Disease and Injury

Exposure

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The law requires employers to provide their employees with a safe and healthy workplace. In the Life Sciences segment, work in a variety of environments (such as laboratory, animal vivarium, clean room, manufacturing production line, or warehouse) present employees with a wide range of on-the-job hazards, including: 

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• Allergic or irritant dermatitis

• Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Fertility and pregnancy abnormalities

• Hearing loss

• Cellular mutations or damage resulting from exposure to radiation

• Pulmonary injury resulting from exposure to nanoparticles

• Infectious diseases

• Lower back disorders

• Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities

• Traumatic injuries

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What Can Happen

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Life Sciences organizations can be faced with short-term and long-term disability, employee turnover, a decrease in productivity, increased costs, and reduced employee satisfaction. 

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How to Reduce Risk

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The most effective means to foster a safe workplace environment is to follow the Hierarchy of Risk Management controls regarding exposures*:

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• Eliminate

• Substitute

• Engineered/Physical Controls

• Administrative Controls (medical surveillance/IH monitoring), and lastly

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

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Where it is not feasible or practical to eliminate or substitute a known exposure, the following controls help to mitigate risk:

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• Effective occupational, safety and health committee and officer

• Facility safety controls

• Voluntary medical removal program

• Physical controls (e.g., chemical fume hoods, glove boxes, HEPA filtration, local exhaust ventilation, general exhaust ventilation, power-handling enclosures, biosafety cabinets, lead-lined enclosures, etc.)

• Industrial hygiene testing(e.g., metals, dust, or other airborne toxins)

• Medical screening and surveillance

• Hearing conservation program

• Formal annual safety training (exposures driven and general safety awareness)

• Vivarium safety program (e.g., employee vaccinations, routine allergen testing, restricted access, automated case-washing equipment, etc. )

• Perform laboratory, manufacturing/production, and/or general office ergonomic evaluation(s)

• Personal protective equipmet

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*Ref. NIOSH

Contact us to learn more about how we can help protect your organization.