O8: Fellows Debate: Strategizing Over OELs: What's a Life Worth?
MediSHARE Environmental Health & Safety Services
Cupertino, CA
United States of America
Wed, 6/3: 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM CDT
Education Sessions
Education Sessions
Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
Room: 288
CM Credit Hours: 1
Description
Industrial hygienists, safety, environmental, and public health professionals apply various exposure strategies, controls, and limits without much thought for the implications vs. economics of the impact of a particular measure or group of these measures.
The theory of risk and its associated controls can be interpreted in several ways. This has received significant recent attention over the COVID-19 pandemic and measles outbreak. Depending on the topic, risk and controls may have bias – how are these evaluated, measured, considered, and relied upon. There are ethical considerations that we and others may evaluate differently. Given the different types of conflicts that may arise, what are implications of choosing one control method over another – especially when the potential hazards are life threatening?
The value or cost of a life or disability is one way of evaluating the impact. Typically, there have been three primary ways of addressing this impact: Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and the value per life saved (VoL). Even with these evaluations, there are different means of performing an assessment. Can the traditional IH methods of controls conflict with each other? Are there ethical considerations that should or not be overlooked? A review of these measures, the methods of their development, historical outcomes of these estimates, and the regulatory impact will be discussed.
The theory of risk and its associated controls can be interpreted in several ways. This has received significant recent attention over the COVID-19 pandemic and measles outbreak. Depending on the topic, risk and controls may have bias – how are these evaluated, measured, considered, and relied upon. There are ethical considerations that we and others may evaluate differently. Given the different types of conflicts that may arise, what are implications of choosing one control method over another – especially when the potential hazards are life threatening?
The value or cost of a life or disability is one way of evaluating the impact. Typically, there have been three primary ways of addressing this impact: Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and the value per life saved (VoL). Even with these evaluations, there are different means of performing an assessment. Can the traditional IH methods of controls conflict with each other? Are there ethical considerations that should or not be overlooked? A review of these measures, the methods of their development, historical outcomes of these estimates, and the regulatory impact will be discussed.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion, the participant will be able to:
• Distinguish the often-varying perspectives of risk, its evaluation and control.
• Distinguish that every exposure control measure to save a life or adverse outcome has an economic (resources) cost, and that it can be valued.
• Evaluate the three primary measures of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and the value per life saved (VoL) and how they might be calculated.
• Compare health/life cost choices in terms of weighted evidence and practical value where there can be significant conflicts.
• Assess data sources on cost of a life, limb, or disability.
• Distinguish the often-varying perspectives of risk, its evaluation and control.
• Distinguish that every exposure control measure to save a life or adverse outcome has an economic (resources) cost, and that it can be valued.
• Evaluate the three primary measures of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and the value per life saved (VoL) and how they might be calculated.
• Compare health/life cost choices in terms of weighted evidence and practical value where there can be significant conflicts.
• Assess data sources on cost of a life, limb, or disability.
Content Level
Intermediate
Core Competencies
Exposure Assessment
IH/OH Program Management
Risk Management
Keywords
Emergency preparedness and response
Exposure Assessment
Legal and expert witness
OHS Management systems, auditing, and compliance
Risk assessment and management
Session Availability
In-person
Targeted Audience
Professional
Transfer of Knowledge
Lecture Only