Some additional Safety Resource Links
OHSE on the World Wide Web
Angelica M. Vecchio-Sadus
CSIRO Minerals, Box 312, Clayton South, 3169
The right to know
Everyone has the right to information on matters which may affect their health and safety. This is an underlying principle of all occupational health and safety legislation. Employees must be provided with information, instruction, training and supervision to enable them to perform their work in a manner which does not cause harm to themselves, others, and/or property. However, despite improvements in the management of health and safety, accidents still occur. A key issue in achieving reductions in occupational injuries and diseases is delivering information on prevention solutions to workplaces. The challenge is to find new and novel ways to impart this information as quickly as possible, and to keep abreast of it. This is where the Internet is transforming all aspects of human endeavour and business enterprise. In particular, the World Wide Web provides virtually limitless opportunity for delivery of information literally at our finger-tips.
Traditionally, information on health and safety was provided through brochures, books and posters. It has been said [1] that it would be impractical to provide 8,000 pages of occupational safety and health information (weighing 40 kg) to 20,000 workplaces in Western Australia free of charge. But do we need all this information, and how do we find what we need? The frustration of people at workplaces wanting an answer on which laws apply to them is now unwarranted. Amendments to Acts and Regulations, and new Codes of Practice, are published electronically. People are now able to print these publications at their workplace. Employers and other users are able to link to information services around the world. A website can aid greatly in the access and utilization of the latest information on health and safety legislation, hazard alerts, engineering controls, and safety clothing and equipment.
Those with most to gain from this information on the Web are employers and employees in workplaces, health and safety committees and personnel, students, trainers/educators, and commercial safety and health service providers. In the past, many small businesses could not afford the 'luxury' of detailed OHS information but today, most of them can connect to the Internet relatively simply and inexpensively. This is particularly important for small businesses and self-employed persons without any specialized occupational safety and health resources. The result of the readily and easily accessible information is the empowerment of employers and individuals to take a constructive and consultative approach to improving OHSE in their workplace. The information can be downloaded and made available on the business's Intranet for employees to access more easily.
A wealth of resources
It is estimated that the World Wide Web currently contains over one billion documents [2]. There is a wealth of information available in many fields of occupational health, safety and the environment but finding the information you're after may be likened to walking into a darkened library with a flashlight. You have a sense that there is a lot of information around you, but you can only see a little at a time. It is difficult to tell that you have found what you're seeking until you get right up to it. Fortunately, there are people and tools to help guide you, and new tools are developing continuously to help 'cut through the darkness'. Some good tips on searching can be found elsewhere [2, 3], and there are also guides [4] on health and safety on the Internet.
Data validation
Any number of individuals and organizations can place unvalidated information on the Web. It is important when using the Web for research on OHSE topics that you verify the source of the information. Investigate who is making the claim and whether the material is substantiated. There is no substitute for peer-reviewed journals. The websites listed under the following headings provide reliable information.
Agencies on the Web
The core function of Government OHS agencies is to administer and enforce occupational safety and health laws, but virtually all agencies also provide industry and community awareness programs. Their websites tend to contain a substantial amount of fulltext information including legislation, regulatory and compliance information, Standards, Codes of Practice, guidance material, OHS solutions and answers, and information on hazards (especially chemical hazards). The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) is the Australian Government OHS organization. It maintains several databases available for searching on its site (http://www.nohsc.gov.au/) including a database of solutions to specific OHS problems in the workplace, a database of Australian OHS research, databases on hazardous substances and exposure standards, on line documentation on Codes of Practice and guidance notes, as well as other useful information. It has a link to the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) which provides information on many industrial chemicals.
Comcare's website (http://www.comcare.gov.au) has information on rehabilitation, legislation, prevention and OHS. The publications section provides the fulltext of a number of booklets on a range of topics including managing occupational stress. The WorkCover Authorities in NSW (http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au) and Victoria (http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au) include a history of the authority, a directory of services and publications, full contact information, media releases, and links to relevant government departments. In addition, the Victorian WorkCover Authority's site includes online access to statistical data from their annual report. The Safety and Health Solutions page on the WorkSafe WA website (http://www1.safetyline.wa.gov.au/) contains hundreds of useful tips and hazards information on a wide range of health and safety problems, and an excellent education supplement for young people.
A comprehensive listing of State and Federal legislation and regulations can be found on the Australasian Legal Information Institute website (http://www.austlii.edu.au/). The Standards Australia Online site (http://www.standards.org.au) provides regularly updated listings and summaries of the many Australian Standards and draft standards issued by this organisation and others such as ISO and Standards New Zealand.
Professional and commercial organizations on the web
Professional organizations provide information about their charter, membership, conferences, continuing education, lists or catalogues of publications, and sometimes fulltext versions of their journal or newsletter. These include the Ergonomics Society (http://www.ergonomics.org.au/ ), the Safety Institute of Australia (http://www.sia.org.au/), the National Safety Council of Australia http://www.safetynews.com/nsca/nsca.html, and the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygiene (http://www.aioh.org.au).
Commercial organizations and occupational safety and health service providers use the Internet to promote their business to the global marketspace, to provide information services to registered and paying subscribers/customers, to provide consultancy advice and information to specific paying customers, and to keep abreast of occupational safety and health information and their commercial competitors' developments [1]. Printed catalogues of personal protective equipment, signs and other hardware are being replaced by electronic catalogues and direct purchase arrangements. Some examples include MSA Safety Products (http://www.msa-aust.com.au), and Drager Safety Division (http://www.drager.co.nz). Proprietary CD-ROM based occupational safety and health material is being replaced by subscriber access services delivered through the Internet, including audio and video presentation. You can even preview safety videos online (e.g., Channel 1 Videos, http://www.channel1.com.au). The Safety Bulletin (http://www.safetynews.com/) contains an electronic version of Australian Safety News, and an extensive list of links to other OHSE sites.
University websites provide a lot of fulltext information including OHS policies, procedures and manuals, safety checklists, and hazard alerts. There is also faculty information on health and safety courses like those at VIOSH (http://www.ballarat.edu.au/engineer/viosh/index.htm) and the UNSW Department of Safety Science (http://argus.appsci.unsw.edu.au/).
Hazard information
The identification of hazards, and the management of risks associated with those hazards, is the cornerstone of accident and injury prevention. There are a number of useful websites under the major hazard categories of physical, chemical, biological, radiation, and environment.
Physical hazards have a direct physical effect on the body. They include hot or cold substances, noise and vibration, pressure, electricity, fire, and manual handling. The University of South Australia has set up a site for net surfers with an interest in ergonomics which includes a detailed list of links and discussion lists, plus information about the latest-release books and academic facilities (http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/internet/pathfind/ergo.htm). The University of Newcastle has provided detailed practical information on how to avoid injuries such as occupational overuse and eye fatigue while using computers (http://www.newcastle.edu.au/department/ar/architecture/study-areas/PS-Computing/LUP204/LUP204P0.html). You can access the online journal of the Ergonomics Society at (http://www.uq.edu.au/eaol/index2.html).
The effects of chemicals can result in damage to the major organs of the body (including the skin), the central nervous system or the reproductive system through poisoning, burns, allergies or mutations of cells (causing cancer). The fastest way to find out about the health effects of chemicals is look up the MSDS. A good place to begin is at (http://www.ilpi.com/msds/index.html). A word of caution about MSDSs. Ensure it is less than five years old as information on health effects and other matters may have been updated since, and that it contains Australian data on exposure standards for materials. The latter is a major drawback of foreign MSDSs.
The US National Library of Medicine maintains Medline (index to the world medical literature, http://igm.nlm.nih.gov/), Toxline (index to toxicological literature, http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/sis1/), and other databases. They also maintain or make available a number of fulltext hazardous chemicals databases including Hazardous Substances Data Bank, the National Cancer Institute's Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System (CCRIS) and the US EPAs Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The International Agency for Research on Cancer (http://www.iarc.fr/) has databases on human carcinogens, and a directory of ongoing research in cancer prevention. The ATSDR Division of Toxicology maintains a list of the Top 20 hazardous substances (http://atsdr1.atsdr.cdc.gov:8080/cxcx3.html).
Sources of biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans. These sources can cause a variety of health effects ranging from skin irritation and allergies to infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer and so on. CCOHS has an extensive set of topics in this area at (http://www.msds.org/oshanswers/biol_hazards/biol_haz.htm). The Australian Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee (GMAC) regulates genetic manipulation work in Australia (http://www.health.gov.au/tga/genetech.htm).
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the authoritative resource in the area of radiation (http://www.health.gov.au/arpansa/). Their site includes information on skin cancer, microwaves, and mobile phone radiation.
Environmental hazards include spills entering the water system, noisy machines, off-gases into the atmosphere, and waste to landfill. The Department of the Environment and Heritage (http://www.erin.gov.au/) allows you to search on a number of subject headings. The EPA (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/) provides information on air and water quality, and factsheets on a number of topics. The Royal Society of Chemistry provides online access to Green Chemistry and the Journal of Environmental Monitoring (http://www.rsc.org/siteguide/environment.htm).
Other general sites
There a number of general OHSE sites worth a look. OSHWEB (http://oshweb.me.tut.fi/cgi-bin/oshweb.pl) was developed by the Institute of Occupational Safety Engineering at Tampere University of Technology, Finland. You can locate the appropriate OHS government agencies for countries and international organizations. The "Other resources lists" category links to more than 60 other lists, directories and guides in health, safety and environment areas. OSHWEB is not a searchable site but its orderly classification and brief annotations make it is easy to navigate.
The Internet Safety Resource site (http://www.christie.ab.ca/safelist/) is a convenient place to start surfing as it has dedicated safety links to some 2,760 websites. The site also lists email addresses, chat sites, telnet addresses, newsgroups, mailing lists, and gopher sites. The Vermont SIRI site (http://hazard.com/) has safety discussions, a reference section with US EPA fact sheets, US OSHA regulations, and other formal documents, graphics files, and links to safety-related resources. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS, http://www.ccohs.ca/) has an extensive listing of web safety resources with information on practically every safety topic. Some other useful OHSE web links include:
| Community and Public Sector Union - OHS | |
| National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - US | |
| The World Health Organisation | |
| The International Labour Organization | |
| DuPont Safety | |
| Department of Energy - US | |
| Health and Safety Executive - UK | |
| Occupational Safety and Health Administration - US |
Consumer information
Information on hazards at home and lifestyle issues such as cholesterol and fat, nutrition and diet, lead (in paint) can be searched on the Choice website http://www.choice.com.au/). Road safety information such as defensive driving, drugs and alcohol, speed and fatigue, and injury prevention can be found at the websites of the Accident Research Centre (http://www.general.monash.edu.au/muarc/), the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au) and the Motor Accidents Authority (http://www.maa.nsw.gov.au).
Emergency response
When prevention fails, emergency may follow, and it's always good to be prepared. The latest news and emergency documents together with a discussion room and a training room to test your knowledge can be found at Rescue (http://www.techrescue.org/). Have a look at 'virtual emergency' which allows you to see inside a fire truck, ambulance or rescue vehicle.
References
- Bartholomaeus, N. "The Internet and occupational safety and health", FutureSafe96, Melbourne, Australia, May 1996. Available: http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/PageBin\wswaslmg0072.htm
- Barker, J. Teaching Library Internet Workshops, University of California Berkeley. Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial. Available:
- http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/ThingsToKnow.html
- Hill, J. "Internet Resources for HSE Professionals or How to Drink from a Fire Hydrant", Safety in Action, Melbourne, Australia, April 2000.
- Stuart, R.B. & Moore, C. Safety & Health on the Internet, 1999, 3rd ed., Government Institutes, Rockville US.
Published in Chemistry in Australia, June 2000, 14-17.
posted by Warren Iannello @ 5:54 pm
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