It’s challenging enough to find qualified, trained and available drivers. Hazardous materials and an aging workforce add further complexities to health and safety risks for drivers and non-drivers. An Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) expert has the skillset, education, experience and training to reduce and prevent these risks.
Working alongside OSHA and DOT
Compared to the typical "safety" representative with a Department of Transportation (DOT) regulatory background, or OSHA representative, the OEHS expert has a wider view. The OEHS professional brings the experience and training needed to assess the potential hazards and risks in the day-to-day operations associated with both driving and non-driving activities, such as:
- cranking dolly legs
- releasing the 5th wheel
- climbing trailer ladders
- entering/exiting tractors
- accessing the top of trailers
- lifting hoses
- opening/closing valves
- assessing spills resulting in chemical contact and environmental impact
- lifting hoses
How do you keep your workforce – that might change on a weekly basis – safe and healthy? Consider these examples of an OEHS expert at work.
Reduce risks and keep your truck drivers safe.
Don’t wait for a serious event to hire an OEHS expert.
What does an OEHS expert do?
Each year you work to protect your brakemen, conductors, switchmen, and yardmasters – working toward a zero-incidence record. You keep them safe and follow the FRA protocols.
But how do you as a supervisor protect your workers’ health?
Working with an OEHS professional who is experienced in rail line safety means you can protect them against long-term diseases including lung cancer, substance abuse or misuse, heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues. OEHS experts evaluate and assess risks that affect short and long-term health and safety.
Differences between the Federal Railroad Administration and OEHS Experts
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
- Government agency responsible for creating and enforcing traditional safety regulations on or about the track
- Focus is on enabling the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods
- Administers programs on how to safely move hazardous materials
- Though a separate agency, FRA relies on the expertise of OSHA for occupational health and safety matters and will defer to OSHA for regulatory oversight when FRA does not have a regulatory statute.
- Inspects tracks and equipment to ensure safety standards are met.
OEHS Experts
- Scientists and health experts trained in reducing health risks and exposures in the workplace, using a unique combination of biological sciences and risk management.
- Focus is on protecting workers’ health and safety
- Address matters related to exposure assessment, noise control and respirator protection
- As a bridge between operations and safety, OEHS experts assist operations to safely work within established regulatory limits; help navigate OSHA and FRA jurisdiction and speak to regulators “in their own language”
- Develop sampling plans based on chemical constituents of various products; assess products to determine if they should be used on site; effectively communicate exposures to employees and let them know which task processes require additional PPE or not
OEHS experts assess risks and introduce instruments, tools and other mitigation to protect worker health.
Source: The Human Health Effects of Rail Transport of Coal Through Multnomah County, Oregon
Published by Oregon Office of Policy and Planning
Resources
NIOSH Evaluates Health Hazards at Train Maintenance Facility
A new report (PDF) published by NIOSH describes a health hazard evaluation that the agency conducted at a train maintenance facility in June and July 2019 at the request of a union that operated at the site.
IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Transportation Equipment
This major group includes establishments engaged in manufacturing equipment for the transportation of passengers and cargo by land, air, and water.
Study Describes COVID-19 Outbreaks, Mortality Among California Transportation Workers
Between January 2020 and May 2022, COVID-19 mortality among workers in California’s transportation support industry was more than twice as high as in all state industries, according to a new study that appears in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Transportation support involves maintenance and services related to airport cargo and terminals.
CDC: E-Cigarette Use High Among Certain Industries, Occupations
E-cigarette use was highest among workers in the accommodation and food services industry and those in food preparation and serving-related occupations, according to a CDC assessment published in the March 5, 2021, issue of the organization’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The new report examines the prevalence of electronic cigarette use among U.S. workers using data from the 2017–2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for adults aged 18 years or older who were employed during the week before they were interviewed.
NIOSH Urges Employers to Combat Driver Fatigue
A new page on the NIOSH website focuses on how to prevent driver fatigue on the job. According to the agency, driver fatigue can be caused by being awake for many consecutive hours, not getting enough sleep over multiple days, and monotonous tasks or long periods of inactivity.
IH Heroes Tales from the Field: On the Fly
IH Hero Marcus enjoys racing his drone when an emergency call comes in. A dangerous train derailment threatens a pristine mountain wilderness: can Marcus find a way to use technology to remove the hazard in time?
Accelerating Toward New Hazards: Protecting Workers During the Transition to Electric Vehicles, Jan. 2022
In 2010, too few battery-electric vehicles were purchased in America to be noted in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics report on new vehicle sales. In March 2021, 122,000 hybrid and battery-electric vehicles were sold— a new record high. This rate of growth presents challenges for workers, companies, and the occupational health professionals who work within them.
Wake-Up Call: Toward an Industrial Hygiene Approach to Work-Related Fatigue, Dec. 2021
Fatigue is pervasive and nondiscriminating, potentially affecting any worker at any job in any organization. While fatigue may be a complex construct, there are many tools available to tailor the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of this hazard among different organizations.
Freight Rail Safety
Railroads work with their employees, suppliers and customers, and federal, state and local officials to safeguard the rail network. Association of American Railroads
Freight Railroads Move America Safely Fact Sheet
Railroads’ holistic approach to rail safety focuses on four key areas: infrastructure and equipment investment; training and operational improvement; technology deployment; and community outreach and preparedness. Association of American Railroads
The association between long-term night shift work and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study of male railway workers in southwest China
ResearchGate, June 2022
IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Transportation Equipment
This major group includes establishments engaged in manufacturing equipment for transportation of passengers and cargo by land, air, and water.
IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services
This market covers all types of passenger and freight transportation all establishments of the United States Postal Service, communication services, and utilities, such as electricity, gas, water, and sanitary services.
Accelerating Toward New Hazards: Protecting Workers During the Transition to Electric Vehicles, Jan. 2022
In 2010, too few battery-electric vehicles were purchased in America to be noted in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics report on new vehicle sales. In March 2021, 122,000 hybrid and battery-electric vehicles were sold— a new record high. This rate of growth presents challenges for workers, companies, and the occupational health professionals who work within them.
NIOSH Evaluates Health Hazards at Train Maintenance Facility, Sept. 2021
A new report (PDF) published by NIOSH describes a health hazard evaluation that the agency conducted at a train maintenance facility in June and July 2019 at the request of a union that operated at the site.
Wake-Up Call: Toward an Industrial Hygiene Approach to Work-Related Fatigue, Dec. 2021
Fatigue is pervasive and nondiscriminating, potentially affecting any worker at any job in any organization. While fatigue may be a complex construct, there are many tools available to tailor the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of this hazard among different organizations.
Emergency Preparedness and Response after Crisis and Catastrophe, Jan. 2019
Responding to crises poses a wide variety of challenges for industrial hygienists. At AIHce EXP 2018, attendees were given a window into three very different crisis response situations and shared their lessons learned.