Disease and Injury
Exposure
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
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Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
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Fertility and pregnancy abnormalities
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Hearing loss
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Cellular mutations or damage resulting from exposure to radiation
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Pulmonary injury resulting from exposure to nanoparticles
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Infectious diseases
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Lower back disorders
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Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities
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Traumatic injuries
What Can Happen
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.
How to Reduce Risk
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
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Substitute
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Engineered/Physical Controls
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Administrative Controls (medical surveillance/IH monitoring), and lastly
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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
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Facility safety controls
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Voluntary medical removal program
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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.)
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Industrial hygiene testing(e.g., metals, dust, or other airborne toxins)
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Medical screening and surveillance
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Hearing conservation program
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Formal annual safety training (exposures driven and general safety awareness)
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Vivarium safety program (e.g., employee vaccinations, routine allergen testing, restricted access, automated case-washing equipment, etc. )
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Perform laboratory, manufacturing/production, and/or general office ergonomic evaluation(s)
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Personal protective equipmet
*Ref. NIOSH
Contact us to learn more about how we can help protect your organization.