Environmental Health and Safety Update

Health care has obviously become a hot topic this year and continue to be one for years to come, but one thing that everyone can agree upon is the importance of privacy in terms of one’s health care. Nobody wants their private information being accessed by those you haven’t given approval. Without HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, private health care information could be distributed to unwanted parties. If the thought of that doesn’t make you feel a little violated I don’t know what does.

So what is the big deal about HIPAA? Well, everyone knows the dangers of getting your identity stolen. I mean it is a constant threat and businesses have been created just to protect people from being victims of this type of crime. HIPAA actual helps protect you from this sort of problem. Besides protecting you from cybercriminals, it also keeps your personal information safe from groups that may harass you for medical decisions you have made or from being discriminated against in the workplace.

HIPAA is a complicated policy that needs to be administered through proper training. This training is usually done through the Human Resources department in businesses, but where do these trainers learn how to properly share this information with employees? Here is a great online HIPAA overview that has interactive test questions throughout the course to make sure employees understand HIPAA.

This HIPAA Overview Training  course will teaches viewers to:

• Recall the history and purpose of HIPAA
• Identify the definition of HIPAA
• Identify the five rules created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as required by HIPAA
• Identify the different company statuses and responsibilities under HIPAA
• Identify the HIPAA responsibilities of the human resources officer

For most people, thoughts of lasers go to the cool special effects of hollywood blockbusters. Honestly, how many little boys wanted to be Luke Skywalker fighting with his light saber? More than I could possibly count. But on a serious point, lasers are used in many different ways in the real world. Medical procedures, manufacturing and mechanical production are just a few. When you think about the fact that tumors are being removed and people are getting 20/20 vision all because of a laser is pretty incredible. But if a laser can do all of that, the potential dangers in the event of a mistake should get your attention. Lasers are used more and more and learning proper laser safety training is a must for any business to avoid accidents. Knowing this, SafetySkills Laser Safety course, http://safetyskills.com/laser-safety-training, is the best way for any employer and employee to stay safe on the job using this type of technology.

This course teaches learners the basic principles of laser operations and three essential laser components, how to identify major types of lasers, beam-related and non-beam-related hazards associated with laser operation and the controls used to eliminate or minimize laser related hazards. It also allows grown adults to shoot lasers at UFOs during the competency sections of the course, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

It is easy to say that diversity awareness is a hot topic for 2009 and employers should take this October, Diversity Awareness Month, as an opportunity to share this with employees. With the appointment of Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and the recent Crowley/Gates controversy, the entire nation has become aware of how important it is to understand each others’ differences. No place needs to be knowledgeable of this more than the workplace. SafetySkills™ Diversity in the Workplace course provides employers and employees with an education on the advantages of diversity and how to respect each others’ difference to create a positive work environment.

“Diversity is extremely important to any business,” Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com. “Getting as many different perspectives as possible can only benefit your company. Understanding various markets by employing individuals who fits that demographic really helps you realize what makes them tick.”

Besides the professional benefits diversity can lead to, having the proper training on the matter can help avoid misunderstandings and potentially offensive situations that could have been otherwise prevented.

“I believe very few people intentionally say something discriminatory towards another person, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful to the injured party. Sometimes co-workers need to be taught how to work together. This is not only good for your staff, but also for your business’ protection,” said Greene.

To learn more about diversity in the workplace, visit safetyskills.com/diversity-in-the-workplace.

According to a poll done by Harvard, only 4 out of 10 adults are definitely getting the H1N1 virus vaccine when it becomes available this year. This number rises slightly, 6 out of 10, when asked if they would get the vaccination in the event that their community members were sick or dying from the virus.

Some might find these results shocking, but when the 1976  national influenza campaign gone wrong is put in perspective it makes complete sense. This campaign ended with blood on the hands of the government. The disease never spread as expected and 500 of those who were vaccinated developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, resulting in the 25 deaths. Knowing this and the effects that have been linked to countless other vaccinations, it’s only natural that people, especially parents, would be concerned about vaccinating themselves and their children.

But with all that said, there is still a great risk being expressed by experts about the dangers of swine flu. It is still expected to become a major problem and everyone should decide how they want to handle the situation. For those who would like the vaccination, contact your medical professional about the vaccine and when it will be available to you. For those who choose not to be vaccinated, be extremely aware of the other prevention methods you can take to avoid getting swine flu.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year because it gives everyone an excuse to dress up, act like a kid and my favorite part – I don’t have to cook! That being said it is also a very dangerous holiday. I mean, one of the goals is to get scared, but not to get hurt. Luckily there are some things that parents and childcare professionals can do to help train children to have a safe Halloween.

1. Do candy checks
2. Wear costumes that are easy to see and move in
3. Know pedestrian safety
4. Only adults should cut jack-o-lanterns
5. Beware of stranger danger
6. Only trick-or-treat in well-lit and safe neighborhoods or trick-or-treat venues
7. Create an route for trick-or-treating and stick to it in case of an emergency
8. Children under 10 should probably NOT trick-or-treat without adult supervision
9. Bring a flashlight
10. Make a specific route for your child to trick-or-treat on if doing so alone. Set a curfew and if your child is late you know where exactly to look.