"Insufficient sleep and sleep disorders are associated with chronic diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and obesity. Sleep-related issues also can be primary symptoms of mental illness, such as depression," said Michael Decker of CDC's Chronic Viral Diseases Branch.
OSHA recently announced a final rule on improving the safety of longshoring employees who work with vertical tandem lifts (VTLs). The final rule will reduce hazards related to lifting two containers at a time using cranes by ensuring that safe work practices are followed. The rule was published in the December 10 Federal Register.
"Our common goal is a continuous and effective safety and health emphasis that will eliminate injuries and illnesses and their associated human and financial costs," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's New England regional administrator.
The $11 billion project is scheduled to begin opening in phases next year. Six workers’ deaths during its construction prompted a brief halt of work, OSHA and Nevada OSHA investigations, and a newspaper’s series on construction safety in the casino capital.
The General Services Administration today published Federal Management Regulation Bulletin 2009-B1, which eliminates the exemption that designated smoking areas inside federal workplaces.
University of South Carolina geographers have produced a map of natural-hazard mortality in the United States that gives the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes, or extreme weather
The alliance will place special emphasis on emergency preparedness and response activities related to restoring utility services quickly and safely following a major disaster.
"The fact that the trend persists even as gas prices are dropping confirms that America's travel habits are fundamentally changing," said DOT Secretary Mary E. Peters.
"These employees were just one misstep or tumble away from a fatal or disabling plunge," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y.
The company also agreed to provide anti-discrimination training for the owner, managers, supervisors, and employees and allow EEOC to monitor the work site for the next two years.
"Today, more and more companies are tying incentives directly to performance in order to give employees a vested interest in the success or failure of the company and to take away the entitlement mentality that comes with bonuses that are given arbitrarily," said Ken Abosch of Hewitt Associates.
Lisa P. Jackson, CHMM, is the former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and before that worked for 16 years in EPA's Superfund Program, developing key hazardous waste cleanup regulations, overseeing hazardous waste cleanup programs and directing multimillion-dollar cleanup operations.
The 2005 settlement and today’s penalty settlement with ExxonMobil were reached as part of a broader EPA initiative to reduce air pollution from refineries nationwide. To date, 95 refineries located in 28 states, representing more than 86 percent of the nation’s refining capacity, have been required to install new controls to significantly reduce emissions.
Nancy Nord, CPSC acting chairman, said enforcement of the new law will focus on sites "where the greatest risk of drain entrapment to children exists, such as wading pools, pools designed specifically for toddlers and young children, and in-ground spas, particularly where these types of pools and spas have flat drain grates and single main drain systems."
NIOSH has engaged The National Academies' Institute of Medicine to review the draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin: "Asbestos Fibers and other Elongated Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Research."
With the new technology, leaks are displayed on a video screen similar to the way night vision goggles are used to show the heat signature of objects.
Based on proposed amendments, if a refinery relies upon flaring more than expected, the facility would be required to take corrective action.
The presentation, which includes slides, focuses on hot work and arc flash hazards and how to protect oneself against shock and arc flashes or blasts.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have demonstrated that this method is about 35 percent better than adding conventional fire retardants to these foams used in upholstered furniture.
According to the agency, by 2050, the population of people age 45 and over in the United States is projected to grow to more than 170 million people, from 93 million today.