OREGON HEALTH AND SAFETY

RESOURCEMarch, April, May (2002)

Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Division Department of Consumer & Business Services

Hearing conservation for at-risk workers ................. 2

Administrator’s Message .......................................... 3

SHARP: a natural steppingstone to VPP................... 4

STEP up to SHARP: Oregon employersreceive SHARP recognition ...................................... 5

A shocking experience that could save your life ....... 6

Profiles ..................................................................... 7

The OR-OSHA Resource Center andAudiovisual Library ................................................... 9

Safety and Health for all workers in Oregon ........... 10

Newest safety summitserves Central Oregon builders .............................. 11

What’s inside . . .

See “De Luca,” page 12

See “WTC,” page 8

Peter De Luca electedto lead State PlanAssociation

Peter De Luca, administrator of the Oregon Occupa-tional Safety and Health Division (OR-OSHA) waselected chairperson of the Occupational Safety andHealth State Plan Association (OSHSPA) in October2001.

OSHSPA is an association of member states thatadminister occupational safety and health plans that havebeen approved by federal OSHA. Currently 25 states,Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands administer federallyapproved occupational safety and health plans.

As chairperson, De Luca functions as the principalexecutive officer of the Association and presides at allmeetings of the directors and of the membership.Additionally, De Luca represents the member states onfederal OSHA’s executive board, comprising the assis-

OR-OSHA Sends Relief To New YorkBy Brian Hauck, OR-OSHA Industrial Hygienist

Since last Sept. 11, fire fighters, policemen,construction workers, and other supportworkers have labored around the clock torescue and/or recover the remains of victimsfrom the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter in New York City. OSHA has played akey role in the support of this effort and hasworked alongside the recovery workers.

Oregon OSHA volunteered to send reinforcementworkers to New York, and in January, Russ Reasonerand I, both industrial hygienists from the Portland fieldoffice of OR-OSHA, went to New York to work on theOSHA air-sampling team.

We found a World Trade Center District that was nowa pit, 16 acres wide and 78 feet deep - a pit full of

twisted metal beams, rebar, and mud. Seven buildings,including the twin towers, were demolished, and build-ings for blocks around had major damage. The scene wasdescribed by most as “organized chaos.”

Ironworker cutting metal with a torch

“... the rest of the best.” – see Page 4

T W O

Hearing conservationfor at-risk workers

By Tomás Schwabe, OR-OSHA Training Specialist

OR-OSHA funds an innovative hearing-conservationtraining program!

OR-OSHA is funding “Hearing Conservation for At-Risk Workers” because this hearing-conservationtraining program is different from existing programs inthat it reaches workers who have already lost some oftheir hearing.

Brenda Pittman, certified industrial hygienist andsafety professional with the Oregon Department ofTransportation, brought forth the vision, leadership, andcommitment to workers’ safety and health to create thisprogram.

“Hearing Conservation for At-Risk Workers” is avail-able at no cost to Oregon employees and employersthrough the OR-OSHA Resource Center. It recognizesthat workers in the Pacific Northwest’s expanding indus-trial base come from high-noise working backgroundsincluding construction, timber, transportation, and mili-tary service.

The number of employees hired with preexisting hear-ing loss is increasing, and the number of workers whosuffer further hearing loss while employed in noise-haz-ardous jobs is increasing.

“Hearing Conservation for At-Risk Workers” dispelsmyths and provides accurate and clear information. Thetraining materials target mid-career construction andtrades workers who have mild to moderate hearing lossand are trying to manage their exposure to prevent fur-ther hearing loss. Noise-exposure-control strategies,earplug selection, and hearing aid use in noise hazardousareas are some of the topics presented.

Nervous about teaching hearing conservation? Thistraining program was written for the non-teaching pro-fessional and leads you through the training process. Itincludes a 15-minute video, PowerPoint presentation,and associated exercises and course materials.

Pittman has 15 years’ experience as an industrial hy-gienist and safety specialist in manufacturing, military,and government. She co-manages a hearing-conservationprogram for more than 1,500 employees. Her educationalbackground includes a bachelor’s degree from ColoradoState in environmental health and a master’s degree fromOregon State in health and safety administration.

Pittman’s work experience with the U.S. Navy in-cluded noise surveys on some of the loudest equipmentin the world: jets, big guns, sonar, and ships. Out of thehundreds of noise surveys she conducted, the strangestnoise Pittman ever measured was background noise in asound-proof room at the Naval Postgraduate School,where, she said, “You could measure the sound of yourheartbeat.”

To borrow “Hearing Conservation for At-Risk Work-ers” from OR-OSHA, call (800) 922-2689 (toll-free) andrequest program #405. You may download the trainingmaterials from ODOT’s Web site and purchase the videofor a nominal cost. Order forms, the PowerPoint presen-tation, and course activities and curricula are available atwww.odot.state.or.us/centralsafety.

The OR-OSHA Training and Education Grant Pro-gram, which funded Pittman’s project, was establishedmore than 10 years ago through a project jointly spon-sored by the AFL-CIO and Associated OregonIndustries. It funds dynamic, innovative, and creativeprograms by nonprofit organizations to help reducework-related injuries and illnesses.

For more information about the OR-OSHATraining and Education Grant Program, or to obtainan application, please visit the OR-OSHA Web site:www.orosha.org. ■

Brenda Pittman, above, says her favorite sound isfalling rain. “Hearing loss can really screw up theability to hear rain.”

T H R E E

Administrator’s Message

RESOURCEThe Oregon Health and Safety Resource is publishedquarterly by the Oregon Occupational Safety and HealthDivision, Department of Consumer & Business Services.

Information requests should be directed to: (503) 378-3272 (V/TTY)

or (800) 922-2689

Department of Consumer & Business ServicesMary Neidig, Director

Oregon OSHAPeter De Luca, Administrator

Design and illustrationsPatricia Young

Technical editingDian Cox

DCBS Communications

D

Reprinting, excerptingor plagiarizing anypart of this publicationis fine with us. Pleasesend us a copy ofyour publication.

Peter De Luca

Safety: It’s a way of life.Cardiovascular health is something over which we all

have a great measure of control. You choose what youeat and when you eat it. You choose how you exerciseand when you do it. You choose whether or not you getregular physical examinations from a physician.

Many people who think they make safe work choicesare making very unsafe personal choices. While not allheart attacks can be avoided, many can - and those thatoccur would be less severe if the victims took better careof their own cardiovascular health.

We all know what needs to be done: Shed a fewpounds. Start a walking program. Get up off that couchand put your body in motion. Reduce your stress andcholesterol levels.

It isn’t hard. It starts at home. Heart attacks and trafficaccidents comprise the bulk of workplace fatalities. Bytaking care of ourselves at home as well as we do atwork, we may just end up living longer and not becom-ing another workplace statistic. Safety really is a way oflife. ■

How many times havewe heard this slogan?How many times havewe stopped to considerits meaning? Probablynot often enough.

One of the things welook for as we inspect,consult, or evaluate asafety program iswhether the workplacehas a safety culture.Where there is a safety

culture, safety is a way of life. In a safety culture, all as-pects of the workplace are evaluated, not just the obviousones. But where does a company begin to develop asafety culture?

In a good safety culture, safety happens with manage-ment commitment and employee involvement. In otherwords, a good safety culture is both top down and bot-tom up. Part of the equation is individual responsibility.

Having said all this, we started off the year 2002 withwhat seemed like ten fatal heart attacks in the workplace.So what does this have to do with safety culture? Lots.Even when we head to jobs in workplaces with a safetyculture, if we have routinely neglected our “hearthealth,” we have overlooked our responsibility to main-tain our own safety culture.

F O U R

SHARP: a natural steppingstone to VPPIn Oregon, VPP is the best of the best, and SHARP is the rest of the best

• Employees agree to participate inthe program and work with man-agement to ensure a safe andhealthful workplace.

• Oregon OSHA provides resourcesto help improve workplace safetyand health on a continuing basis.

SHARPOregon OSHA’s Safety and Health

Achievement Recognition Program isa recognition program developed toprovide a road map and an incentivefor Oregon employers and employeesto work together to find and correcthazards, develop and implement ef-fective safety-and-health programs,continuously improve, and becomeself-sufficient in managing occupa-tional safety and health.

SHARP is a program of OregonOSHA’s Consultation and ServicesSection. The goal of SHARP is torecognize employers that haveachieved an exemplary level of occu-pational-safety-and-healthmanagement, to reduce injuries andillnesses, and to provide a means forshowing other employers that occupa-tional safety and health can work -for everyone.

There are a couple of things all Or-egon employers should know aboutSHARP: It isn’t SHARP certificatesor inspection exemptions that makeSHARP special. What makes SHARPspecial is that Oregon employers canform partnerships with OregonOSHA consultants to make lastingimprovements to their systems formanaging safety and health. It’s those

lasting improvements that make theprogram special. They are why somany SHARP employers tell us thatthey’re glad they went through theprocess.

The second thing that makesSHARP special is that it causes em-ployers and employees to acceptnothing less than continuous im-provement – and once they attain that“mind-set” of constantly striving forcontinuous improvement, there islittle they cannot accomplish.

The journeyThe journey to SHARP status

comes about through a process inwhich Oregon OSHA consultationstaff conduct an initial assessment ofa company interested in participating,to let the company know how well itis managing safety and health and toidentify its strengths and weaknesses.Once that happens, the company canfocus its energy where it is mostneeded. The company develops an ac-tion plan and begins working towardits goal. Oregon OSHA consultationstaff return, as needed, to provide as-sistance and guidance. When thecompany is ready, a consultant con-ducts a final assessment, and, if thecompany qualifies, recommends it forSHARP approval. SHARP approvallasts one year. In order to re-qualify,SHARP companies are expected towork toward continuous improvementof their safety-and-health-manage-ment systems.

The journey to VPP can be some-what arduous and lonely if a companyhas not been through a program orprocess such as SHARP. Companiesthat achieve VPP status in the UnitedStates are among the best safety-and-health performers in the world. Thatstatus is something that companiesachieve largely on their own, withlittle assistance from OSHA. Instead,

VPPVoluntary Protection Programs are

cooperative compliance programs ini-tiated by OSHA in 1982 to encouragecompanies to exceed minimumOSHA safety requirements. VPPsemphasize the importance of excel-lence in occupational-safety-and-health programs. Oregon OSHAadopted VPP in 1996.

The VPP concept recognizes thatenforcement of safety regulationsalone can never fully achieve the ob-jectives of the Occupational Safetyand Health Act.

VPP is not “just another program”–it’s a “process” that helps partici-pants accomplish work more safely.VPP serves as a “road-map,” leadingparticipants through four key areasnecessary to effective safety-and-health programs:• Management/leadership/employee

involvement• Worksite analysis• Hazard prevention and control• Safety and health training

VPP companies integrate theseelements into their safety-and-healthmanagement systems. VPP is a part-nership in which management, labor,and Oregon OSHA work togetherwith a company that has imple-mented a strong safety-and-healthprogram:• Management agrees to operate a

program that meets establishedcriteria.

Although SHARP and VPP areseparate programs, SHARP partici-pation can lead companies moresmoothly to VPP status.

See “SHARP,” page 5

By Mark Hurliman, VPP/SHARP Coordinator, OR-OSHA Central

assistance comes from companies thathave already achieved VPP status andfrom members of the Voluntary Pro-tection Program ParticipantsAssociation.

The journey to VPP status is lessarduous for SHARP participants. If acompany has achieved SHARP status,it will have a written safety-and-health-management program that iseffective and that involves employ-ees. It serves as a foundation for aVPP-quality safety program, andfine-tuning is all that is necessary.

Feedback from participants inOregon’s SHARP and VPP programshas been positive. It’s rewarding forall parties involved to see safetytaken seriously and accidents hap-pening less often.

Jim Schwindt, plant manager ofGeorgia-Pacific’s sawmill and planerin Philomath, said, “The great thingabout the Oregon OSHA program isthat we were given an opportunity toimprove. The SHARP consultantsworked with us on training and docu-mentation. Then we came together fora final inspection and they checkedeverything.

“What has amazed me most is thateveryone has been willing to take onextra tasks in order to implement thechanges necessary. This is an amaz-ing workforce! Not only did workersdo what it took to enter SHARP, theyalso set records for production andprofit.

We feel a lot more comfortableabout our VPP application havinggone through the Oregon SHARPprogram,” concluded Schwindt. “Itwas a good experience.”

Scott Pedersen, safety and environ-mental coordinator at Philomath, said,“SHARP matches consultants withbusinesses to analyze and correctsafety hazards and develop a programfor safety recognition. Their (the con-sultants’) goal is to make youself-sufficient in these areas by help-ing you develop an action plan to useat your facility.”

Sandra Owen of Georgia-Pacific’ssawmill and planer in Coos Bay hadthis to say about using SHARP to getto VPP: “With the SHARP programas our first step, we are now using theVPP process as a tool to raise oursafety standards and to become an in-

dustry leader in safety. These twoprograms have been the foundationfor this process. The safety documen-tation provides solid, consistentsafety programs. But it has been theemployee involvement that has be-come the vital tool. It is rewarding toobserve the employees’ interest, par-ticipation, and input. The safetyprogram belongs to the employeesand the VPP process further enablesemployees to have ownership andpride in their safety program.”

“VPP is so much about employeeinvolvement,” said Bill Goodman,Georgia-Pacific’s Coos Bay plantmanager. “And that’s what we’veworked so hard to improve. SHARPhas helped us a great deal in our questfor VPP.

“We are working to strengthen ourprograms and increase employee in-volvement as we transition to thenational program. It’s great to see allof the employees at the Coos Bay op-eration thinking more and more abouttheir safety. Our primary goal is to beinjury-free, and acceptance into theseprograms helps us reach that goal.” ■

“SHARP,” from page 4

F I V E

Members of the safety committee at Portland GeneralElectric's Coal-Fired Power Plant in Boardman , proudlydisplay the SHARP award from OR-OSHA. Pictured from leftare Richard Wicks, Lyle Bliss, Sherri Stogner, Kim Petersen,Dave Knight (committee chairman), Ron Heiple, andBoardman's safety coordinator, Bob Conner.

Members of Portland General Electric's Coyote SpringsPlant safety committee proudly display the SHARP award.Pictured from left are David Sparks (OR-OSHA), Dan Turley,Vice President Steve Quennoz, plant manager Mark Bell,Don Vandeventer, Larry Hull, and CEO and president,Peggy Fowler.

STEP up to SHARPSTEP up to SHARPSTEP up to SHARPSTEP up to SHARPOregon employers receive SHARP recogintion

See “Shocking,” page 8

A shocking experience that could save your lifeA shocking experience that could save your lifeBy Ellis Brasch, OR-OSHA Management Analyst

At this moment, you’re probably not thinkingabout your heart. You can be thankful for aspecialized group of cells high in its upper

right side that keep it beating with a steady stream ofelectrical impulses. However, each year in this country,for an estimated 225,000 people, those electrical im-pulses suddenly become chaotic because of disease ortrauma, such as electric shock, allergic reaction, or drugoverdose.

This abnormal rhythm, called ventricular fibrillation,can cause the heart to stop beating; without immediatetreatment, fewer than five percent of victims survive.The most effective treatment is an electric shock deliv-ered through the chest wall directly to the heart by adevice called a defibrillator.

Until recently, defibrillators were used primarily inhospitals and on some ambulances. This made it difficultto help victims in public places or on the job. But nowdefibrillators are portable, more affordable, and easy tooperate. About the only thing that hasn’t improved is thename: automatic external defibrillators – or AEDs.

AEDs: How they workToday’s AEDs are battery powered and about the size

of a thick hardcover book. A microprocessor inside theunit analyzes thevictim’s heartrhythm and ad-vises the user if ashock is neces-sary. The unitwill not deliver ashock if it sensesthat one is notnecessary. Theshock is deliv-ered through twomonitoring padsthat are placed ona victim’s chest.Most AEDs guidethe operatorthrough the stepsnecessary to de-liver a shock with visible or audible prompts.

Administered within three minutes of an attack, theelectric shock can restore the normal rhythm to thevictim’s heart and can increase survival rates dramati-

cally – from less than five percent if nothing is done tonearly 75 percent. (By comparison, cardio-pulmonaryresuscitation, or CPR, administered immediately, in-creases survival rates by about 30 percent.)

Training advisedMost AEDs are safe and easy to use; but users need to

know more than just how to operate them. For example,untrained users may not recognize cardiac-arrest emer-gencies or they may not know how to use an AED safely,endangering themselves and others. AED users must alsoknow how to attach the device’s monitoring pads, whomto contact for additional emergency support, and how todo CPR.

Where to get AED trainingThe Red Cross offers AED and CPR training as well

first-aid training. The American Heart Association offersCPR and AED training through their community trainingcenters. Contact your local Red Cross or American HeartAssociation office for more information. Many fire de-partments, hospitals, and ambulance services also offertraining. Check your Yellow Pages under “First Aid In-struction” for other providers.

Purchasing an AEDShould you purchase an AED for your workplace?

Consider the following factors:• Unit cost – AEDs cost between $3,000 and

$4,500 each.• Physician oversight – Current Food and Drug

Administration rules require those who purchasean AED to present a physician’s prescription forthe device.

• Response time – An AED is most effective whenyou can ensure a response time of three minutesor less from collapse of a victim to the start oftreatment with a trained rescuer.

• Work-related risks – Risk factors associated withheart disease and cardiac arrest include the fol-lowing: shift work; strenuous and stressful jobs;older workers; extremely hot or cold environ-ments; tasks with exposure to electrical hazards;and tasks with exposure to hazardous substancessuch as carbon monoxide, carbon disulfide,halogenated hydrocarbons, lead, and arsenic.

S I X

An AED unit is roughly the size of aportable computer. The AED unit aboveis shown next to a videocassette.

March 2002

O R E G O N O S H A

2001 Report to

Oregon OSHA’s mission:“To advance and improve

workplace safety and healthfor all workers in Oregon.”

CONSUMER BUSINESS SERVICES

DEPARTMENT OFDSCB

D

Oregon OccupationalSafety & Health Division

IntroductionWelcome to the

third OR-OSHA Reportto Stakeholders, devel-oped by OR-OSHA tocommunicate to cus-tomers the activitiesundertaken to promotesafety and health forall Oregon workers.

Last year, we indi-cated that this reportwould be a freestand-ing report on alternat-ing years, however,to reduce costs, OR-OSHA has decided toprovide it in Resourceon an annual basis.

What is OR-OSHA?

The federal Occupational Safetyand Health Act of 1970 (OSHA)

became an official part of nationallabor law effective April 28, 1971. Itspurpose is to ensure, so far as pos-sible, that every working man andwoman in the nation has safe andhealthful working conditions and topreserve our human resources.

Oregon passed its own occupa-tional safety and health legislation in1973 — the Oregon Safe EmploymentAct (OSEA) — and now operatesunder a state plan agreement withfederal OSHA.

Oregon OSHA’s mission is “toadvance and improve workplace safetyand health for all workers in Oregon.”Oregon OSHA strives to accomplish itsmission by administering the OSEActthrough:

• Its comprehensive Enforce-ment Program, ensuring thatOregon’s occupational safetyand health rules are carried outin the workplace

• Its Consultative ServicesProgram, offering no-cost,onsite safety and health evalua-tions by trained safety andhealth professionals

• Its Standards and TechnicalSection, providing technicalassistance to employers andworkers, and amending andadopting Oregon’s occupationalsafety and health rules

• Its Public Education andConference Section, reachingemployers and safety profession-als through conferences,seminars, workshops, and ruleforums.

Peter De LucaOR-OSHA Administrator

Oregon OSHA endeavors to makeevery contact with the public alearning experience.

Oregon OSHA’sStrategic Plan

Oregon OSHA is dedicated tosafety and health in the workplaceand to helping employers andemployees develop and implementcomprehensive safety and healthprograms.

To better serve the employers andemployees of the state of Oregon,OR-OSHA has developed a plan.The plan contains three goals OR-OSHA hopes to achieve over a five-year period. The following is a briefdescription of the goals and high-lights of accomplishments madetoward the achievement of thosegoals during federal fiscal year 2001(FY 2001), which ran from October 1,2000 to September 30, 2001.

GOAL 1

Change the workplace culturein Oregon to increase employerand worker awareness of,commitment to, and involve-ment with safety and health.With this goal, Oregon OSHA is

focused on helping Oregon busi-nesses become self-sufficient inmanaging their safety and healthprograms.Accomplishments

Oregon OSHA continued toprovide safety-and-health-programassistance to employers in an effortto increase employer self-sufficiency.A major element of this goal is to

2

GOAL 2

Improve workplace safety andhealth for all workers, as evi-denced by fewer hazards,reduced exposures, and fewerinjuries, illnesses, and fatalities.OR-OSHA resources are being

directed toward high-hazard indus-tries. Targeted industries identifiedthrough analysis of claims datainclude agriculture, construction,lumber and wood products, food andkindred products, and health care.Accomplishments

In the area of safety hazards, OR-OSHA continued to emphasize fall

hazards with all Oregon employers.The Enforcement Section conductedfall-emphasis-program inspections ina focused effort to reduce hazards toemployees. Consultants increased fallhazard awareness by discussinghazards with employers during allconsultations. The Training Sectionfocused its efforts by conducting 36workshops and six conferencesessions on fall hazards.

OR-OSHA also continued tofocus on the health hazards of silica,lead in construction, and noise. The

Enforcement Section beganconducting inspectionsunder a local-emphasisprogram on noise imple-mented early in the fiscalyear. Fourteen training

sessions and three conferencesessions were held on noise hazards.A stakeholder group was instrumen-tal in the creation of a guide foremployers on noise hazards. Theguide is currently available throughthe OR-OSHA Resource Center.

It was an interesting year in theergonomics arena. Despite whathappened with ergonomics on thefederal level, Oregon OSHA main-tained a focus on educating employ-ers about ergonomics in the work-place, with a special emphasis on thehealth care industry. An ergonomicspublication designed for the healthcare industry was distributed to morethan 2,200 employers during FY2001. This publication is availablethrough the OR-OSHA ResourceCenter or on the OR-OSHA Website. Educational offerings on ergo-nomic topics remained popularthroughout the year, with 152training sessions and 15 conferencesessions delivered.

OR-OSHA continued to empha-size timely customer service in FY2001. Response times increased in allareas, and, for imminent-dangercomplaints, achieved a 100-percenttimely response rate.

While it is central to the missionof OR-OSHA to eliminate allworkplace fatalities, outreach effortswere concentrated in the high-hazardconstruction and logging industriesduring FY 2001. Outreach in theseindustries focused on educating

increase consultations, whichinclude safety-and-health-programassessments. This occurred duringFY 2001 in 24 percent of compre-hensive consultations, up from17 percent the previous year.Oregon employers continue to scorebetter on the assessments. In FY2001, 214 employers scored 50 orbetter, representing a 50 percentincrease over FY 2000.

Another facet of improvingemployer self-sufficiency is imple-menting and maintaining effectivesafety committees in Oregonworkplaces. OR-OSHA has stan-dardized its approach to safetycommittees: All OR-OSHAemployees who come into contactwith employers have been trainedto promote safety committees andprovide accurate, consistent infor-mation about theirimplementation.Ninety-five percent ofemployers respondingto a consultationsurvey indicated thecontact improved theeffectiveness of their safety commit-tee.

Oregon’s two safety-recognitionprograms, the Voluntary Protec-tion Program (VPP) and theSafety and Health AchievementRecognition Program (SHARP),continue to see increased participa-tion from Oregon employers.Oregon currently has four VPPsites: Kerr-McGee; Georgia PacificCorp. West, Toledo; Georgia PacificCorp., Philomath; and Frito-Lay,Beaverton. Interestin the SHARPprogram continuedto be strong, with atotal of 69 SHARP-certified companiesas of September 30,2001.

Oregon OSHA places a strongemphasis on workforce education.The Public Education and Confer-ence Section is devoted to assistingemployers in the implementation ofeffective safety and health manage-ment programs. Emphasis hasrecently been on helping employersbecome self-sufficient in their own

training programs. Toward this goal,a certificate program is being devel-oped for employers who want toincrease their skills in trainingemployees.

Along with educating thosealready in the workforce, OregonOSHA is also focused on youngworker education, which targetsyoung people and those just enteringthe workforce. The goal is to createan awareness of occupational safetyand health and to develop goodsafety habits early in workers’ careers.Toward this goal, OR-OSHAdeveloped a Web site foryoung workers, partici-pated in student programsat conferences, andprovided outreach to

local schools and educationalorganizations.

Oregon OSHA has a strongcommitment to creatingpartnerships with customers

and stakeholders. Partnershipactivities during FY 2001 resultedin the successful presentation ofthree major safety and health

conferences. Another partnershipwith representatives from industry,labor, and government — known asthe Joint Emphasis Program orJEP — continues to provide outreachand education to the constructionindustry through training. This year,JEP began work on training modulesfocused on health hazards in theconstruction industry. The trainingis expected to be completed in earlyFY 2002.

3

employers and employees about theleading causes of fatalities. Theseefforts included meetings withconstruction organizations to pro-mote fall protection; development ofConstruction Depot, a quarterlynewsletter for the constructionindustry; and articles in OR-OSHA’sResource newsletter related tofatality reduction.

GOAL 3Continuously strengthen publicconfidence through excellencein the development and deliv-ery of OR-OSHA programs.OR-OSHA continues to place

emphasis on increasing publicconfidence by providing high-qualityprograms and services delivered by aprofessional staff committed toworker safety and health.Accomplishments

Employee competency is key toproviding professional, high-qualityservices. To maintain a high-qualityworkforce, OR-OSHA established aperformance-management systembased on a set of competenciesidentified for each job category.Individual employee development isgeared toward achieving and main-taining those competencies.

During FY 2002, an organizationalclimate survey was developed andimplemented late in the fiscal year tomeasure employee satisfaction on avariety of levels. In keeping with theorganizational move toward elec-tronic government, the survey wasavailable to employees on OR-OSHA’s internal Web site. Employ-ees were able to respond to surveyquestions anonymously. Surveyresults will be analyzed during FY2002, and strategies will be devel-oped to address significant issues.

External customer surveys fromConsultation, Public Education andConferences, Compliance, Appeals,and the Resource Center continuedto reflect satisfaction ratings between90 percent and 99 percent during FY2001. OR-OSHA is committed toproviding quality customer serviceand is interested in the feedback ofits customers.

OR-OSHA staff believe collabo-ration with customers and stakehold-ers on rule and policy-makingactivities is the best way to achievesuccess. Twelve stakeholder groupswere involved with OR-OSHA rulemaking and policy adoption activi-ties during FY 2001. In addition toforming stakeholder committees toprovide input on specific rules andpolicies, OR-OSHA meets regularlywith various industry groups todiscuss current issues.

Highlights andstatistics

OR-OSHA offers a widevariety of safety and healthservices to employers andemployees to help ensure safeworkplaces for all Oregonworkers.

The EnforcementSection, made up of 52safety compliance officersand 28 health complianceofficers, conducted 5,523inspections during FY2001. Inspection schedul-ing underwent a shift inFY 2001 with theimplementation ofHouse Bill 2830, passedby the Oregon Legisla-ture during the 1999session. This legislationdirectedOR-OSHA to identify“high hazard” employers andadvise them that they havea higher potential forinspection. Employers wereidentified by two factors:injury and illness ratesgreater than Oregon’saverage rate, and injuryand illness rates abovethe average within theirStandard IndustrialClassification.

The goal of the legisla-tion was to create a goodbalance between focusing resourceson the places of employment be-lieved to be the most unsafe andensuring safety and health in allworkplaces. Following passage of thelaw, OR-OSHA partnered with

stakeholders to revise schedulingrules. FY 2001 inspection data will beanalyzed during FY 2002 to deter-mine the impact of these changes.Upon completion of this analysis,OR-OSHA will work with stake-holders to determine if additionalchanges are needed to fulfill theintent of the legislation.

The Consultative Services Sectionis made up of 21 safety consultants,11 health consultants, and fourergonomic consultants. A total of2,707 consultations in the areas ofsafety, industrial hygiene, ergonom-ics, safety and health programmanagement, and new business

assistance were conductedduring FY 2001. Sixty-sixpercent of these consultationswere comprehensive andincluded an evaluation of theemployer’s safety-and-healthprogram.

The Public EducationSection provides trainingon a variety of safety and

health topics throughconferences, workshops, and

on-line courses. One of themore popular sessions now

offered is “Safety and the SmallBusiness Employer,” which isdesigned to assist small businessowners in implementing asafety-and-health program.The program is offered as twoone-hour “brown bag” lunchsessions. Attendees receiveindustry-specific materials

and 10 abbreviated trainingmodules for use in their business.Contact OR-OSHA or visit thewebsite for more information.

The Oregon OSHA ResourceCenter provides video trainingprograms to Oregon employersand employees at no cost. TheResource Centeralso containscurrent books, topical files,technical periodicals, and

more than 200 databases.OR-OSHA’s Standards and

Technical Resource Section servescustomers by providing interpreta-tions of rules and standards. Techni-cal staff work with numerous stake-holder groups to review, revise, andcreate safety and health rules. This

Safety Committees

for the

Real World

4440-3342 (3/02) (OSHA/COM)

(All phones are voice and TTY)Salem Central Office350 Winter St. NE, Rm. 430Salem, OR 97301-3882Phone: (503) 378-3272Toll-free: (800) 922-2689Fax: (503) 947-7461Spanish-language phone:1 (800) 843-8086Web site: www.orosha.org

Portland1750 NW Naito Parkway,Ste. 112Portland, OR 97209-2533(503) 229-5910Consultation: (503) 229-6193

Salem1225 Ferry St. SE, U110Salem, OR 97301-4282(503) 378-3274Consultation: (503) 373-7819

Eugene1140 Willagillespie, Ste. 42Eugene, OR 97401-2101(541) 686-7562Consultation: (541) 686-7913

BendRed Oaks Square1230 NE Third St., Ste. A-115Bend, OR 97701-4374(541) 388-6066Consultation: (541) 388-6068

Medford1840 Barnett Rd., Ste. DMedford, OR 97504-8250(541) 776-6030Consultation: (541) 776-6016

Pendleton721 SE Third St., Ste. 306Pendleton, OR 97801-3056(541) 276-9175Consultation: (541) 276-2353

Oregon OSHA Offices

section recently released the secondversion of the OR-OSHA CD ROM,which contains all of OR-OSHA’sstandards for general industry,construction, agriculture, and forestactivities. The CD also containsprogram directives, letters of inter-pretation, and OR-OSHA publica-tions. Employers may request up to10 copies free of charge through theOR-OSHA Resource Center.

Legislative updateThe 2001 Oregon Legislature

approved a reduced budget forOregon OSHA that required theelimination of 17 positions, effective

July 1, 2001. The budget reductionwas the direct result of reducedrevenues from the collection ofdeclining workers’ compensationinsurance premiums. OR-OSHA isfunded through the state’s collectionof a workers’ compensation premium.The amount collected has declinedfor the past 12 years because thereare fewer work-related injuries,accidents, and fatalities.

As part of the reduction package,OR-OSHA eliminated the WorksiteRedesign Grant Program. Theprogram was originally implementedto encourage and assist employerswith innovative ergonomic solutions

to job duties that posed a risk forcreating musculoskeletal disorders.At the time the program was imple-mented, awareness regarding ergo-nomic risk factors was limited, aswere products that could providesolutions. Now that awareness ofthese risk factors has greatly in-creased, there are many productsavailable on the market eliminatingthe need for this program.

SummaryOregon OSHA believes the

activities described in this reporthave resulted in safer Oregonworkplaces. OR-OSHA will remainresponsive to the needs of workersand employers and continue to be aleader in innovative safety andhealth programs. With assistancefrom both labor and management,OR-OSHA’s goal of providingevery worker in Oregon with asafe and healthful workplace canbe accomplished. ■

Brian Hauck, Oregon OSHAIndustrial HygienistP

ROFILES

When Oregon OSHA recently established abio-terrorism team, Brian Hauck, OR-OSHA industrial hygienist, was on it. And

in January, Brian was among Oregon OSHA representa-tives at “Ground Zero” in New York City to do industrialhygiene testing in support of Federal OSHA.

Brian said it felt like the most dangerous place he hadever been, yet it provided the most awesome training hecould receive in setting up a base camp for a major reliefeffort.

The OR-OSHA bio-terrorism team also includes JohnMiller, Nancy Graf, and Russ Reasoner. The team has at-tended training classes and helped build a cooperativedatabase for agencies typically involved in emergencies.

Brian feels strongly about the work he is doing. Fieldwork is his forte, and he enjoys the challenges and thedaily variety of occupational settings.

When Brian finished his bachelor’s degree in environ-mental health science at Eastern Kentucky University,the U.S. Navy was recruiting industrial hygienists, so hesigned up. Originally from Ohio, Brian moved to theWest Coast while serving in the navy. He was stationedin San Diego for six years at the second largest navalbase in the world. While there, Brian participated in the“Register’s Great Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.”Among the 10,000 people bicycling across Iowa, Brianmet Rhonda, his future wife.

After discharge from the navy, Brian returned to Ohioto work on his master’s degree in a NIOSH (National In-stitute for Occupational Safety and Health) programoffered at a university in his hometown. As Brian com-pleted his degree, Rhonda joined him in Ohio. Theymarried with his promise to her that they would return tothe West Coast.

An Oregon OSHA staffer who had been in the NIOSHtraining (Nate Sweet from the Eugene Field Office) sug-gested that Brian apply for a job in Oregon.

A drive up the Columbia River Gorge gave Brian andRhonda the feeling that Oregon was the place for them,rain and all.

Before too long, Brian became an Oregon OSHAindustrial hygienist.

Rhonda is a systems analyst with the Health Divisionin Portland. The Haucks have purchased a home inBeaverton and have settled in with their two dogs, avizsla and a dog that “may be” an American foxhound.

Rhonda and Brian enjoy camping, tandem biking,kayaking, rafting, and cross-country skiing in the North-west. For the past few years, they have been part of theColumbia River Orienteering Club, which sets up cross-country skiing, biking, running, or walking tripsrequiring the use of a map and compass.

Brian is the youth coordinator for the club. One of hischallenges as youth coordinator has been spending hoursupgrading maps and setting up courses with most inter-esting routes. ■

See Page 1 to read the story by Brian Hauck aboutOR-OSHA’s contribution and relief efforts at theNY World Trade Center site.

Brian Hauck

S E V E N

By Cheryl MushaneyAdministrative AssistantConsultation and Services SectionOR-OSHA

Why is OR-OSHA is getting involved?In 1999 and 2000, Federal OSHA recorded 815 work-

place fatalities resulting from cardiac arrest. FederalOSHA has estimated AEDs used on as few as 40 percentof those who experience cardiac arrest could save 120lives a year.

Because AEDs significantly increase thechance of survival for those who experi-ence cardiac arrest, OR-OSHA urges youto consider whether an AED might benefityour workplace.

Cardiac arrest or heart attack? They’re not the same. Many people think that “cardiac arrest” and “heart at-

tack” describe similar life-threatening emergencies; butin fact, they’re different conditions.

“Shocking,” from page 6

“WTC,” from page 1Ironworkers cutting metal

with torches generated thickplumes of orange smoke.Huge grapplers were spin-ning in all directions,plucking up piles of twistedrebar and filling giantquarry trucks. The truckswere sliding up and downmuddy ramps as they lum-bered to and from the pit.

OSHA officers weremaintaining a rigorous 24/7vigil at the site. The inter-vention effort is divided intothree support groups; indus-trial hygiene air sampling,safety monitoring, and res-pirator fit-testing.

A partnership between the construction companies andOSHA called for all safety and health hazards to be vol-untarily abated. In this partnership, OSHA boasted a 100percent rate of compliance.

Thanks to OSHA, everyworker on the site was fittedwith an air-purifying respi-rator with dual-filteringcartridges.

In New York, OSHA hascollected the largest set ofindustrial hygiene samplingdata ever gathered at asingle site. To date, 3,500air samples have been col-lected at the WTC. Potentialcontaminants include asbes-tos, carbon monoxide,noise, total dust, silica, ben-zene, phosgene,formaldehyde, inorganicacids, lead, cadmium,mercury, and many more.

Thanks to extensive safety and health efforts at theWTC, only a modest number of over-exposures haveoccurred.

For a complete summary of the industrial hygieneresults, see: www.osha.gov/nyc-disaster/. ■

During cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating and theresulting loss of blood to the brain causes an immediateloss of consciousness. Cardiac arrest happens suddenly;victims have no detectable pulse or blood pressure andmust be treated immediately. The most common cause ofcardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation and the only ef-fective treatment is immediate defibrillation.

During a heart attack, blood flow to part of the heart isblocked and the blockage damages part of the heartmuscle; but the heart doesn’t necessarily stop beatingand the victim may not lose consciousness.

AEDs: Three reasons to consider them• Between 1999 and 2000, 815 workplace fatalities

were caused by cardiac arrest.• Most cardiac arrest deaths occur outside of a

hospital.• Administered within three minutes of an attack,

defibrillation restores the normal rhythm to avictim’s heart and can increase survival rates fromless than five percent to nearly 75 percent. ■

E I G H T

A partnership between the construction companies andOSHA called for all safety and health hazards to bevoluntarily abated.

A R E S O U R C E F O R P R O M O T I N GH E A L T H & S A F E T Y I N T H E W O R K P L A C E

The OR-OSHA Resource Center andAudiovisual LibraryThe OR-OSHA Resource Center andAudiovisual Library

For a free copy of the 2001 AV Catalog,call (503) 378-3272 or visit our Web site,www.orosha.org under “Publications.”

If I Had Only Stopped to Think . . .by Don Harris, AV Librarian for Oregon OSHA

If I had only stopped to think about it, I would haveknown better. I’m just too big to ride a pelican.

Maybe I’d better explain. More recently than I careto admit, my cousin Ruth and I took “the nephews” to alocal park featuring those big metal animals on heavysprings. Ryan jumped on the rhino. Payton grabbed thehippo. Ruth got the elephant. I was left standing there,looking doubtfully at the remaining creature, a pelican.“C’mon,” said Ruth, impatiently, “It’ll be fun.”

Now, coming from Ruth, “It’ll be fun” is usually asign of danger ahead. I knew this at the time, but I alsofeared the Wrath of Ruth. So, I didn’t stop to think aboutit. Instead, I obediently squeezed my adult-sized selfonto a mechanical bird meant for a five-year-old.

The pelican and I started to tip forward. By the time Iexperienced the first real twinge of panic, it was alreadytoo late. There was a painful thud, and I saw stars.

You know, it’s amazing how much bark dust will fiton your forehead – not to mention in your mouth. Anddid anyone help me? No. While I struggled to untanglemyself, my dear relatives sat shrieking with laughter atmy expense. When she caught her breath, Ruth declaredthat the sight of me hurtling to the ground astride a peli-can was just about the funniest thing she had ever seen.“It was almost slow-motion,” she gurgled, “Your eyesand mouth just kept getting bigger and bigger!”

Later, the doctor asked how I managed to get bruisesin such odd places. When I told him that I crashed whileI was riding a pelican in the park, he looked at me side-ways and wrote something in his notebook.

Today, I recognize that my accident could have beenprevented. I failed to identify the hazards, and did noth-ing to correct the hazards. I wasn’t adequately trained tooperate the pelican. I performed no pre-operation inspec-tion, and wore no personal protective equipment. Ishould have had a material safety data sheet for barkdust. The emergency response team was woefully inad-equate. Most of all, I hadn’t really stopped to think aboutwhat I was doing.

Silly? Yes, but the underlying principles aren’t sillyat all.

Be careful. Think before you act. This is the messageof Oregon OSHA at all times and in all places. And itbears repeating as we move into spring. Oregonians arebusy people, working hard in a busy world. Duringspring and summer, we can get so busy that even stop-ping to think seems like a waste of time. That’s whenthings get dangerous.

The fact is, the busier we are, the more importantstopping to think becomes. And, stopping to think in-cludes safety training.

Safety training videos can be a helpful part of youroverall safety program, presenting practical informationin an effective, and interesting way. Viewing a safetyvideo is one good way to stop and think – to remind our-selves that staying safe and healthy on the job is anintegral part of getting the job done.

The OR-OSHA AV library now holds more than 900safety-training videos available for loan at no charge(except return shipping, about $4 per video). If you’venever borrowed from the OR-OSHA AV Library beforenow, try it! You’ll be surprised how easy it is. The posi-tive effect on your workplace could be incalculable.

If I had watched a park pelican safety video beforemy ill-fated excursion, I could have saved myself a fairamount of trauma. Your job is probably far more de-manding than an evening in the park, the hazardsconsiderably greater. Be careful this spring. Take time tothink. Order that safety video from Oregon OSHA! ■

N I N E

¿CANSADO DE USARLAS MANOS PARA COMUNICARSE?

¡español - inglés, inglés - español!¡Diccionario de seguridad e higiene en

el trabajo!En la construcción, puede ser importante decir:arnés, guantes y casco en inglés. En una fábricapodría ser necesario decir: lentes de seguridad,montacargas, y tapones de oídos en inglés. ¡Y sitrabaja en un rancho y quiere decir: herbicida,respirador, y navaja para injerto en inglés, ahoraya puede!

Español Ingléstapones de oído ear plugsmontacargas forkliftguantes glovesnavaja para injerto grafting knifecasco hardhatarnés harnessherbicida herbiciderespirador respiratorlentes de seguridad safety glasses

Encuentre las palabras utilizadas en los centros detrabajo. Localice términos para la construcción, laagricultura, las fábricas, y los restaurantes. Descubralos nombres de la herramienta, equipo y materiales.Aprenda y utilice los términos de la seguridad ysalud en el trabajo para el equipo protectivo personal,el cierre y etiquetado de fuentes de energía,patógenos sanguíneos y mucho más.

Este diccionario de 30,000 palabras,se encuentra únicamente en nuestra

página de la internet:www.orosha.org

El diccionario es producido por laDivisión de Seguridad e Higiene enel Trabajo (OR-OSHA), Programa deEducación en Seguridad e Higiene enel Trabajo (PESO).

TIRED OF USINGHANDS TO

COMMUNICATE?

Spanish/English, English/SpanishOccupational Safety and Health

Dictionary!In construction, it can be important to say harness,gloves and hardhat in Spanish. In a factory, it mightbe essential to say safety glasses, forklift and earplugs in Spanish. If you work on a farm and wouldlike to say herbicide, respirator , and grafting knifein Spanish, now you can!

English Spanishear plugs tapones de oídoforklift montacargasgloves guantesgrafting knife navaja para injertohardhat cascoharness arnésherbicide herbicidarespirator respiradorsafety glasses lentes de seguridad

Find the words used in the workplace. Locate termsfor construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and res-taurants. Discover the names of tools, equipment,and materials. Learn and use occupational-safety-and-health terms for personal protective equipment,lockout-tagout of energy sources, bloodborne patho-gens and much more.

This 30,000 word dictionary can be found only onour Internet Web page: www.orosha.org

The dictionary is produced by theOccupational Safety and Health Division(OR-OSHA), Spanish Occupational Safetyand Health Education Program (PESO).

Spanish/English,English/SpanishOccupationalSafety and HealthDictionary

Additional information is available on the Web,www.orosha.org or from the Oregon OSHAResource Center, (503) 947-7463 ortoll-free in Oregon, (800) 922-2689.Spanish language phone : 1(800) 843-8086

New! ¡Nuevo!Spanish/English, English/Spanish

Dictionary for Occupational Safety and Health

T E N

E L E V E N

Return to: Oregon OSHA Resource Center, 350 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-3882

Resource is a newsletter concerning occupational safety and health in Oregon.To subscribe to this free publication or to change your mailing address on yourcurrent subscription, fill out and return this form or call (503) 947-7447.

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Attendees listen to Walter Want, instructor, at thefall-protection session of the COSHA Conferencefor construction workers.

Newest safety summit serves CentralOregon buildersBy Corbet Stengel, OR-OSHA Industrial Hygienist

The Central Oregon Safety and Health Association(COSHA) pooled community resources and those ofAssociated General Contractors and Central OregonBuilders Association to bring Central Oregon a one-daysafety and health conference designed for CentralOregon builders.

The first Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit wasJanuary 14 at the armory in Bend. Classes covered themain hazards leading to serious accidents and fatalitiesin construction in a highly visual and informational way.

Topics included fall protection, construction forklifts,electrical safety, health issues in construction, and muchmore. There was also a panel discussion regarding safetyon multi-employer worksites.

“It’s difficult for the construction workers to make itto the Central Oregon Occupational Safety and HealthConference every September in Redmond, because itcomes at a very busy time for the construction industry.We chose the middle of winter for our conference toserve one of the biggest industries in the Central Oregonregion in an effective and reasonable way,” said DennisMorris, COSHA president.

“This conference could not have been the success itwas without the help of R&H Construction, Oregon

Columbia Chapter of AGC, SAIF Corporation, COBA,and Miller Lumber,” he added.

Conference attendance exceeded expectations.COSHA plans to make this an annual event. To getmore information about the summit or COSHA, callKelli Candella, (451) 322-7104. ■

Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Division350 Winter St. NE, Rm. 430Salem, OR 97301-3882

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 24

SALEM, OREGON

Questions?OR-OSHA has field offices across Oregon. If you havequestions or need information, call us toll-free (800) 922-2689, or phone one of theoffices listed below. (All phone numbers are V/TTY.)

CONSUMER BUSINESS SERVICES

DEPARTMENT OFDSCB

D

Portland1750 N.W. Naito Pkwy., Ste. 12Portland 97209-2533(503) 229-5910Consultations:(503) 229-6193

Eugene1140 Willagillespie, Ste. 42Eugene, OR 97401-2101(541) 686-7562Consultations:(541) 686-7913

Pendleton721 SE Third St., Ste. 306Pendleton, OR 97801-3056(541) 276-9175Consultations:(541) 276-2353

Medford1840 Barnett Rd., Ste. DMedford, OR 97504-8250(541) 776-6030Consultations:(541) 776-6016

SalemDAS Bldg. 1st. Floor1225 Ferry St. SE, U110Salem, OR 97301-4282(503) 378-3274Consultations:(503) 373-7819

BendRed Oaks Square1230 NE Third St., Ste. A-115Bend, OR 97701-4374(541) 388-6066Consultations:(541) 388-6068

Salem Central350 Winter St. NE, Rm. 430Salem, OR 97301-3882(503) 378-3272Fax: (503) 947-7461

Visit us atwww.orosha.org

tant secretary of labor for OSHA; thedeputy assistant secretaries; theheads of each OSHA directorate andfederal OSHA’s ten regional admin-istrators.

The primary purpose of OSHSPAis to ensure safe and healthful work-ing conditions for working men andwomen within member states, and tofurther assist the member states incarrying out the obligations and du-ties of the Occupational Safety andHealth Act of 1970.

OSHSPA serves as a communica-tion link among the member statesand Congress, as well as variousagencies of the federal government.Additionally, OSHSPA endeavors toinform Congress, labor, industry andthe general public of the benefits ofstate plans and member states’ viewson workplace health and safety is-sues of national significance.

De Luca will serve a two-year termas chairperson. ■

“De Luca,” from page 1

For more information about OSHSPA,see the Web site: http://www.osha.gov/

fso/osp/oshspa/index.html

440-2850 (3/02)