OSHA's Plan for Inspections in 2006

OSHA says that its 2006 site-specific targeting plan will focus on approximately 4,250 high-hazard worksites for unannounced comprehensive inspections over the coming year.

This year's program will initially cover about 4,250 individual worksites on the primary list that reported 12 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer for every 100 full-time workers (known as the DART rate).

The primary list will also include sites based on a "Days Away from Work Injury and Illness" (DAFWII) rate of 9 or higher (9 or more cases that involve days away from work per 100 full-time employees). The national incident DART rate in 2004 for private industry was 2.5, while the national incident DAFWII rate was 1.4.

The agency will also randomly select and inspect about 175 workplaces (with 75 or more employees) across the nation that reported low injury and illness rates for the purpose of reviewing the actual degree of compliance with OSHA requirements. These establishments are selected from those industries with above the national incident DART and DAFWII rates.

First Aid and CPR Guideline Changes

Written by Greta Petrilla, Special to RedCross.org

As the country's leader in first aid and CPR education, the American Red Cross is working hard to implement newly released first aid and CPR guidelines into training programs. The new Guidelines for First Aid codeveloped by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association as well as the American Heart Association's CPR Guidelines were released on Nov. 28, 2005.

The training methods in place now for first aid and CPR are not incorrect nor are they harmful, but improved methods based on new scientific evidence will make it easier for the public to learn CPR and other life-saving skills.

"We are enthusiastic about the new ‘simpler is better' approach endorsed by research and scientific experts across the country," says Scott Conner, Vice President of American Red Cross Products and Health and Safety Services. "If learning and remembering these new skills is easier, we feel that the average person will have more confidence to respond to an emergency, and more lives will be saved."

One of the most significant changes in training and education that will result from the new first aid guidelines is the way that people are instructed to control bleeding. The control of bleeding is one of the few actions by which a person can critically influence an outcome in first aid.

The current recommendation for controlling bleeding is a combination of direct pressure, elevation and using pressure points to stop bleeding. The new guidelines recommend that applying direct pressure firmly over the bleeding area until bleeding stops or EMS rescuers arrive is the most effective way to control bleeding. Methods of applying pressure include:

• Using manual pressure on gauze or other cloth placed over the bleeding source; adding more gauze and more pressure if bleeding continues.
• Using an elastic bandage firmly wrapped over gauze to hold it in place with pressure.

"Although the basic changes are fairly straightforward, implementing them into the full portfolio of Red Cross course offerings and products will take some time," says Conner. "Preparations to update over 130,000 Red Cross instructors nationwide are already underway. Using a streamlined approach we'll get this new information to the public as quickly as possible."

The Red Cross will start by implementing changes into their first aid and CPR programs for workplaces and schools in the spring of 2006. Joliet Junior College has implemented these changes into their curriculum and prides itself in coming to your facility to offer this program. Grant funding is available to qualified companies. To arrange a date and time, please call Amy Murphy at (815) 280-1418 or email her at amurphy@jjc.edu.

Herman Trend Alert: More Jobs, More Hiring Challenges

Forecasts suggest the US economy will slide somewhat this year because of higher fuel costs, housing slowdowns, and higher interest rates. These factors will probably "cost" a half percent in consumer spending growth, a significant impact on the economy. Job growth will continue, however. Over the past five years, manufacturers, and distributors have engineered strong productivity growth.

Employers in retail and service industries have improved their situations with technology and online sales and marketing. To meet growing demands for goods and services, employers must hire more qualified workers or risk losing business, profits, and market position.

Estimates project the employment market in the United States to expand by about two million jobs in 2006. Job growth is on-track, creating serious problems for employers. Recruiters are already very busy trying to fill current vacancies. As the labor market tightens with new job growth, their work will become more difficult.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the information technology field alone, between December 2005 and January 2006 alone there was a 16.7 percent increase in the rate job openings. As we continue through the year, this pattern will be seen across occupational lines. Normally during the December to January period we can expect to see about a five percent increase.

While many people today are unemployed or underemployed, employers still face hiring challenges. Unfortunately, too many of the people looking for jobs are not qualified to fill the vacant jobs. A substantial amount of retraining is necessary - a critical need that will be addressed by community colleges, trade schools, and corporate training programs. As workers are trained belatedly, the employment market will experience a classic case of "too little, too late".

If workers were more aware of market conditions, they would enroll in education and training courses to build their qualifications for current and emerging job openings. Some workers will be unable to benefit from these courses because they cannot afford them or because they lack the academic strength to learn the course material. Corporations will avoid investing in employee training until they are forced...by the lack of trained people.

Copyright 1998-2006 by The Herman Group of Companies, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction for publication is allowed by permission of The Herman Group, Inc., and must include the following attribution: "From ‘The Herman Trend Alert,' by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists.

Maybe a Mid-Morning Coffee Break is a Good Idea

While we always need to be focused on safety, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, studied the times of day when workplace fatalaties occur and discovered that one industry reported the highest number of fatal incidents during the late morning hours. Perhaps a second cup of coffee is needed between 10 am and noon.

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