Occupational Health and Safety Books

An amazing peice of work by a very intelligent man this book should become the standard that similiar works are based on.

The content is excellent, and this book is a useful reference for anyone studying for the CIH exam. On the down side however, the publisher mistakingly elected to stuff two volumes worth of material into a 3-inch thick tome. The result is a poorly bound book that is not at all portable.

EXCELLENT resource for any involved in occupational health nursing or wanting to conduct research in this field and needing basic information to inform him/her about the field.

This book is a pretty straight forward and easy to carry in lab coats during calls on pediatric floor.The author tried to incorporate most of the common problems faced by the house officer on the call. The organization of priorities and therapy is excellent.The only negative aspect is that it does not replace any textbooks or manuals in pediatrics; one has to read other books for individual diseases and their management. Overall it is absolutely worth it's price and useful for junior pediatricians

The implications of Messing's arguments regarding the disparate orientation of policies and practices, research and research funding, and record keeping regarding workers, is a call to awareness about how bias toward men workers has resulted in omission of women's occupational health issues from research and policy. The thoroughness of her review, the integration of hundreds of studies and the multitude of concrete examples clearly demonstrate the breadth and depth of the problems for parity in occupational health research and remedies.

Karen Messing's book advocates setting up of a fruitful dialogue between those interested in women's health and those interested in occupational health. The author decided to study the interactions of biological and social factors. "Environment", according to Messing, "channels the performance and well-being of biologically divergent populations".

Messing states that the work environment ignores women's needs because tools, workspaces and load factors are geared for men and not women as well. She suggests that rather than finding a worker to fit the job, the job should be made accessible to the workers. She also decries the fact that science treats women's biology in ways that reinforce their subordination in society. Scientific studies about the workplace also tend to forget about the additional work load that women have at home, or to treat it as a reason against women holding certain jobs or not deserving insurance compensation.

This glaring discrimination is obvious in the scientific treatment given to work-related injuries. When men get injured, they get compensation more often than women, because cause and effect can easily be established between, say heavy lifting and a back injury, whereas the repetitive strains that women are subjected to in their jobs are less visible and more cumulative in nature. Moreover, men tend to be promoted out of repetitive types of jobs and have greater control over their work environment and methodology.

Karen Messing believes employers, scientists and insurance companies should be accountable for this state of affairs. She recognises that labour unions work very hard to protect their members, but they do not always have the support of highly paid scientific experts or lawyers to protect the rights of women. She also deplores the fact that an agent, or condition must be proved dangerous before being removed from the workplace or the environment, hence she pushes for a preventive approach. Many scientists opt for scientific certainty thereby relying on evident illness rather than symptoms to determine whether job hazards are to be validated by them. Messing diagnoses a male-gender bias in the scientific community at large.

Karen Messing's "Occupational Health..." contains useful information for researchers who wish to ensure that their methodology is not gendered. However, this jumble of facts and findings can be a bit confusing for other readers such as policymakers, labour union representatives, feminist groups and just plain workers who wish to gain an insight into this most important subject. Hopefully readers, especially scientists, will not be put off by this minor drawback in their quest for a science that has two eyes to see both sides of the question.

This is an important book. It opens up a new way of thinking about workplace safety and brings new approaches for safety and operational managers. It is a real step forward from Geller's "Working Safe".

E. Scott Geller has been one of the major presenters and proponents of the application of behavioural psychology approaches to safety. Now he has listened to his many contacts around the world and researched more widely to bring other branches of psychology (and other disciplines such as the quality movement) to bear on the question every manager and safety proponent asks: "Why don't people follow safety procedures?"

He rightly recognizes that the work environment has a huge role in this. If the work environment encourages unsafe behaviour, rewards production at any cost and champions swift and risky achievement over cautious system adherence then trying to influence the individual has little chance of success. He has clearly listened to behavioural safety's detractors who, rightly, are concerned with a focus on the individual rather than the system. Such a focus can quickly degenerate into a blame-the-worker culture.

Geller brings this into focus with an emphasis on the importance of the conversations that are the lifeblood of personal interaction. He asks that we chose our words carefully and with a consciousness of their impact on the listener. This seems obvious when it is explained but requires careful thought to put in place daily.

A real new area is the discussion of 'mindfulness'. This shines a light into the dark corner of human error which is evidenced in injury incidents where the person - despite training, observation, procedures and environmental safeguards - makes an inexplicable choice for an action which leads directly to an injury. Often the person cannot explain why they did the action. This problem has been known about for a long time. At times the person was blamed for carelessness or willful action, at times the impact of the person's home life has been suspected of creating distraction. Geller now opens up this with the outline of 'mindfulness'. Whether this is the end point for this issue is doubtful - but the awareness of it will clearly lead to debate and research.

A significant part of the book looks at the concepts of 'social influence' and Geller reports on (and presents) the development of a Social Influence Survey. This is an early report of a tool designed to explore whether individuals have different patterns of social influence. He makes it clear that there are no norms for this tool yet and therefore no conclusions about its long term validity and usefulness. However the early results appear to show variations and some patterns in the groups reported.

"The Participation Factor" is not the next "Working Safe". "Working Safe" is an easy to read introduction to the people side of safety and it has been read widely in workplaces - some distributing it to all staff. It continues to have great value for creating awareness and discussion.

"The Participation Factor" appears more suited to the safety practitioner and importantly to general managers. It is a thought provoking book for anyone in management. A significant highlight is the presentation of the role of "safety leadership" as different to "safety management". Careful application of the principles explained in the book could vitalise interest in safety in an organisation and, more importantly, provide a safety role for the most senior management. This group has often been ignored in the safety field apart from the superficial and condescending role of signing bland policy statements and presenting safety awards. Here are some things company leaders can do to become safety leaders - without becoming safety experts.

The book opens up new questions while providing suggestions for implementation. It is likely that the most benefit will come from readers who read, digest and apply the principles in their own interpretation.

It will be interesting to watch the debate and discussion towards the next milestone on the quest for safer workplaces.

I have E.Scott Geller's other book "Working Safe - How to help people actively care for Health & safety". I found this second volume "The Participation factor - How to increase involvement in Occupational Safety" a very good companion volume. The two books work well together as though there is an overlap it was not sufficient to cause concern. The writing style is clear and practical and easy to follow well contained sections make reading the material and refering back to earlier sections a snap. Some good foundation work and plenty of practical stuff to get your teeth into. Well worth adding to your OH&S tools!

This book was quite helpful for my the National Servsafe test. It was a good reference, and it had excellent chapter of the microbiology of food. If you really want to know the type of questions asked on the National Servsafe Test get the following which is on amazon.com:
Study Guide for the National Servsafe Exam: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations
ISBN: 0971999678
I used both these books and passed with ease. Not to mention both these books helped me to get an "A" in my sanitation class.
Both books are must buys.

Not as informative as ServSafe Coursebook..Be careful which book you really need! Diffent ISPN numbers only by last two. Still informative and useful for taking ServSafe exam for certificate if working in food service sector.

First of all, the unclothed drawn figures were distracting; it would have been more effective showing real people. Apparently, this manual which I bought new the other day is outdated already, as the author did not mention massage which most factories use nowadays. Not my philosophy, but clear undisputed facts.

The road to health and happiness is a lifelong journey. Positive action can make this journey more pleasant and fulfilling. Knowledge and consistency are important keys to unlock the doors for a bright, healthier future for you.

Problems dealt with in early stages most always are easier to correct than those allowed to progress to a serious state. Pain, restriction of movement, fatigue, and the stress produced by these symptoms are among factors limiting productivity, accuracy, consistency, job satisfaction and morale on the job.

The purpose of this book is to explain the effects sitting for long periods have on your back. Back pain is one of the most co9mmon ailments associated with "sitting on the job." Tilting your head backward to view a computer screen may cause neck and upper back problems. Bracing a telephone between your head and shoulder can cause neck problems.

Job stress creates an energy within your body which is vented in physical responses and in your concentration of performing tasks. Nobody floats through life without experiencing raw deals, misfortune, and sorrow. That's real life. Inability to vent the energy derived from meeting stress will contribute to health disorders such as emotional conditions, digestive troubles, high blood pressure, as well as causing headaches, neck and back pain. Use positive imagery to relax your mind; also daydream, something I do on those bothersome KAT buses. I had to sit on a wet seat for 50 minutes and it is not fun to wear wet clothes. Stress can cause stomach aches, tense neck muscles and headaches. Get rid of stress and you'll be "feeling great." Think about good and pleasant things happening in your life. Pleasant imagery can help you relax and get a good night's restful sleep.

A good night's sleep will allow you to start out fresh each day. It's not back to the old grind; if you wake up tired and tense, it is difficult to start the day with a positive attitude. During periods of rest and sleep, your body counteracts the effects of stress and strains: helps you face life's coming events with enthusiasm and positive expectations. A good study and worth reading, by Scott Donkin.

Very easy to read. Written in lay terms this book explains ergonomics in the office environment. Clear and concise descriptions of the body's workings and limitations are coupled with practical instructions on how to modify your office for you to function efficiently within those parameters. The application of the recommendations will go a long way to improving performance by minimizing fatigue and preventing repetitive stress trauma.

This book is a manifesto in which a group of apparently highly knowledgeable UK professors say: "we believe that there is more to risk management than is currently acknowledged".

Quote:
The argument of this contribution is that, although [conventional way of doing things] is always likely to have a place in risk management, there is no reason why it should be the only available approach.

The very fact that appears to have triggered this publication was the (scientific society) rejection of some other previosuly published work on the grounds of "not being scientific enough".

The main idea of this book is that risk management is subject to uncertainties so high, that common "scientific" way of dealing with risks is not working. And their arguments are very convincing. The following two metaphors from the book will let you quickly catch it.

Conventional approach is compared with a thermostat. Once set to a desired temperature it uses feedback mechanisms to return to equilibrium.

The argued for approach is compared with a desk lamp, the one with two springs on it's sides. The lamp is always experienses heavy tensions from both springs, but as soon as they counterbalance each other, the lamp is not only keeping steady state, it also can be adjusted into any desired position with a fingertip touch.

Not just as simple as that, the authors offer a set of dimensions along which the taxonomy of risk management principles and procedures can be measured. There are seven such axes. Along each axis, the two diametrically opposed point of views are proposed and discussed in two or more chapters. This gives a good coverage of the entire spectrum.

The book was published in 1996, ten years back in time at the moment of this writing, but I doubt if there were some groundbreaking developments in the topic of risk management. This by the way is one of the other discussed traits of risk management: as it's not "normal" science, it has to deal with political and societal forces and those are very slow to change.

I came to this book from software development point of view, and although it discusses environmental hazards instead, it's highly philosophical and before I knew it, I ended up writing notes on the margins and underlining the entire paragraphs.

Why 4 stars, not 5 ? Two reasons.

First, there are articles that are worse than others (but frankly I can remember only one such article which really said nothing at all).

Second, and more important was the language. I'm sure the respectable English professors managed to write perfectly good English, but then, I must be not very good at perfectly good English.

Consider this quote:
Perceptions of systems tend towards a closure of the perceived explanatory structure in ways that reinforce supportive patterns of belief and, in particular, the belief that someone, even if not the particular actor is, or could be, in control.

Please, there must be a simpler way of saying the same thing. How about "people tend to believe that someone is in control" ? Bashing through complex language really distracts from following the otherwise excellent and mind-provoking discussion.

All in all, no matter which direction you arrived from, this book offers a very good interdisciplinary discussion of risk management in modern world.

El tema cubierto fortalece la parte de analisis quimico de los contaminantes en los sitios de trabajo. Desafortunadamente los temas de interés se manejan muy enunciativamente y se desarrolla poco en los protocolos detallados.

I wrote the chapter on ionizing radiation in this book. I think it is quite good and would like constructive comments from professionals and students using the book.

It is likely to be ranked in the top 4-5 books on the general topic of industrial hygiene.

This book is excellent. For people with no exposure at all to the workd of AEDs, it starts very simple and goes clearly through what it is, why it's used, and the steps to use one. For folks with prior CPR training it's a quick read, as the subject is familiar. Everyone in America should read this book