Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health

Injury/Illness Prevention Case StudyAs the new Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) manager for the CSU Widget Factory, you recently completed a study of the injuries entered on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 form over the past 12 months. Your findings revealed the following:

• Eight employees were treated for various levels of heat strain during the summer months. Six were working indoors in the warehouse, and two were working outdoors doing grounds maintenance. All were first aid injuries.
• There were six forklift accidents that resulted in injuries:
  • Three dropped loads struck nearby workers. All received first aid.
  • One forklift flipped over going around a corner, ejecting the operator. The operator lost 10 days of work and was on restricted duty for 30 days.
  • Two employees working in the warehouse aisles were struck by forklifts. Both were medical treatment injuries.
• Five electrical shocks were reported in the machine shop. All occurred during routine equipment maintenance. All were medical treatment injuries, but none resulted in days away from work.
• There were nine eye injuries in the machine shop. Five were foreign particles in the eye and four were machine oil splashes. All were reported as first aid injuries.
• Six employees in the plating shop were treated for inhalation of solvent vapors. Two resulted in lost workdays, and the others were medical treatment injuries.

To reduce workplace injuries, select three program areas from the analysis above that should receive immediate attention. Select three OSH programs from the following:

• Heat Stress, Powered Industrial Vehicles, Material Handling and Storage, Hazardous Energy Control (Lockout / Tagout), Personal Protect Equipment (PPE), Respiratory Protection Program

1. Discuss why the specific OSH program area was selected.
2. Explain how you would identify and assess the hazards related to this program area.
3. Discuss some possible hazard control measures that could be used to reduce risk.
4. Identify training requirements for the program area.
5. Propose methods for ensuring employees comply with safety procedures.

Your submission must be in APA format, and a minimum of three pages in length, not including title and reference pages. At least two reference sources must be used to support your discussion. One of the references can be the course textbook. Additional references should be articles from professional journals, recognized safety organizations, or other OSH textbooks. Contact your professor if you have questions about specific references.