Facility Safety


Survey: Flex Time, Vacation Privileges on the Chopping Block

According to the poll, only 12 percent of companies plan to offer summer hours this year--a benefit typically defined as allowing employees to put in extra hours Monday through Thursday and take either a half day off every Friday or a full day off every other Friday during the summer months.

$400 Million in EEOICPA Benefits Paid to Colorado Residents

The Department of Labor recently announced that it has paid more than $400 million in compensation and medical benefits to Colorado residents under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). The act was created to assist those individuals who became ill as a result of working in the atomic weapons industry. Survivors of such individuals may also be eligible for benefits.

a highway tunnel photo from FHWAs "Public Roads" magazine

Acoustic Detectives Find Signatures of Loosening Bolts

The Boise State University team's leader foresees installed accelerometers that continuously monitor bolts in locations such as a highway tunnel, depicted here in a photo from FHWA's "Public Roads" magazine.

EU-OSHA Sponsors Photo Contest, Seeks Safe Working Shots

"We want participants to be as imaginative and creative as possible, and to explore ways in which photography can highlight the need for safe and healthy workplaces," the agency says. The top-ranked photo, chosen by an international jury of professional photographers, will win 3,000 euros.

AHMP, IHMM Form 'New, Dynamic Relationship'

"This agreement highlights each group's dedication to enhancing professionalism in the field of hazardous materials management and the overall environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) industry," said AHMP President Harry S. Kemp, CHMM.

Shiftwork Management Firm Offers Tips for Getting a Good Day's Sleep

Sunlight and other light sources send wake-up cues to the body's internal clock, so it's vital to take steps to make it as dark as possible. A range of approaches can address this problem.

Report: Half of Engineering, Environmental Firms Conducted Layoffs in '08

"There's obviously a lot more to the story behind these numbers, but the short version is that the red ink many of us had been expecting to see across the industry seems to have been largely avoided," says Ian Rusk, ZweigWhite president and financial consultant.

OSHA Proposes More than $46,000 in Fines for Chlorine Gas Leak

OSHA has cited Metalor Technologies for 10 alleged serious violations of safety standards, with $46,500 in fines, following an inspection prompted by a Nov. 7, 2008, chlorine gas leak at the company's North Attleboro, Mass., metals refining plant.



chips and cards used in a casino

NIOSH Report Recommends Eliminating Tobacco from Vegas Casinos

A secondhand smoke Health Hazard Evaluation triggered by confidential requests from non-poker dealers at Bally's, Paris, and Caesars Palace casinos found evidence of exposure to a known carcinogen from tobacco smoke, based on measurable levels in their urine.

IHMM Awards 15,000th CHMM Credential

Recipient Erik P. Delaney, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who specializes in EH&S, hazmat, and safety management, "has distinguished himself by the breadth and depth of his knowledge regarding the management of hazardous materials, and through the professionalism he exhibits in dealing with the public, his co-workers, and other industry professionals," said IHMM Board of Directors Chair Elizabeth Pfeiffer.

PCBs in Used Oil Cost Muffler Shop $9,300

The manufacture of PCBs was banned in 1979. "These federal rules are intended to protect human health and the environment from risks posed by these toxic chemicals," said Daniel Duncan, EPA's regional PCB program coordinator in Seattle.

Ex Supervisor Faces Prison, $250,000 Fine for Falsifying Drinking Water Reports

"Accurate information is essential for the federal government and the State of Oklahoma to assure good drinking water for the public," said Warren Amburn, special agent in charge of EPA's criminal enforcement program in Dallas. "Individuals who submit false reports or bogus data undermine those efforts and they will be vigorously pursued."

IH Community Weighs in on Potential Pandemic, Urges Preparation

"Planning for pandemic influenza is critical, and the business community must not delay in considering the impact of a pandemic and to adjust their company's employee health and safety plans accordingly," says AIHA President Lindsey Booher, CIH, CSP.

Safety Pact Signed for Scott Air Force Base Construction Project

The $93.6 million, 180,000 square-foot building project will house the U.S. Transportation Command, the U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2010.

Steel Research Center Attains Star Status

The facility, which uses the latest technology to research and develop new steel production, processes, and methods, sometimes while working in high-temperature and gaseous environments, was honored for maintaining high employee health and safety standards.

Is Your Lifeline Ready?

An unappreciated, underused resource for employers was thrust into the limelight recently when the National Business Group on Health released "An Employer's Guide to Employee Assistance Programs" at a Washington, D.C., news conference. Two years of studying best practices and evidencebased approaches to the design and delivery of effective employee assistance programs (EAPs) contributed to the guide.

Help is Out There

No one can predict when a chemical splash will occur. But we can plan for the possibility, put in place preventive and protective measures, and prepare for a quick emergency response.

a hallway with surfaces showing moisture buildup

Tracking Moisture with Surface RH

The significance of surface RH is that it "bridges the gap between HVAC people's understanding of humidity issues and their relationship to mold problems," consultant and author Lew Harriman says.

Virtual Task Forks

Every year in the United States, nearly 100 workers are killed in forklift-related incidents and, according to OSHA, "tens of thousands" more are injured. Truck tipovers are the leading cause of the fatalities, followed by workers being crushed between a vehicle and a surface.

EPA Warns Facilities: File Updated Risk Management Plans or Face Penalties

RMPs contain information assessing plans in place to prevent and respond to accidental releases of hazardous substances from facilities and must be updated at least every five years.

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