Occupational Health and Safety is Everyone’s Business Published June 2, 2015 By Tech. Sgt. Tara D. Crook 5th Medical Group MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Have you ever been in such a hurry to complete a job you took a shortcut or risk that could have ended badly? Getting the job done is the main goal on any given day, whether performing maintenance on a B-52H Stratofortress, performing a root canal or patching holes in the pavement. There are times when we are completely focused on getting the job done and toss checklists and procedures to the side. What we fail to realize is those checklists are in place for a reason and when someone tosses them to the side they can be throwing safety out the window. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's reports prior to their existence 43 years ago, estimated 14,000 workers were killed on the job each year. Workplaces today are much safer than they were back then, and the numbers have dropped significantly from 38 injuries per day to 12 but, there is still much work to be done! Minot Air Force Base has already had 74 incidents of occupational-related illnesses and injuries reported in 2015. Thankfully, none of these incidents have resulted in a fatality but, they have impacted the overall health and well-being of several active-duty members. Health and safety in the workplace should be taken seriously and is the responsibility of everyone. The intent behind occupational health and safety is to prevent diseases, injuries and deaths caused by occupational hazards. So what is an occupational hazard? An occupational hazard is anything one is potentially exposed to at work that can affect their health. There are safety hazards that can cause immediate injuries: broken ladders and slippery surfaces. There are chemical and biological hazards such as gases, vapors, liquids, or blood and body fluids that cause damage to the body when absorbed, ingested or inhaled. Loud noise, radiation and vibration are also hazards commonly found in certain workplaces. It's important to remember not all occupational exposures will affect the member who was exposed immediately. Hearing loss usually occurs after repeated exposure to hazardous noise without the proper hearing protection. These types of hazards are the reason we have many of the annual job specific health exams like audiograms, color vision tests and chest X-rays. OSHA requires these exams to detect an exposure one may not even know about. Once an occupational hazard is identified in a shop, the public health office makes the recommendation of what health exams are required per OSHA, ensures shop supervisors are aware of these requirements and tracks all exams to ensure every member assigned to that workplace is compliant. Public Health is also responsible for educating workers and supervisors on how occupational hazards can affect overall health and how to protect themselves with the proper use of personal protective equipment. Wearing PPE may be time consuming but it is worth the effort to avoid putting one's self in any unnecessary danger. Everyone has a job to do. This is just a friendly reminder to look out for fellow wingmen and personal safety while doing it! Follow checklists, stay current on occupational health exams, always use PPE and when someone sees something unsafe in the workplace report it immediately. By doing this, one will prevent illnesses, injuries or fatalities from occurring in the workplace. After all, having healthy workers is what gets the job done in the end. For more information on Occupational Health and Safety call the Minot Public Health office at (701) 723-5204 or visit www.OSHA.gov. For updates on events and closures, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/5thMedicalGroup.