team member to be result oriented will give them the responsibility for all their decisions and actions. And like in many other situations where different personalities converge to do a particular job or tasks, expecting perfection for assigned tasks will mostly result to disappointment and personal conflicts. Therefore, establishing a standard of quality which can be achieved within reasonable time frame knowledge (All Business, A D&B Company 2009) is a more practical way of achieving a common goal while developing skills and strengths. References All Business (A D&B Company). (2009). Learning How to Delegate Responsibility. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-leadership/11490-1.html American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). (n.d.). Industrial Hygienist’s Role and Responsibilities in engineering Preparedness and Response: White Paper. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.aiha.org/documents.governmentaffairs/eprwhitepaper_final.pdf Herman, Alexis M. and Jeffress, Charles N. (1998). OSHA 3143, Informational Booklet on Industrial Hygiene. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3143/OSHA3143.htm#What%20is SLAC. (2009). Industrial Hygiene: Roles and Responsibilities. Retrieved July 30, 2009 from http://www.group.slac.stanford.edu/esh/hazardous_substances/ industrial_ hygiene/r_roles.htm Read More