The notion that talking on a cell phone while driving a car isn’t safe seems obvious, yet what happens in the brain while it juggles the two tasks is not.
A study by a University of South Carolina psychology researcher featured in the journal, Experimental Psychology, provides a better understanding of why language—talking and listening, including on a cell phone—interferes with visual tasks, such as driving.
In two different experiments, associate professor of psychology Dr. Amit Almor found that planning to speak and speaking put far more demands on the brain’s resources than listening.
“We measured their attention level and found that subjects were four times more distracted while preparing to speak or speaking than when they were listening,” said Almor of the 47 people who participated in the experiment. “People can tune in or out as needed when listening.”
One experiment required participants to detect visual shapes on a monitor, and a second experiment required participants to use a computer mouse to track a fast-moving target on the screen. In both experiments, participants performed the visual task while listening to prerecorded narratives and responding to the narratives.
Almor calls the finding “very strong” and expects it to be even stronger in actual, interactive conversation. He and Tim Boiteau, a graduate student in linguistics, have repeated the experiment using 20 pairs of friends who engaged in real conversation while completing visual tasks. Those results are being compiled this summer.
“I anticipate the effect to be even stronger and more dynamic because, in conversation, people have the urge to contribute,” said Almor. “In conversation, we compete with the other person. I suspect that the greater the urge to speak, the greater the distraction from the visual task.”
In both experiments, Almor placed the participants in a circular, surround-sound environment in which the speakers were hidden and the voice shifted from the front, rear, or either side.
Almor found that participants could complete the visual task in front of them more easily when the projected voice also was in front. This effect, while not so strong as the difference between preparing to speak or speaking and listening, suggests that simultaneously performing a language task and a visual task is easier when the tasks are in the same space physically and cognitively.
“Either people are used to face-to-face communication or, when they engage in a language task, they create a mental representation in their mind and place the voice somewhere in space,” Almor said. “In this case, that space is in front of them, which suggests that it may be easier to have all things that require attention occupy the same space.”
The finding may be useful in the development of new technologies, said Almor. In the case of a car, an internal speaker phone could project a speaker’s voice from the front so that it occupies the same place as the visual task of driving. The same could be applied in remote classroom instruction, in PowerPoint presentations, and in military and pilot training.
Almor’s findings are particularly relevant in light of recent statistics. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported in April that 25% of all car accidents are caused by distractions. A survey done by Nationwide Mutual Insurance in 2007 indicated that 73% of drivers talk on cell phones while driving. Given that cell-phone sales have vaulted to 254 million in February 2008 up from 4.3 million in 1990, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, there is good reason for researchers to study the brain and how talking and listening on a cell phone interferes with driving a car.
At the University of South Carolina, Almor conducts research on language and memory (the brain’s ability to acquire, organize, revise, and store information).
DVD on Workplace Violence Offers Resources, Recommendations for Job Safety Measures
A training and educational DVD from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides employers, employees, safety professionals, and others with recommendations and resources for preventing work-related homicides and assaults.
It is based on extensive NIOSH research, supplemented with information from other authoritative sources.
Homicide in the workplace is the third leading cause of job-related fatalities and the second leading cause of job-related fatalities for women. Each week in the United States, 17 employees on average are murdered at work and 33,000 on average are assaulted. Factors that place workers at risk for violence in the workplace include interacting with the public, exchanging money, delivering services or goods, working late at night or during early morning hours, working alone, guarding valuables or property, and dealing with violent people or volatile situations.
"The DVD format offers exciting new capabilities as an engaging, interactive, and effective tool for safety and health education in the workplace," NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., said. "We are confident that this new DVD will help meet an ongoing demand by businesses and employees for information they can use to keep their workplaces safe from acts of violence."
Included in the new DVD are:
- A 21-minute training and education program designed to engage a wide variety of workplace audiences.
- A bonus video on a program in New York State for preventing workplace violence in state drug treatment facilities. The case study includes discussions by a labor representative and a management representative who were instrumental in developing and implementing the program.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) guidelines for preventing workplace violence in health care workplaces, late-night retail settings, and taxicab services.
- Access to additional materials and resources on preventing workplace violence.
Copies can be ordered at no charge by calling 1-800-35-NIOSH.
Canadian Safety Videos Make Their Point
The Ontario Worker Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has produced several videos, each showing an accident that occurs and how it could have been prevented.
Contractor Fined $117,000 for Repeat Violations
A Milford, Mass.-based roofing contractor with a history of fall protection violations has been cited again by OSHA for fall hazards, this time at a residential construction site in Norwich, Conn.
Alex General Construction Inc. was cited for 11 alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards following OSHA's inspection of a worksite located at 29 School St. The inspection began Nov. 19, 2007, when an OSHA inspector observed Alex employees working without fall protection on a steep-pitched roof 24 feet above the ground.
"The sizable fines proposed in this case reflect both the seriousness and the recurrence of this potentially deadly and disabling hazard," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford. "This employer's repeated failure to ensure a basic safeguard leaves employees exposed to falls, the number one killer in construction work."
OSHA has issued the company four repeat citations, carrying $85,000 in proposed penalties, for lack of fall protection and inadequate fall protection training for employees working on a 24-foot-high roof, extension ladders that did not extend at least 3 feet above their landing surface, and placement of an aluminum extension ladder within 18 inches of an energized power cable. OSHA had cited Alex Construction in July and September 2006 for similar hazards at worksites in Providence and Johnston, R.I.
An additional $32,000 in fines has been proposed for seven serious citations addressing lack of protection against falling objects, an improperly erected ladder jack scaffold, no fall protection for employees working on the scaffold, use of a damaged extension ladder, no ladder safety training, and improper ladder use. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Golf Prolongs Life
A study published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports based on data from 300,000 Swedish golfers shows that golf has beneficial health effects. The death rate among golfers is 40% lower than the rest of the population, which equates to an increased life expectancy of five years.
Professor Anders Ahlbom, who led the study with Bahman Farahmand. is not surprised at the result, as he believes that there are several aspects of the game that are proved to be good for the health.
"A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace for six to seven kilometres, something which is known to be good for the health," he says. "People play golf into old age, and there are also positive social and psychological aspects to the game that can be of help."
The study does not rule out that other factors than the actual playing, such as a generally healthy lifestyle, are also behind the lower death rate observed among golfers. However, the researchers believe it is likely that the playing of the game in itself has a significant impact on health.
Golf players have a lower death rate regardless of sex, age, and social group. The effect is greater for golfers from blue-collar professions than for those from white-collar professions. The lowest rates are found in the group of players with the lowest handicap (i.e., the best golfers).
Maintaining a low handicap involves playing a lot, so this supports the idea that it is largely the game itself that is good for the health, says Professor Ahlbom.
NIOSH Posts Draft Control Banding Document for Public Review and Comment
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted a draft document about Control Banding on its webpage for public review and comment.
The comprehensive literature review is intended to inform employers, workers, safety and health practitioners, and other audiences about the concepts of control banding and to stimulate further dialogue about its potential usefulness in the United States by providing the appropriate background information and resources.
As background to the topic of control-focused chemical hazard strategies, NIOSH recognized that the number of chemicals in commerce is far greater than the number of occupational exposure limits (OELs), roughly 1,000. Setting additional OELs for new and existing chemicals, and monitoring to ensure exposures are maintained below the OELs, are important but resource-intensive activities. In addition, if the majority of chemical substances in commerce have no established OELS, employers and workers often lack the necessary guidance on the extent to which occupational exposures should be controlled.
Consequently, to fill this gap, control banding evolved as an approach to address these challenges, drawing upon mature knowledge and practices in occupational-hygiene practice regarding exposure assessment, chemical hazard assessment, and control technology options. The conceptual basis for control banding is a framework for the grouping of chemical exposures according to similar physical and chemical characteristics, intended processes/handling, and anticipated exposure scenarios (amount of chemical used and how workers would be exposed).
The promise of such a qualitative risk assessment and management approach is further increased given appropriate consideration for evolving developments in international chemical commerce, including the globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemicals (GHS), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed-rulemaking for the Hazard Communication standard, and European Union regulations (i.e., Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemical substances, or REACH). These and other factors are discussed in the document, which evaluates the state-of-the-science of control banding as reflected in research and practice. Information was gleaned from the published scientific literature, proceedings of recent international workshops, symposia, and conferences to ensure a broad and comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Among the conclusions, NIOSH indicates that control banding is a potentially valuable tool for risk management of some chemical agents and other occupational hazards; however, continued research and validation efforts are needed. Control banding is not meant to reduce the need for OELs but to serve as a supplemental risk management tool. If control banding is to be useful in the United States, NIOSH recommends in the draft document that the following actions occur:
- Increase the awareness and standardization of control banding concepts
- Ensure validation of qualitative risk assessment and management strategies, tools, and the control-focused solutions
- Coordinate efforts for developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating qualitative risk assessment and risk management approaches to improve awareness and utility of task-specific hazard control guidance
- Foster national and international coordination and collaboration in focusing on applications for control-focused solutions for high-risk tasks, industries, and small business enterprises
- Consider control banding models for broader applications to address additional workplace hazards (e.g., more complex chemical exposures, dermal exposure hazards, ergonomic hazards, and other physical hazards)
The draft document is posted for viewing until July 11.
Contact Person for Technical Information: Thomas J. Lentz, Ph.D., Lead Health Scientist, NIOSH, CDC, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-32, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45226-1998, Telephone 513-533-8260,
Be Safe on the Fourth
What would July 4th be without fireworks? Workplace hazards can go hand-in-hand with fireworks manufacturing, storage, transportation, display, and retail sales. Since July 4th is right around the corner, OSHA is reminding employers and employees in the display segment of the fireworks (pyrotechnics) industry about the safety hazards of setting off fireworks and possible solutions to those hazards. Here are a few safety tips for fireworks display operators:
- Use competent, trained personnel.
- Wear protective gear and proper clothing.
- Prohibit accidental ignition sources.
- Properly install mortar boxes, racks, and drums.
- Always handle fireworks carefully.
Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools Provides Resource for Avoiding Musculoskeletal Injuries
A publication by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Cal/OSHA Consultation Service provides easy-to-use guidance for evaluating and selecting non-powered hand tools to reduce risks of job-related disorders from repetitive movements.
"Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools" includes user-friendly, illustrated discussions of factors to assess in choosing tools and a checklist for comparing tools and making a selection.
The document is designed to help employers and employees evaluate different non-powered hand tools to identify those that can be used effectively with less force, less repeated movement, and less awkward positioning of the body for a given task. By selecting a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, or other type of hand tool that meets design and performance criteria, the risk of musculoskeletal injury can be reduced.
"A wise investment in the right tool can repay itself many times over through savings in medical costs, lost work time, and lost productivity, but selecting the right tool can be complicated and time-consuming without assistance, especially for small businesses that lack specialized in-house resources," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "We are pleased to partner with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to fill the need for such assistance in the concise, non-technical, easy-to-follow format that this new guide provides."
To the untrained eye, it may be difficult to evaluate tools from an ergonomic perspective, the new document notes. The guide offers simple tips for making evaluations, following a step-by-step approach:
- Know the job.
- Look at the work space.
- Improve working posture.
- Select the tool.
For additional NIOSH findings and recommendations for preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders, visit the NIOSH webpage at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ergonomics/.
Wisconsin Workplace Safety and Health Day Aims to Protect Employees
Making and keeping the workplace safe and healthy will be the focus of the 5th annual "Safety Day, Reaching Out 2008" slated for June 12 at the Waukesha County Technical College's Richard T. Anderson Education Center, 800 Main St. in Pewaukee. Workplace safety and health issues will be discussed along with information made available to employers, employees. and the general public.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Milwaukee Area Office, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and the Waukesha County Technical College are jointly sponsoring the safety day conference.
"It is a proven fact that when employees operate under a comprehensive safety and health management system, incidents of injury and illness go down," said George Yoksas, director of OSHA's area office in Milwaukee. "The conference is an opportunity for small employers in general industry to attend and learn more about safety and health requirements for their workplaces."
Numerous breakout sessions will address, among other topics: OSHA case studies, workplace hazard recognition, ergonomics, machine guarding, safety and health hazards in welding, forklift and powered industrial vehicles, overhead cranes and hoists, and electrical safe work practices. OSHA staff and ASSE members will teach many of these sessions.
The daylong event will open for registration at 7:45 a.m., Central time, and continue with workshops and breakout sessions until 4 p.m. Vendors also will be at the event.
Space is limited to 300 participants. Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. A $15 cost includes all-day sessions and a box lunch. Registration and additional information can be obtained by calling Nick Antonio at 414-297-3315.
OSHA Proposes Nearly $240,000 in Fines Against Steel Erection Contractor
OSHA has cited Ajax Construction Co. Inc. for 15 alleged violations of steel-erection safety standards in connection with a Dec. 4, 2007, building collapse at a Taunton, Mass., worksite that injured eight employees. The Harrisville, R.I.-based steel-erection contractor faces a total of $239,600 in proposed fines.
"The sizable fines proposed here reflect both the gravity of the hazards found at this jobsite and the employer's knowledge of and failure to correct them," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director in Braintree. "This employer's refusal to properly follow basic steel-erection procedures placed employees at risk of crushing and other catastrophic injuries or death before, during, and after the collapse."
OSHA's inspection found that a powered industrial truck was improperly used to plumb, or straighten, a steel column that was disconnected from an overhead girder. Once the column was pulled out from under the now unsupported girder, the girder and the overhead decking on which employees were working collapsed. Afterward, a company official repeatedly entered the damaged structure even though entry was prohibited because the structure had not yet been stabilized and determined to be safe for entry.
For these conditions, plus failure to maintain structural stability during steel erection and other steel erection deficiencies, OSHA has issued Ajax Construction four willful citations, carrying $212,000 in proposed fines. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
OSHA also has issued the company nine serious citations, with $21,000 in proposed fines, for exposing employees to struck-by hazards while the powered industrial truck was used to plumb steel columns; improper lifting slings; commencing steel erection without written notification as to the strength of concrete used for the base; improper modification of anchor bolts; and several steel erection deficiencies within an adjacent structure also under construction. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
In addition, OSHA has issued Ajax one repeat citation, with a $6,000 proposed fine, for an inadequate fall protection lifeline, a condition similar to one at a Wallingford, Conn., worksite for which OSHA had cited Ajax in July 2006. Finally, OSHA has issued one other-than-serious citation, with a $600 proposed fine, for not completing the OSHA 300 illness and injury log in a timely manner.