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29 LUGLIO 2006

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IL SABATO EUROPEO DELLA SICUREZZA E SALUTE SUL LAVORO, SICUREZZA NEI TRASPORTI, SICUREZZA ALIMENTARE E AMBIENTE

THE EUROPEAN SATURDAY OF SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK, TRANSPORT SAFETY, FOOD SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

Safety in the Hot Summer Sun - If you're a landscaper, lifeguard or construction worker, you've probably noticed those envious looks from passers-by who are admiring your tan. However, every summer sun and heat are responsible for a number of serious illnesses among outdoor workers. The hot sun should be considered more of an occupational hazard than a job perk. Your body has a complex, ingenious system that maintains its ideal temperature of 37ºC (99º F). When factors such as hot weather and muscle exertion produce heat, your body regulates its own temperature by allowing you to sweat, and moving air helps to cool you down. In extreme temperatures or under prolonged work periods however, the body may no longer be able to cool itself and your health may be at risk. Failure to sweat is a symptom of heat stroke, a serious and potentially fatal illness. Symptoms can vary from person to person however anyone with dry, hot skin, and increased body temperature over 41C (106º F) could be suffering heat stroke and needs immediate medical help. Complete or partial loss of consciousness, disorientation and confusion are also symptoms of heat stroke. Heat hyperplexia, another serious heat-related illness, has similar symptoms except that the skin remains moist. Extreme heat can also bring on heat exhaustion, which occurs when the body becomes dehydrated as a result of excessive sweating. The symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, visual disturbances, intense thirst, nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, breathlessness, palpitations, tingling and numbness of the hands and feet. People who are experiencing heat-related illness - particularly heat stroke - often don't recognize their own symptoms. It is therefore important that co-workers know how to detect symptoms, and that they immediately seek first aid and medical help. Hot temperatures are not the only summer hazard. We can't forget to take into account the effect of air temperature and relative humidity and the need to reduce the strenuousness of the work in extreme heat conditions. Be mindful, also, not to catch too many of those rays. Too much sun exposure can cause vision disorders, sunburns, and skin cancer. The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays cause skin cancer by altering skin cells. Tans and sunburns are both signs that UV rays have damaged the skin. If you have been overexposed to the sun, it's important to check your skin every few months for irregularities such as sore ulcers, a scaly patch on the skin, a white patch on the lips that doesn't heal, or moles that grow quickly, change shape or colour, or bleed repeatedly. See a doctor if you see these or any skin condition that doesn't heal.
Though it's important to recognize the symptoms of skin cancer and heat-related illness, it is safer to prevent exposures in the first place. How can outdoor workers minimize the effects of the sun and heat?
KEEP YOUR COOL
Even when you're braving the heat for most of your workday, there are ways to protect yourself from overheating, burns, and other health risks.
Avoid the sun. Though this isn't always possible, it is safer to avoid working in the sun between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when the sun's rays are the most intense. If you can, plan to work outdoors in early morning or late afternoon. When you must work in the sun, try to work in the shade as much as possible.
Become acclimatized. It sometimes takes six to seven days for the body to fully adapt to working in the heat. If you're new to the job, or not accustomed to your thermal environment, don't take on strenuous activities too soon. Ease into your tasks gradually.
Take frequent breaks. Outdoor workers need frequent breaks in a cool or well-ventilated area, to get out of the sun and heat.
Stay hydrated. Whether or not you feel thirsty, it is extremely important to drink plenty of water, frequently, to replace the fluids you lose by working in the heat. Avoid consuming caffeine or alcohol, which can dehydrate you.
Wear protective clothing and sunglasses. Protect your eyes with sunglasses that are UV rated. The wrap-around type offers the most protection. Cover up as much as possible. A wide-brim hat and loose-fitting clothes made of a light, breathable fabric, are recommended. Though it may be tempting to work in the sun without a shirt or hat on, the sun will dry your sweat too quickly and prevent it from cooling the body. Clothes give sweat a chance to cool you down and protect you from harmful UV rays.
Wear sunscreen as extra protection. Cover any exposed, uncovered skin with sunscreen. Do not rely on sunscreen, however, as your main source of protection. Use it in addition to, not instead of, working in shade and wearing suitable clothing, hats and sunglasses. Sunscreens are not intended to extend your exposure time to sunlight, but rather to reduce the sun's effects. Apply sunscreen 20 or 30 minutes before you will be exposed to the sun. Wipe it generously onto the skin, but don't rub it in. Choose a sunscreen that blocks both UV-B and UV-A rays and has a SPF of at least 15 or higher. Reapply it every two hours, especially after strenuous exercise or when your skin is wet.
Have an emergency plan. In a heat-related emergency, quick action could save a life. Employers should have an emergency plan in place for providing timely first aid and medical care.

Here in the Great White North, we're delighted when the sun and heat return for a few precious months. By applying these safe work practices you can enjoy the season, and be healthy and safe - at work and at play.

Additional Resources: More about health effects of hot environments from CCOHS
Health and Safety Guide: Working in Hot Environments
Groundskeepers Safety Guide

Fonte: CCOHS

ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 - in brief - The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO's most widely known standards ever. ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards are implemented by some 760 900 organizations in 154 countries. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality management requirements in business-to-business dealings, and ISO 14000 is well on the way to achieving as much, if not more, in enabling organizations to meet their environmental challenges.

The ISO 9000 family is primarily concerned with "quality management". This means what the organization does to fulfil:

- the customer's quality requirements, and
- applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to
- enhance customer satisfaction, and
- achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.

The ISO 14000 family is primarily concerned with "environmental management". This means what the organization does to:

- minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to
- achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.

The vast majority of ISO standards are highly specific to a particular product, material, or process. However, the standards that have earned the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families a worldwide reputation are known as "generic management system standards".

• "Generic" means that the same standards can be applied:

- to any organization, large or small, whatever its product
- including whether its "product" is actually a service,
- in any sector of activity, and
- whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department.

"Generic" also signifies that no matter what the organization's scope of activity, if it wants to establish a quality management system or an environmental management system, then such a system has a number of essential features for which the relevant standards of the ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 families provide the requirements.

• "Management system" refers to the organization's structure for managing its processes - or activities - that transform inputs of resources into a product or service which meet the organization's objectives, such as satisfying the customer's quality requirements, complying to regulations, or meeting environmental objectives. more ...

Principio delle pari opportunità e della parità di trattamento fra uomini e donne in materia di occupazione e impiego (rifusione) - Principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast) - Nella Gazzetta ufficiale dell'Unione europea L 204 del 26/7/2006 è stata pubblicata la seguente Direttiva:
I Atti per i quali la pubblicazione è una condizione di applicabilità
Direttiva 2006/54/CE del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio, del 5 luglio 2006, riguardante l'attuazione del principio delle pari opportunità e della parità di trattamento fra uomini e donne in materia di occupazione e impiego (rifusione).

Sentenze della corte di Giustizia Europea - Judgments of European Court of Justice - Nella Gazzetta ufficiale dell'Unione europea C 178 del 29/7/2006 è stata pubblicata una serie di sentenze della Corte di Giustizia Europea.

Le altre 19 notizie del 29.07.2006 sulla sicurezza alimentare (Riservate agli abbonati): Working in hot environments - Influenza aviaria - Additivi alimentari ed edulcoranti -Tutte le novita' legislative pubblicate nelle Gazzette Ufficiali dell'Unione Europea dal 24.07.2006 al 29.07.2006 e molto altro ancora ...

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