3M Science of Safety

In this episode, Debbie Dietrich, Senior Vice President and Corporate Industrial Hygienist for SKC Inc. joins host Mark Reggers for the first of a two-part series on Exposure Monitoring. Exposure monitoring is a quantitative measurement of environmental hazards to which workers may be exposed to. It is a critical component of any Occupational Hygiene program in the prevention of illness and the pr...

In this episode Dr. Julia Norris, current AIOH President & Medical Director at Occuhealth joins us to discuss the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH), who they are and what they do.  The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists is a professional body representing the interests of occupational hygienists in Australia. Their mission is to promote and preserve the health and...

In this episode Terry Gorman, 3M's Technical Services Manager for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss when and why to change respiratory filters. Respirator filters do not last forever. As they do their job capturing airborne contaminants in the maze of fibres that is the filter, it becomes harder for air to make its way through and It becomes too difficul...

In this episode host Mark Reggers discusses the subject matter of indoor air quality with guest Kevin White. Indoor air quality relates to the condition of the air within buildings and structures that we breathe in, and whether it is safe. Since we spend more than 90% of our time in-doors, poor-quality indoor air can affect the health, comfort and well-being of building occupants. It has been link...

In this episode Ted Madison, 3M's former Technical Services Specialist for the Personal Safety Division in the U.S.A. joins us to discuss impulse noise hearing protection. Some of the most dangerous sounds that can contribute to hearing loss are some of the brief noises we hear. These sounds, known as impulse noises are very short, less than one second long, tiny bursts of noise that can be quite...

In this episode Ranmalee De Silva, 3M's Application Engineering Specialist for the Cleaning and Workplace Safety portfolio of the Commercial Solutions Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss slips, trips and falls. Each year slips, trips and falls results in thousands of preventable injuries in the workplace. People must be able to move around the workplace safely, these incident...

In this episode Kosta Karagiannopoulos, 3M's Application Engineering Specialist for the Transportation Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss connected roads. The connected roads program is about building the safer roads of tomorrow, starting today, to accommodate automated vehicles. Connected roads help improve roadway safety and efficiency through enhanced transportatio...

In this episode Greg Peterson, 3M's Technical Engineer for 3M Fall Protection in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss fall protection engineered systems. An engineered system provides an anchorage point that allows greater movement and safety of the user over a larger or specific working environment. They are typically found on roofs, above truck loading bays, aircraft hangers, crane rail...

In this episode Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss welding fume … a known carcinogen.  In early 2017, welding fume was reclassified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) from a classification of Group 2B, possibly carcinogenic to humans, to Group 1, Carcinogenic to humans. This change was m...

In this episode Peter Aspinall, the Principal Occupational Hygiene Consultant with WSP joins us to discuss exposure standards with host Mark Reggers. Workplace exposure standards are a set of measures established by regulatory agencies that outline the maximum allowable limit for a variety of hazards that workers can be exposed to without suffering any negative health effects. They are numerical v...

In this episode Mark Reggers is joined by guest Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand to discuss methyl bromide. Methyl bromide is a colourless non-flammable gas which is heavier than air and odourless at low concentrations. It is widely used as a fumigant and pesticide to prevent unwanted pests such as insects and rodents in shippi...

In this episode Greg Peterson, 3M's Technical Engineer for 3M Fall Protection in Australia and New Zealand joins us to discuss Fall Protection Anchor Points. Anchorages, or as they are often referred to in the industry, anchor points, provide a secure point of attachment (to an existing structure) for the fall arrest system. Anchorages can be permanent or temporary and vary by industry, job, type...

In this episode Ted Madison, 3M's former Technical Services Specialist for the Personal Safety Division in the U.S.A. joins us to discuss Hearing Protection Device Ratings. When hearing protection is worn, it is important that the protective devices used have the appropriate protection rating based on your level of exposure to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. However, with different test method...

In this episode Ranmalee De Silva, 3M's Application Engineering Specialist for the Cleaning and Workplace Safety portfolio of the Commercial Solutions Division in Australia and New Zealand discusses spill control in the workplace. Spills in the workplace are unavoidable and need to be taken seriously when they do occur. Depending on the nature of the spill, whether it be oil, petrol, chemical or a...

In this episode Rick Millar, the former Technical Manager for 3M Fall Protection in Australia and New Zealand discusses Fall Arrest versus Fall Restraint in Fall Protection with host Mark Reggers.  The complexities of fall protection go far beyond equipment selection and use. When working at height we need to be aware of the different systems and work methods available, i.e. Fall Arrest and Fall R...

In this episode, Mark Reggers discusses Fentanyl Risks for First Responders with guest Brad Prezant. Brad, an occupational hygienist, is the Chief Scientific Officer for ValidAir Sciences.  Fentanyl is a potent synthetic medication that belongs to a group of drugs known as opioids. Opioids interact with opioid receptors in the brain and evoke a spectrum of responses within the body to treat pain....

In this episode Mark Reggers is joined by guest Terry Gorman, 3M's Occupational Hygienist for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand to discuss Isocyantes. Isocyanates are a group of highly reactive hazardous chemicals used to manufacture polyurethane foams, rubbers, plastics, varnishes, adhesives and paints. Isocyanates have been related to a number of adverse health effects, w...

In this episode Mark Reggers is joined by guest Kosta Karagiannopoulos, 3M's Application Engineering Specialist for the Transportation Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand to discuss the science of retro reflectivity.  Retro reflectivity or retro reflection occurs when a surface returns a large portion of a directed light beam back to its source. It helps the eye perceive objects in low li...

In this episode host Mark Reggers is joined by fellow hygienist, Peter Aspinall. Peter is the Principal Occupational Hygiene Consultant with WSP and they focus their attention on the topic of occupational hygiene.  Occupational hygiene is the practice of using science and engineering to anticipate, recognise, evaluate, control, and confirm the protection of workers from hazards in the workplace th...

In this episode, Craig Leech, NSW Sales Manager and Technical Specialist for Australian Welding Supplies (AWS) returns for part two of our welding hazards episode where we dive deeper into the associated risks and the control measures required to keep welders safe.  When we think welding most of us presume that it is simply the process of permanently bonding two pieces of metal together, however,...

In this episode Mark Reggers is joined by guest Craig Leech, NSW Sales Manager and Technical Specialist for Australian Welding Supplies (AWS) to discuss welding hazards. When we think welding most of us presume that it is simply the process of permanently bonding two pieces of metal together, however, there is more to welding than meets the eye. Technical matters aside, the world of a welder is fi...

In this episode Rick Millar, the former Technical Manager for 3M Fall Protection in Australia and New Zealand discusses the ABCD's of Fall Protection with host Mark Reggers.  When working at height, the danger of falling is real and can bring devastating consequences. While fall protection is a complicated issue and details of your local laws and regulations, codes of practice and standards all ne...

In this episode host Mark Reggers discusses the subject matter of mould with guest Kevin White. Kevin is the Principal Consultant for Greencap's WHS team in Western Australia. Mould is part of a group of organisms called fungi. It is present almost everywhere, both indoors and outdoors and mould spores are commonplace in many households and workplaces. Many different types of mould exist, and when...

In this episode Kevin McComb, 3M's Technical Services Manager for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand returns for the last episode in our confined space series. In this final chapter they focus their attention on supplied air respiratory in confined spaces. Confined spaces not only present toxic gases, but also the lack of oxygen. Where the lack of oxygen exists filtering res...

In this episode Mark Reggers is joined by guest Kevin McComb, 3M's Technical Services Manager for the Personal Safety Division in Australia and New Zealand to discuss gas detection in confined spaces. Confined spaces present many unseen challenges, one of these is the potential for toxic atmospheric conditions within the space. Prior to entry, it's vital that the atmosphere is tested to check the...