How COVID-19 Changed Occupational Health and Safety Protocols Everywhere

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Occupational health and safety protocols are essential for ensuring that workers are safe while performing their duties. These protocols can include safety training, emergency planning, and hazard identification. Employers can help protect their workers from potential injuries or illnesses by following these protocols.

When COVID-19 hit, health and safety experts were forced to revise health and safety procedures for everyone. For this post, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, talks about how health and safety protocols have changed since January 2020.

A change in protocols

As happens with significant societal change, occupational health and safety protocols were forced to change to account for COVID-19. As a result, work environments are now much safer than they used to be.

The most significant change to health and safety protocols was banning certain dangerous materials. Before COVID-19, several hazardous materials, like asbestos, were not allowed in work environments.

As such, asbestos is now banned from all workplaces under federal law. In addition, many other materials are now considered hazardous to health. It's important to be aware of these changes.

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More regulations were also put into place following COVID-19, especially surrounding manufacturing. For example, welding regularly exposes a worker to fumes and radiation. All welding shops must now have proper ventilation and respiratory equipment for their employees.

Workers benefit from these new health and safety protocols, but where does that leave one if they don't work in a factory? The good news is that many of the rules regarding manufacturing will change lives for the better across societies, explains Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP.

Bookmark this page for more insights on occupational health and safety protocols from Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

Public health and safety: Remembering the swine flu outbreak of 1976

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In the later parts of winter of 1976, a novel influenza strain caused respiratory infection for hundreds of people in Fort Dix, located at the heart of New Jersey. In today's article, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders remembers the swine flu outbreak of 1976.

The virus that led to the outbreak seemed related to the virus that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, which infected and took the lives of more than 100 million people around the world. What makes it all the stranger was that in 1918, Fort Dix was also one of the virus' points of origin.

With history already giving a stern warning, World Health Organization officials started to plan for what could be a very deadly situation in the middle of winter.

Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders recounts that while WHO's decision was to wait and see the pattern of the virus and track the numbers of infections, President Gerald Ford's administration was determined to vaccinate as many Americans as possible. By the end of March, no less than the President himself announced the government's plan, and emergency legislation was signed a few weeks later.

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Six months after that, political figures, including the President and celebrities, were shown being vaccinated. Within 10 months, a fourth of the U.S. population at the time had been vaccinated.

Thankfully, people only had mild flu symptoms, and there were no serious outbreaks outside the U.S. Until now, people debate the need for the mass vaccination, with some experts calling the whole situation a "fiasco" and "the pandemic that never was."

Learn more about Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders and his work by visiting this page.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

Beyond COVID-19: A look at other airborne diseases

 

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders has devoted his life to helping keep people safe and healthy. He has continued to work through the current global health crisis, to do what he can. One of the things he consistently accomplishes is releasing monthly blogs to inform and educate the people on the many important points of health and safety.

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Martin Lloyd Sanders notes that with the world’s attention on COVID-19, it’s easy to forget that there are countless other diseases out there. For today’s blog, he shares a quick review of some of the important facts on airborne diseases.

Method of spreading

As the name suggests, airborne diseases are spread through the air, when people cough, sneeze, or accidentally spew or spray nasal or throat secretions into the air. Bacteria and viruses from the sick person linger in the air, which may possibly land on other people in the vicinity.

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Some common variants

There are a number of variants of airborne diseases, with the most common being the common cold. It can be caused by a number of viruses, such as the rhinovirus. Influenza is another common airborne disease. The flu, as it is also called, is extremely contagious with the virus staying active for five to seven days.

Prevention

Martin Lloyd Sanders reminds everyone that, as easy as it is to catch airborne diseases, prevention is just as simple. From wearing a face mask to covering one’s mouth when coughing, to simply being conscious and considerate, the spread on and infection from airborne diseases can be prevented.

CaptainMartin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., obtained his degree in zoology at the University of California and his doctorate from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Visit this page for similar reads.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, or the United States Government.

Practical steps to ensure a safe and virus-free workplace

 

Health and safety in the workplace continue to be the priority even with the mass rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. With new strains of the virus emerging, it's important to continue practicing the health protocols to minimize infections. Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, shares these practical steps to keep one's workplace virus-free.

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Regular testing

This is especially important for those working outside of the office, such as construction sites, warehouses, and other venues. Getting tested for the virus will not only ensure the safety of one person but also the people they work and live with. While contact tracing efforts are getting better, it might still be difficult to identify where a person might have contracted the virus. Testing is also important for individuals who are living in places where there are high transmission rates.

Modify work hours

Public health experts like Martin Lloyd Sanders say that one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus is to lessen close contact with other people. In the workplace, this can be done by making sure that only a few people are in one area. Aside from installing barriers, implementing the wearing of masks, and practicing physical distancing, it might also help to allow employees to work different hours than usual. Companies can do this by shortening on-site hours or by allowing employees to take on different shifts to prevent everyone from coming to the office at the same time.

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Change the work area

The pandemic has exposed what needs to be changed in the structure of many offices. Closed spaces need to have better ventilation by installing air filters and purifiers. The windows must also be regularly opened to allow the air to circulate. As much as possible, sharing items and working too closely must also be prevented. Even in the seating arrangement, physical distancing must be practiced. There must be designated hand sanitation areas, especially in common spaces, to encourage hand hygiene.

Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., has over a decade of service in the occupational health and safety sector. He is also a multi-awarded scientist and US Army veteran. For more on health and safety, visit this blog.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, or the United States Government.

Starting a conversation with kids about COVID-19

 

The world is drawn to a halt as people are ordered to stay home to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further. Children at home might be wondering why they're being homeschooled, and little leagues are canceled. Public health professional Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders shares his thoughts on helping kids understand the global health crisis. 

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Whenever explaining COVID-19 to children, adults must be calm and proactive. It's the job of an adult to help a child understand their role in the fight against the dreaded disease. An adult can let the kid know that it's a possibility that at some point, one or all of them might feel symptoms similar to the flu or common cold. They must reassure the child that they don't have to feel terrified about that likelihood.

It's integral for an adult to arm themselves with facts from credible sources before starting a conversation about COVID-19 with children. Institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization must be on top of the list of resources. Kids are likely to talk and listen during dinnertime. Start the conservation by asking about their thoughts on the pandemic. Be sure to listen to their concerns, too. 

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Parents must answer their children's questions about the pandemic as truthful and as simple as possible. Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders encourages parents to regularly talk to their children to know how they are coping and teach them about the preventive measures the family has to take to stay healthy and safe from the virus.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., CSP, has more than a decade of service in the occupational safety and health sector. He possesses extensive experience in biological defense activities and infectious disease outbreak investigation. Visit this blog for similar updates.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

Cdc Threat Levels For Antibiotic And Antimicrobial Resistant Threats

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC determined three threat levels for the outbreak of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistant diseases. As their names suggest, these diseases have the ability to resist the effects of drugs and evolve new strains that are resilient to current drugs. The following are the threat levels:

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The lowest threat level is dubbed “concerning,” which has a threat score of 3/5. This threat level is for bacteria with low antibiotic resistance. The bacteria also have multiple therapeutic options for resistant infections. Nevertheless, these pathogens can cause severe illness and thus require monitoring and rapid incident response.

The next level is labeled “serious,” with a score of 4/5. These threats have reasonable availability of therapeutic agents or several other reasons which make them considerably worse than concerning. These are diseases that can only worsen and need ongoing public health monitoring, and evoke preventive measures.

The highest threat level is “urgent,” with a score of 5/5. Urgent threats are high-consequence antibiotic resistant threats due to risks identified by the CDC across several criteria. This disease may not be widespread but have the potential of infecting a lot of people in a given area. This threat requires public health attention to identify infections and to limit transmission.

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Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., formally held the position of Director for Safety, Environmental Compliance and Emergency Management in Federal Occupational Health (FOH/PSC). He is a multi-awarded scientist and US Army veteran who has been deeply involved in biosafety and biosecurity issues both here and abroad. To know more about the CDC and its procedures, visit this website.