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Chapter 22: E. Resources 321
There are at least six primary areas of concern for employee safety and health,
which include the following:
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). MSDS sheets provide employees and
emergency response personnel with documentation of hazardous or potentially
hazardous substances. MSDS sheets must be made available to all employees,
informing them of the types and nature of substances used in the workplace.
Every employee is encouraged to review these MSDS sheets as it may not be obvious
what types of substances are in use. While there are several formats acceptable
for MSDS sheets, all such sheets contain the same basic information as it relates to
physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, and so on), toxicity, health
effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak
procedures (ILPI 2007).
• Personal protective equipment (PPE). These are devices or equipment used to
ensure the safety of employees in the workplace. PPE is required by the United
States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to “. . . reduce employee
exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not
feasible or effective in reducing these exposures to acceptable levels. Employers
are required to determine if PPE should be used to protect their workers”
(OSHA 2008).
PPE may include, but is not limited to, items such a safety glasses, gloves, footwear,
ear plugs/muffs, respirators, or safety helmets. PPE may also include, but is
not limited to, equipment such as air filters, gas detectors, fire alarms, exit signs,
and so on. As with MSDS sheets, employers are required to disclose PPE available
for use.
• Ergonomics. Ergonomics refers to study of the interface between humans
and their work spaces, tools, and equipment. OHSA provides protections pertaining
to ergonomics under CFR Title 29 (guidelines, enforcement, and outreach and
assistance). By application of basic ergonomic principles, many repetitive motion
injuries can be avoided, and hence it is an employee’s responsibility to identify
any discomfort or pain arising from their working conditions. Once an employee
identifies the need for assistance, it is the responsibility of an employer to meet the
spirit of CFR Title 29 in implementing a remedy.
• Hearing conservation. Excessive noise in the workplace can lead to hearing
loss. Noise is measured on the decibel (dB) scale wherein exposure to 85 or more
dB for any extended period of time can lead to hearing loss. The dB scale is not
linear, which means the increase in noise magnitude from say, four dB to five dB is
not the same as the increase from 10 dB to 11 dB. Protection of hearing is provided
by CFR Title 29 under the subject “Hearing Conservation.”
• Confined spaces. A confined space is defined as any enclosure that limits entry
or egress. Confined spaces typically have restricted airflow and tend to trap gases.
In accordance with CFR Title 29, some confined spaces are required to limit entry
by untrained and/or unequipped employees. Make no mistake about it, confined
spaces are dangerous and should be avoided. Where access to a confined space is
required, CFR Title 29 and many local regulations require specific procedures to
be followed in terms of checking for hazardous gases, provision of breatheable air,
Part IV.E.1