What could have been done to prevent this accident and court proceedings? A working health and safety plan. Health and safety plans and procedures only are effective if they are practiced. A daily, documented inspection of this dolly and loading procedures would have prevented this accident. ABB Safety Net provides aid in maintaining a health and safety program. E-mailed notices are provided as reminders of up and coming events to keep a health and safety program legal. Proper documented training and a daily safety log of the dolly would have prevented this case from a fine and would have diminished the accident from occurring in the first place.

A working program will:

1) Improve employee morale-shows care in their well being

2) Reduce revenue loses-fewer accidents keeps employees working and reduces insurance premiums and also can lead to rebates on insurance

3) Give a boost to the customer-having fewer accidents means all employees are available for work

Writing a health and safety program is a huge and frustrating task. Where to start? ABB Safety Net can help. ABB Safety Net will issue a written plan with your company’s name for your company. Secondly ABB Safety Net will provide a self hazard assessment for your company (nobody knows your company better than you). Further ABB Safety Net will research requirements for your region to make your program complies with legal requirements such as: “do you need a formal committee?”, “need first aid training?”, “what needs to be posted?”, or even being “certified?”

Now, the written plan is ready what’s next? You must live and maintain the plan. Documentation is everything for your and your employee’s protection. ABB Safety Net will provide an employee’s safety manual and a form to sign. ABB Safety Net will also provide simple forms for daily start-ups, monthly walk-throughs, quarterly meetings, and annual meetings. To aid in maintenance for your health and safety plan, ABB Safety Net will e-mail these forms as a reminder of the occurrences when they are due. ABB Safety Net will even e-mail a random fire drill to test for fire safety.

What happens when an accident does occur? With a working plan in place you will have all needed forms and you will have all documentation in place. You will even have an investigation procedure in place to aid in preventing the accident from occurring again. In case an accident does occur, an investigation would have taken place by you and not by the safety inspector. You would have come to the conclusion first and would have the report ready before the safety inspector stopped by.

Now, how would you answer these questions from a safety inspector “Where is your health and safety plan?” “Here is our plan that we are very proud of and our accident rate has almost become zero.” “Where is the safety documentation of this injured worker?” “Here is all of the safety documentation of training. It was a misfortune that this accident did occur. Here is our accident investigation report and our conclusions on how to prevent this from occurring again.”

Give ABB Safety Net a call at (416)276-0017 or drop us an e-mail at ABBSafetyNet@gmail.com for help in your health and safety plan and maintenance today.

The field of Health and Safety should not be confused with the field of Safety Engineering. The more formal title for Health and Safety is Occupational Safety and Health. While Safety Engineering is a full-fledged branch of Engineering, Occupational Safety and Health is more of a scientific, medical, technical, managerial, & regulatory domain. This is reflected in its administration in the country by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) coming under the US Department of Labor, and The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the US Department of Health and Human Services.

What it Involves

Health and Safety Distance Learning involves taking an Associate, Bachelors, or Graduate Degree in Occupational Safety and Health through the distance or online mode. Several Graduate and Undergraduate Certificate Courses are also available. Those planning to become Health and Safety Technicians can go for an Associate or even a Certificate Course, while those aspiring to become Health and Safety Specialists should go for at least a Bachelors, as the main employer in the domain, the Federal and State Governments, have fixed it as the minimum qualification.

However, there are more Graduate Degree Courses in Health and Safety Distance Learning than Bachelors or Associate Degree Courses. This is mainly driven by the private sector’s preference to employ Graduate experts with a firm background in supporting subjects like Science or Medicine.

Various professional certifications available in this domain like the Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST) require passing stringent examinations, and the training for them are also available through Health and Safety Distance Learning.

Why Health and Safety?

The discipline of Occupational Safety and Health is a fast growing field that is concerned with the safety and health of employees, customers, and the public. While the best managed companies go in for elaborate Health and Safety Departments to stand out in business ethics and cut the loss of employee productivity, many others are forced to create a Health and Safety program, at least to comply with the civil and criminal laws and thus avoid litigation. This has resulted in the field growing steadily over the past several years, and is expected to grow even further, through the next ten years.

Specialists and Technicians in this field get to work in large private firms or Governments (Federal, State, or Local), where the overall benefits will be much better than in smaller organizations. Most Health and Safety Specialists earn approximately between US $40,000 to US $80,000, while Technicians can expect a salary between US $30,000 to US $70,000.

Why Health and Safety Distance Learning?

Since it is a critical service, the private sector as well as governments demand experience in the field as a prerequisite for employment. This has resulted in a preference for those already exposed to the domain, due to work in an allied field obtained after undergraduate education in engineering, biology, or chemistry. As such, it is very important for those aspiring to be a Health and Safety Professional to undertake simultaneous work in this domain or in an allied field. The best option for such candidates is Health and Safety Distance Learning.

Universities & Colleges Offering Health and Safety Distance Learning

Many Universities and colleges offer Health and Safety Distance Learning courses, but the course names tend to be very different from each other. Tulane University offers three Graduate Degrees in the field, which are distinguished for their real-time, live interaction sessions over the internet. Spanning two years, these courses are Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Occupational Health and Safety Management, MPH in Occupational Health for Health Professionals, and Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Industrial Hygiene.

Indiana State University offers a Master of Science in Health and Safety, with a specialization in Occupational Safety Management. The course delivery is primarily through television, but a weekly personal interaction with the instructor might be necessary.

Montana Tech Graduate School of University of Montana offers an online M.S. in Industrial Hygiene. Featuring advanced study in Occupational Health, the course also equips the students for the certification program by American Board for Industrial Hygiene. Montana Tech makes no distinctions between its regular and online students for this course.

Apart from such prestigious Universities, many smaller institutions also offer Health and Safety Distance Learning. However, prospective students need to ascertain the accreditation details as numerous institutions with poor accreditations also offer these courses.

Copper is an essential component of the natural pigment, melanin that gives colour to the skin, hair, and eyes. It is needed to make an enzyme that restricts arteries from hardening and possible rupturing,

It is believed that zinc and copper contend for amalgamation in the digestive tract, so that a diet that is rich in any one mineral will result in a deficiency of the other – so be

Benefits of copper –

# Copper plays a vital role in the body’s formation of strong, flexible connective tissue, and in the proper cross-linking of collagen and elastin. Elastin helps to promote normal cardiovascular.

# Numerous enzyme reactions require copper.

# Copper helps in the efficient utilization of iron and protein; and assists with normal digestion.

# It is involved in the production of collagen – the protein responsible for the structural formation of bone, cartilage, skin, and tendon.

# Copper is a component of the enzyme copper-zinc dismutase and the protein ceruloplasmin – they help inhibit free radical formation.

# Copper is a strong antioxidant and works together with an antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase to protect cell membranes form being destroyed by free radicals.

# Copper is needed to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel to run the body.

# Copper’s anti-inflammatory action help in reducing arthritis symptoms.

# If the body does not get a sufficient amount of copper, the production of haemoglobin, is decreased.

# Copper also promotes the maintenance of good skin health and contributes to healthy respiration and general strength.

# Copper can also contribute to healthy and normal cholesterol levels.

# Helps formation and maintenance of strong bone mass.

# Excellent for the immune system.

# Copper is a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis – because it helps promote healthy collagen in the body.

Dietary sources of copper include -

Copper is usually found in foods containing iron.

Copper is found in various foods, including organ meats, seafood, wheatgerm, green vegetables, prunes, beans, peas, lentils, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnip nuts (particularly walnuts, peanuts, and cashews), pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds. Breads and cereals made from whole grains and barley are also good copper sources.

Additional copper can come from drinking water from copper pipes and use of copper cookware.

The body is able to store this mineral for later use. Because of this, it is not necessary to rely on a daily dietary intake.

Recommended daily allowance for copper -

The average dietary intake of copper should be approximately 1.0 to 1.1 mg/day for adult women and 1.2 to 1.6 mg/day for adult men. For lactating women, it is around 1.3 mg/day.

Copper deficiency symptoms include -

Deficiency of copper in humans is rare but it does occur under certain circumstances. When the body does experience a copper deficiency, there is usually a corresponding deficiency of iron. That is why anaemia is one of the symptoms. Severe anorexia or starvation, and serious kidney problems, which again are very rare may all contribute towards a copper deficiency. Lack of copper may also lead to osteoporosis.

Symptoms of possible copper deficiency include:

# Anaemia,

# Low body temperature

# Bone fractures and osteoporosis,

especially among aged women.

# Prominently dilated veins

# Low white blood cell count

# Irregular heartbeat

# High cholesterol levels

# Increased vulnerability to infections

# Defects at birth – inherited copper

deficiency (Menkes’ syndrome) occurs in male infants who have inherited the mutant X-linked gene. This has an incidence of about 1 in 50,000 live births. Children with Menkes’ syndrome are unable to absorb copper normally and become severely deficient unless provided proper medical treatment early in life.

# Loss of pigment from the skin, hair.

# Thyroid disorders.

# Long-term use of oral contraceptives can upset the balance of copper in the body.

# Hair problems, including hair fall.

# Dry skin.

Who are at risk of copper deficiency?

Infants and children fed only on cow’s milk formula are at high risk, as cow’s milk is relatively low in copper. High-risk individuals include premature infants, low-birth weight babies, infants with prolonged diarrohea, and infants with mal-absorption syndrome.

Individuals with cystic fibrosis are also at increased risk of copper deficiency.

If one regularly use antacids, the need for copper may be high than others, as these can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb copper.