Posts for August 23, 2010

August 23, 2010

Last week's economic reports were slightly more positive than negative, with five of the eight major indicators improving. (To see all of last week's reports, see the Latest Economic Reports section below.) However, some of the improvements were suspect. The July upturn in housing starts was countered by continued decreases in building permits and a further decline in builder sentiment in August. Meanwhile, the 1.1 percent gain in manufacturing production was chiefly driven by a 9.9 percent surge in motor vehicle output, as some companies decided not to shut down plant s for retooling operations, which is typical this time of the year.

The biggest area of concern continues to be the employment situation, which appears to be weakening furthert. According to the Labor Department's weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance, a good high-frequency measure of the state of the labor market, the number of new applications for unemployment insurance rose for the fourth time in the past five weeks to 500,000 for the week ending August 14. This is the highest level in nine months (see blue line in the chart above.)

After improving during the second half of 2009, initial unemployment claims remained relatively constant through the first seven months of 2010, hovering around 460,000. Well above the threshold level of 350,000, the upper limit of new claims associated with a healthy labor market, the first seven months showed rather modest private sector employment growth.

Due to the volatility of this weekly series, a one-or-two week spike is not unusual. However, the significant upturn in new claims during the past month raises the odds that nonfarm payrolls fell by more than July's 131,000 and that a further deceleration in recovery in the third quarter is in the making.

Dave Huether
Chief Economist
National Association of Manufacturers

FDA WANTS MORE AUTHORITY

August 23, 2010 – Today in Manufacturing.net
Food and Drug Administration chief said the agency is limited by law to a mostly reactive stance on food safety and argued that it needs a more 'preventive approach' ... continue

STYLE, COMFORT, AND FIT = PPE COMPLIANCE

By Greg Summerhays

If you were asked whether or not you had witnessed workers not wearing safety equipment when they should have been, what would your answer be?

Nearly all of the safety professionals in a survey conducted by Kimberly Clark Professionals at the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Show answered "yes" when asked if they had observed workers not wearing safety equipment when they should have been. To make matters worse, 30 percent of the respondents said this had happened on numerous occasions. It's not surprising that worker compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols was cited as the top workplace safety issue by all survey respondents.

"Increasingly high noncompliance with PPE protocols is an alarming trend and a serious threat to worker health and safety," said Gina Tsiropoulos, manufacturing segment marketing manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional. "Whether this is a result of economic conditions, a flawed approach to safety programs, younger workers who are more inclined to take greater risks, or some other reason, it's essential that workers wear PPE when it is required. PPE protects workers against injury, but it will not work if workers fail to use it and use it properly."
Here are some of the survey results:

Most Challenging PPE:
§ Eye protection
§ Hearing protection
§ Gloves
§ Head protection

Top Five Reasons for Not Using PPE:
§ Uncomfortable
§ Too hot
§ Not available near the work task
§ Poor fit
§ Unattractive looking

Ideas to Improve Compliance:
§ Improve existing education and training programs
§ Increase monitoring of employees
§ Purchase more comfortable PPE
§ Link compliance to individual performance evaluations
§ Purchase more stylish PPE
§ Develop incentive programs to encourage greater PPE compliance


Vision for the Future of PPE
§ Improved fit
§ Comfort
§ Improved style

The survey respondents hoped that the PPE of the future would contain the following features including PPE that automatically adjusts to fit different body types, hands, heads, faces, etc. Next was PPE with customizable style and design options, so that workers could select PPE based on their own individual tastes and safety requirements. This was followed by PPE designed with integrated climate-control features, providing cooling or warmth as needed.

The impact of customization and style on PPE compliance was further underscored by the response to another question. When asked if customizable or individualized style and design options would help increase PPE compliance, 87 percent of respondents said that it would.

It is evident that employers should take into consideration not only safety requirements when selecting PPE for their employees. If you are looking to increase compliance of PPE use then remember not to leave out comfort, style and design when selecting PPE for your workforce.

Greg Summerhays is Director of Public Relations and Community Outreach at Workers Compensation Fund. WCF offers ongoing safety training and UMA members are eligible for a 5% premium discount through a partnership with WCF. Visit www.wcfgroup.com for more information.

UN MAY REIN IN CARBON TRADING SCAM

August 23, 2010 – LateWire from Today in Manufacturing.net
Board that oversees a $2.7 billion carbon market has agreed to take steps that could lead to it eventually reining in what environmentalists are calling a huge scam ... continue