Are Our Families Lives a Political Issue?

Senate Committee: Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
Title: Dangerous Dust: Is OSHA Doing Enough to Protect Workers?
Date: Tuesday, July 29, 10:00 a.m.

Webcast/Testimony (when available): Here

Panelist:

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
Edwin G. Foulke Jr., OSHA Administrator
John Bresland, Chairman, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Amy Spencer, Senior Chemical Engineer, National Fire Protection Agency
Richard Prug, Senior Process Safety Specialist, Chilworth Technology
Graham H. Graham, Vice President for Operations, Imperial Sugar Company (testifying on his own behalf)

Pass the bill

"On Tuesday, when the Senate subcommittee on employment and the workplace takes up the bill to impose stricter regulations on explosive dust collection and clean-up, Democratic leaders should avoid entangling the bill in fruitless Bush-bashing, and get the measure passed.

By the same token, Senate Republicans must avoid the knee-jerk position that any idea from a Democrat is a bad one."

Families are not the only ones noticing that we are being used for political reasons.

Are our families lives a political issue? There is too much political emphasis put on our loved ones lives. The issue is not whether republicans or democrats created the HR5522 or even pushed for it. The issues is plain and simple, it is a matter of life or death. Do our government officials value our families. Do they care that workers have not only lost their lives but there are some who will spend the rest of their lives sick and injured.

Having said that I fee I should include a few things.

There are technically 6 degree's of burns very rarely do doctors use a level higher than 3 because that alone may be fatal.

First-degree burns effect the epidermis layer causing redness and pain but no blistering.

Second degree burns effect the epidermis layer causing redness, pain and blistering

Third-degree burns effects most of the epidermis layer and damage to ligaments, tendons, nerve endings and muscle. This often also causes a loss of hair follicles and sweat glands and complete destruction of the dermis and death if infection occurs.

Fourth-degree burns effects bone tissue and the hypodermis which causing charing and exposed muscle tissue and more often death.

Fifth-degree destroys most of the skin and bone tissue causing amputaion if not fatal. Amputation is usually required if the burn does not prove to be fatal.

Sixth-degree burns leave almost all of the bone tissue burnt, leaving only blackened bone. These types of burns are almost always fatal.

A burn victim receives daily rehabilitation for mobilization, ambulation, activities of daily living, positioning to prevent burn deformities, splinting to prevent loss of functional position and muscle, tendon and tissue length.

Many burns will require grafts which may include autograft (skin transplanted from on portion of the body to another) pig skin or cadaveric (cadaver) skin. After a graft is applied, the person must remain immobile for five days, to allow the graft to take. Deeper wounds may take weeks to months to heal and use a "hood" over the wound to minimize granulation that may cause complications with scarring.

Scars are sensitive to touch, light and heat. There may be no activity that may cause trauma for the first three years. Scars stay hot and raised for 2-3 years and a burn victim goes throw many treatments and exercises to heal and keep mobility. Many burn victims suffer post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Other affects may include Isolation, Stigma, Sexual Dysfunction.

Most with extensive burns are in induced comas, so many have no idea of the time or events passed. When they wake it may have been a month but for them it is the very next day. They may find that they have lost friends and family and they were unable to say goodbye to.