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NIOSH Publications and Products:Safety and Health Resource Guide for Small Businesses |
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About Small BusinessAbout NIOSHThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the Federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent work-related illness and injury. NIOSH works with industries, labor organizations, and universities to understand and improve worker safety and health. NIOSH is often confused with OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration). However, NIOSH and OSHA are separate agencies with different functions. NIOSH is a research agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OSHA is a regulatory agency in the U.S. Department of Labor. For information and publications about occupational hazards, please contact NIOSH at Toll-free telephone: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
Fax directory: 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299) Web site:www.cdc.gov/niosh E-mail:pubstaft@cdc.gov Purpose of This DocumentThis Guide is intended to help small business owners, employers, and managers deal with occupational safety and health concerns. Others involved with the small business community may also benefit from using this resource. This guide contains telephone numbers, e-mail and Internet addresses, and mailing information that will connect small businesses to government agencies, private organizations, consultants, and others who can help with occupational safety and health issues. How to Research an Occupational Safety and Health ProblemQuestion 1I manage a small printing plant and we recently changed one of our inks. A press operator says that she is having an allergic skin reaction to this new ink. How and where can I get more information? Answers
Question 2We are technicians at a doctor's office. We are not sure we are disposing of needles and other sharps correctly. What procedures should we be following? Answers
Question 3I work with lead and for years have heard about the hazards of lead. How do I protect myself and my family? Answers
Table of ContentsI. Introduction
III. Services Offered by NIOSH to Small Businesses
IV. Other Government Agencies Offering Occupational Safety and Health Services
V. Educational Institutions, Organizations and Commercial Establishments Offering
I. IntroductionFrequently, small businesses do not have the in-house capacity or other resources to address safety and health concerns in the workplace. To help small business owners, employers, and managers deal with these concerns, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed this Safety and Health Resource Guide for Small Businesses. The guide contains telephone numbers, e-mail and Internet addresses, and mailing information that will connect small businesses to the government agencies, private organizations, consultants, and others who can help them with occupational safety and health issues. II. What is a Small Business?For the purposes of this document, NIOSH considers a small business establishment to be one with fewer than 100 employees at a single site. The success of small businesses relies partly on their small scale, which enables them to operate effectively with limited resources, respond quickly to demands for products and services, and interact with clients, employees, and vendors on a personal level. Why focus on small businesses?NIOSH recognizes that small businesses can benefit from additional information about protecting the safety and health of their employees. The number of small businesses is expected to increase, and the U.S. workforce is predicted to grow to an estimated 147 million by the year 2005. In focusing on the important contributions of small businesses in the United States, Federal agencies have begun to develop programs that provide services and assistance to small businesses. Most of the agencies and organizations that provide occupational safety and health assistance and publications are included in this document. Examples of Federal programs and legislation include the following:
These and other programs reflect a commitment to ensure that small businesses remain productive and safe. The best opportunity to prevent illness and injury in small business industries is for the owners, managers, and employees to identify and understand the hazards and risks that workers might encounter on the job. This guide provides many sources of free information to help reduce and prevent threats to worker safety and health. Numbers of workers in small businessesMore than half of all U.S. employees in private industry work in small business establishments with fewer than 100 employees (see Figure 1). Furthermore, nearly 98% of all private industry establishments in the United States have fewer than 100 employees. Of these, roughly 87% have fewer than 20 employees. Percentage of U.S. private industry employees working in business establishments of various sizes. (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns 1994, CBP-94-1.) Safety and health challenges for small businessesIn small businesses, injuries and illnesses can exact a hefty toll. For a small business owner operating independently, the magnitude of the problem may not be apparent. However, a government survey of U.S. businesses in 1994-1995 found that workplaces with 10 or fewer employees experience about one-third of all work-related deaths, although they only employ 15% of all workers in private industry. Small businesses often operate as a family, with concern for protecting each employee from harm at work. Yet, because of their size, these businesses frequently lack the services of occupational safety and health professionals who can identify and prevent hazards. In addition, small businesses have been traditionally underserved by occupational safety and health initiatives. Instead, many safety and health regulations and enforcement efforts designed to protect employees from hazards have focused on large employers. As a result, safety and health issues may be more readily resolved in large businesses by complying with standards and using additional resources. Smaller businesses may be unable to recognize hazards as readily and may therefore be unable to find information about work-related hazards or develop solutions. Costs of work-related injuries and illnessesFor all businesses in the United States, work-related injuries and illnesses cost an estimated $171 billion each year. This figure does not address the pain and suffering caused to workers and their families. For small businesses, the average cost for an employee injury or illness varies by industryfor some small businesses the average cost is roughly $300. The highest-risk small business industries average up to $5,700 per employee injury or illness. |
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