Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109706

Thomas J. Lentz, PhD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 513/533-8260, tbl7@cdc.gov and Rick Niemeier, PhD, Education and Information Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH 45226.

Limited resources for exposure assessment and a lack of established occupational exposure limits for thousands of industrial and commercial chemicals used in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are just two of the factors which led to the development of control banding, a control-focused quantitative risk assessment and management strategy for addressing occupational hazards. The utility of control banding strategies for providing practical occupational safety and health guidance has been recognized internationally for SMEs, as well as for larger industries in developing countries. Efforts to study and promote control banding strategies in the United States have included national and international workshops, a draft critical review of control banding concepts, and development and testing of control-focused guidance and training materials. This presentation will provide a description of the background and evolution of control banding concepts, as well as discussion of the efforts mentioned and the federal agencies, industries, organized labor groups, and others involved. Examples will be provided for specific industries (healthcare, machining and manufacturing) where control-focused guidance solutions are being developed and applied. The relevance of control banding strategies to the national research to practice (R2P) initiative within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will be emphasized.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)To facilitate understanding of control banding evolution, concepts, and application to address workplace hazards; and
• 2)To provide resources, examples, and tools for control-focused guidance and solutions.

Keywords: Workplace Safety, Occupational Health

Recorded presentation