Role of NIOSH in Establishing Safety and Health Training Criteria and Programs

Introduction

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health focuses mainly on the research function related to causes of illnesses and occupational injuries. In other words, NIOSH works on improving the safety as well as the health of the people through addressing hazards and other deaths that tend to occur in workplaces. In return, develop prevention strategies such as the use of surveillance to assist in monitoring the overall health of the people, thereby establishing a baseline and even trend information that is vital in both the occupational safety as well the health area. NIOSH further ensures that it provides adequate efforts and resources in workplace hazards; thus the information it gets from research be made accessible to all partners in the acts of prevention.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Differences between Asbestos Abatement Training and Asbestos Awareness Training

Asbestos Abatement Training focuses on the selection of techniques that are most appropriate for the safe abatement of the asbestos-containing materials and also for the effective removal of these materials. Furthermore, this training provides trainees with comprehensive information on both asbestos and the asbestos-containing material. It also provides information on health hazards that occur after coming in contact with asbestos, categories of all the planned asbestos work, work safety procedures such as glove bag procedures and all work protection requirements. Asbestos abatement training differs from the asbestos abatement training in the sense that it provides both supervisors and workers with knowledge suitable in identifying asbestos and the asbestos-containing material. The asbestos awareness training further ensures that all workers have adequate knowledge about where to find asbestos and the entire necessary step to take in staying safe. Unlike the asbestos abatement training that focuses on teaching trainees on the asbestos-containing material, the asbestos awareness training purposes on identifying, handling and appropriate safety control measures (Haight, 2012).

Importance of Understanding EPA Training Requirements

The Environmental Protection Agency requirements focus on all the activities in the workplace that are designed to control pollutants and wastes released into the environment from both on-site and off-site. The contaminants include cancer-causing materials, lead abatement and even asbestos. In this case, safety professionals have a role of understanding the EPA training requirements so that they acquire adequate knowledge on how to serve the people following the EPA rules and regulations that preserve, as well as clean up the air and waterways. Additionally, the EPA training requirements will aid the safety staff in responding to emergencies effectively as well as perform their duties basing on what is expected of them by the EPA standards.

Benefits of Following Recommendations Contained in ANSI Z490.1

The ANSI Z490 recommendations were developed with the aim of improving the quality and consistency of an organization's development, evaluation, delivery, and management. In other words, the ANSI Z490 recommendations help organizations in handling training programs mostly related to safety, health, and other environmental issues. Despite the fact that ANSI Z490.1 not containing specific requirements in safety training, it has clearly outlined all the vital processes suitable in developing, administering and implementing safety training programs for all organizations. This means that The ANSI Z490 aims at helping organizations to design and implement safety training at the workplace at a productive pace. In following these recommendations, an organization can protect employees through developing safety training documentation. The organization has a mandate of keeping all the safety and health training record of the workers, an act that is helpful in defense against possible claims of negligence.

Furthermore, by implementing the ANSI Z490 recommendations, an organization is in a better position to provide quality services through workers who completed the training and proved to comply with the relevant industry regulations and standards. To be effective, an organization has to ensure its workers have skills, ability, perspective and knowledge in evaluating and controlling hazards as recommended in the ANSI Z490, thus able to protect not only themselves but others too in the workplace. Arguably, in following the recommendations contained in the ANSI Z490, organization are in a better position to employ strong proactive measures of protecting their employees by providing them with gloves, safety glasses, and even shoes. In this case, these safety devices act as preventive safety solutions for all the workers and employers in general.

The Connection between OSHA and EPA Regarding Hazardous Waste Operations and The Reason As To Why Most Training Requirements Are Listed In The OSHA Standards

Despite the different roles each agency plays in the protection of workers, and minimization of workplace hazards, OSHA and EPA are connected in a way that they both work towards creating safety and health of the people. For instance, in ensuring organization's safety, both OSHA and EPA carry out training as well as an exchange of vital data and information to solve any technical or professional problems that may arise. Both the agencies further identify all matters that are related or concerned with law enforcement and compliance, hence ensuring that the workforce, general public and also the environment are safe. In enforcing issue- referral process in a workplace, both OSHA, and EPA collect and update data to ensure that both managers and workers have enough information and the relevant directive. In summary, EPA coordinating with OSHA in controlling waste hazardous has positively impacted on correcting violations that are evident from the inspections and educating workers in the combustion industry.

In view of OSHA and EPA's follow up on violation as provided by the inspections, the agencies have and continue to adequately provide environmental training for workers to respond to emergencies fully. This because among the violations mostly detected is the failure for facilities to provide enough material vital in hazardous training, failure to update the contingency plans suitable during emergencies and lack of conducting medical surveillance. Additionally, regarding educating of the combustion industry, OSHA and EPA work together to ensure that this industry complies fully with the set regulations. This is through educating the industry officials on the need to follow the agencies' regulations regarding health and safety requirements (Haight, 2012). Despite the connection between OSHA and EPA in controlling hazardous waste operations, most training requirements are listed in the OSHA standards since the agency's primary focus is protecting workers in the workplace and even helping them to handle hazardous wastes more safely and effectively. This focus is different from that of EPA which mainly majors on the need to conserve resources and help victims to recover after a health hazard.

References

Haight, J. M. (Ed.). (2012). Hazard prevention through effective safety and health training. Des Plaines, IL: American Society of Safety Engineers.