Health Intuition

The primary responsibility of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to develop and enforce health and safety standards that protect workers in the workplace. It has mandatory power to audit organizations for compliance of health and safety standards. OSHA conducts workplace inspections to make certain that employers are complying with the standards and providing a safe and healthful workplace.

OSHA inspectors, called compliance and safety officers, carry out these inspections/audits. These may be carried out due to accidents, fatalities, situations of imminent danger, complaints and referrals or as a follow-up investigation. An OSHA audit can be a tedious and stressful experience for employers since the agency is empowered to impose penalties on those who are in violation of the standards. This is particularly true for small businesses that may not have the wherewithal to be in full OSHA compliance.

Generally, an employer who takes proactive action (and the associated pains) to try and adhere to mandated requirements will fare much better during such OSHA inspections. A little known fact for many employers is that compliance officers normally research the history of a worksite before an inspection. Therefore it pays to work with the inspectors and answer questions fully and honestly, rather than adopt stalling tactics. Actions like insisting on an inspection warrant, to buy time, can turn out to be counterproductive in the end.

Every workplace is unique; no universal formula can be prescribed for negotiating an OSHA audit unscathed. However, attention to some basic details can help immensely:

First, having an effective safety and health program which lays down the policies, procedures and practices for protection against occupational safety and health hazards helps to develop the proper mindset. Depending upon the type industry and the complexity of operations, these programs may even include a Processes Safety Management (PSM) program mandated by the 29 CFR 1910.119 OSHA Standards. A written program should be communicated to all employees.

Second, coaching employees on health and safety, including OSHA compliant training, should be routine. Proper training is necessary to insure that workers understand potential hazards as well as practice safe working methods.

Third, it is important for companies to stress employee participation in safe practices. Active employee involvement can greatly enhance compliance to OSHA standards.

Fourth, it is imperative that businesses have a written hazard communication program. This is particularly important in industries handling hazardous chemicals. The complexity of the program will obviously depend upon the specific needs of the worksite. It may range from a simple collation of information from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), to a comprehensive OSHA mandated program in line with the 29 CFR 1910.1200 Standard.

Fifth, periodic self inspections and compliance audits will help to identify violations and allow corrective action to be taken. Earlier cases of accidents or injuries, if any, can also be analyzed for possible preventive measures. This will minimize the likelihood of being cited for violations during OSHA audits.

Record keeping is one of the most important tools for providing proof of a company’s efforts to comply with an OSHA inspector. The scope of documentation is wide and the more accurately records are maintained; the better it is for audits. Examples of relevant documentation would be accident reports, injury and illness reports, exposure records (hazmat exposure, noise exposure, etc where applicable), past inspections and action-taken reports, as well as employee training records.

All these steps will lessen the stress of an OSHA inspection and reduce the odds of receiving citations and penalties. As an OSHA fact sheet states, “OSHA’s primary goal is correcting hazards and maintaining compliance, rather than issuing citations or collecting penalties.”

What are the situations and circumstances most likely to cause stress in your life? Are you at risk from any of these? Here are the most common causes,

Work

According to a recent survey, 40% of workers described their jobs as very stressful. Because we all spend so much time at work, job-related stress can be very harmful.

You need to identify the circumstances at work that cause you the most stress and take action. You may say that’s obvious, but many people make like an ‘ostrich’, trying hard to ignore the problem, because they don’t want to face up to the consequences.

Action could mean talking to your boss or personnel manager to arrange a job transfer or change or responsibilities, or it could mean changing jobs or even careers.

Relationships

Often you don’t choose your family and many of your relationships, and you don’t always get on with everybody. Anger and emotions are often ‘stored-up’ until they explode.

Emotional stress can be relieved greatly by talking, either to a support group of friends or professional counsellors.

Pregnancy and sex

Pregnancy and sex is an emotive subject that can also cause much stress. Pregnant mothers worry about their unborn babies and spouses worry about many issues from performance in bed to infidelity and infertility.

If you suffer from these causes you will benefit by sweeping aside taboos and fears, talking openly about your problems to partner or spouse.

Yoga or other forms of bodywork, such as massage can be very effective here, especially for mothers-to-be.

Study and learning

Study and learning can cause much distress, weather it’s professional exams and qualifications or college studies. Often the problem is time-management. There just are not enough hours in the day.

Being a student can be a difficult period for many of us but there is much you can do to counteract the stressful effects of studying and exams.

Plan ahead, especially when there is an exam at the end. Allow more time than you think you need. Create a quiet space for studying where you are not disturbed. Schedule your study time and don’t allow it to be hijacked.

Health problems

Health problems can cause considerable stress and vice versa. A vicious cycle can be created. Which comes first? Or, more importantly what can you do to break the cycle?

So what illnesses and health problems are linked to stress?

Stress can affect heart disease and strokes, immune disorders, gastrointestinal problems, eating disorders and diabetes. It can cause tension, pain and insomnia, headaches, migraines and sexual dysfunction. It can also impair memory and concentration.

This is just a short selection!

Traumatic events

Serious accidents or traumatic events can be a source of stress, not just at the time of the event, but for many years after.

Traumatic events often causes ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’, which is usually treated by professionals. However, many less traumatic events can be helped enormously with simple stress relievers and stress management techniques.

Children and teenagers

Children and teenagers can be a source of much stress. And as parents it can be a double bind. Their stress is causing your distress or it could be that you have difficult or unruly teenagers making your life much harder.

In particular, teenagers are often stressed by growing pains and learning to live in an adult world. As adults, problems that you take in your stride, can be a source of great anguish to them.

Talking to them, in a non-confrontational way, to discover the source of the problem can work. Babies don’t come with manuals and we have to learn how to be good parents by experience. But there are many guides to being a good parent available on the Internet and bookstores.

Unhealthy lifestyle

Unhealthy lifestyles are the modern stressors. Drinking, smoking, drugs junk food and vegetating in front of the TV, all contribute to stress much more than you may realise.

Our bodies and minds are like machines. They need to be used to regularly in order to function in peak condition. We need to feed them with the correct nutrients, exercise them properly and not abuse them.

Understanding what causes you stress will help you greatly to take back control of your life. Start learning about stress and seek out solutions that strike a chord with you.

And it doesn’t have to be medications or pills. There are many effective techniques and strategies that are completely natural and kind to you and your health.

Selecting the best combination of techniques, to either reduce or eliminate your stress problem, is really a personal choice.

Whatever you do, start your search today.

Public schools play a vital role in shaping this nation’s future. As I write this article, we are about to elect a new President. It is probable that a change in administration will result in a new policy effecting education. The direction and quality of this policy will have a lasting effect on our public schools and on our nation as a whole. So where do we go from here?

At this moment, sitting in a classroom somewhere in America is a future Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Martha Stewart. Will these students have the necessary tools to rise to the top of their profession or will we become dependent on other countries to provide leadership in this global economy? Education may be the determining factor.

“The economy of the future will be dominated by industries in microelectronics, telecommunications, robotics and biotechnology – not to mention new fields that haven’t even been predicted.” – NEA TODAY, March 2008

The essential focus in education must be to prepare American students for the challenge of the twenty-first century workplace. It is abundantly clear that our drop-out rate is too high and student performance levels are too low. Identifying these problems may be the first step toward a solution but current solutions simply don’t work. Under NCLB, academic testing has become the main focus for education reform. An emphasis on test results has forced educators to direct their energy and resources directly toward teaching to these tests. The irony is that some career-related courses and arts programs that clearly motivate students to stay in school and perform have been weakened, or even eliminated, in the process. The pressure that this type of reform has placed on educators can negate innovation and creativity in the classroom. Current policy hinders the teacher’s ability to inspire students.

Future planning for education must include a focus on changing technology and introduce the student to the necessity of lifelong learning. Programs like Tech-Prep, School-to-Work and Career Academies have successfully introduced these ideas to some high school students but have not gone far enough. No plan is complete without a delivery system that motivates and inspires students to learn. Such a plan must be implemented long before high school and have the potential to impact every student. When students are motivated to learn, test scores will rise. So where do we go from here?

A successful plan for education will include structured partnerships. As described in the book Facing the Future Together, educators should never plan or implement a program in isolation. Through structured partnerships with those who are stakeholders in education (business, industry and other agencies in the community) every program becomes stronger and every student benefits. Business and industry have an enormous stake in student achievement. Where will future customers, clients and skilled employees come from if not from the school system? Partnerships bring us closer as a community to address our common concerns and everyone benefits. Since we all have a stake in the student who exits our school system, the number of potential partners is almost limitless.

A successful school-business partnership is well structured, sustainable and clearly designed to show students the connection between education and the world beyond the school’s walls. This approach brings relevance to learning and helps to keep students motivated and in school. As previously stated, students will perform better in class and score higher on tests if they understand the relevance of subject matter they are expected to learn.

Taking that first step toward building a successful partnership can be a challenge but the result is that everyone wins. As a new administration takes office in Washington D.C. and a new education policy is formulated we have an opportunity to gain some of the ground we have lost in recent years. Facing the future of education together as partners gives us a strong foundation to build upon.