Hazard Communication


The ASSE Utilities Branch will address EHS issues in solar and wind power generation, among other areas.

ASSE Forms Agricultural and Utilities Branches

The society cited growth and interest in these sectors' safety for launching them. The Utilities Branch will address EHS issues in solar and wind power generation, water and wastewater, and telecommunications, among other areas.

Study Says Certain Nonprescription Drugs Prevent Trip to Doctor

Nonprescription medications in the home medicine cabinet could save a trip to the doctor, according to the January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. It lists more than a dozen over-the-counter medications that can help manage minor ailments.

Mattresses Recalled for Posing Fire Hazard

These particular U.S.-made mattress/box spring sets have been found to violate the federal mattress flammability standard.

Women's Health Provider Settles Hazwaste Violations

The company offers in vitro diagnostic kits, and analyte-specific, general purpose, and research-use-only reagents for nucleic acid analysis. EPA said the company failed to obtain a hazardous waste storage license, among other things.

New Study Finds Table Saw Injuries Remain Consistently High

Woodworking is a popular hobby, with table saws being owned and used by an estimated 6 to 10 million people in the United States. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990-2007, an estimated 565,670 non-occupational table saw-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments, averaging 31,500 injuries per year. Although a 27 percent increase in the number of injuries was found over the 18-year study period, there was no change in the rate of injuries per 10,000 U.S. population.

Needlesticks are one cause of Hepatitis C infections.

Hepatitis Awareness Campaign Recommended

An IOM committee's report outlines a national strategy for preventing and controlling Hepatitis B and C, calling them "important public health problems" and noting 5.3 million Americans have the diseases in chronic form. They are more common in this country than HIV/AIDS, but awareness is low.

3 Confined Space Deaths Lead to Fines

"Unfortunately, this incident was a classic example of a multiple-fatality event where would-be rescuers are themselves overcome in their attempt to save the initial victim," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

FDA Unveils First Phase of Transparency Initiative

The Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled the first phase of its Transparency Initiative that is designed to explain agency operations, how it makes decisions, and the drug approval process.



CPSC Approves Final Guideline Rule for Mandatory Recall Notices

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) unanimously approved a new rule setting guidelines and requirements for information in mandatory recall notices. A mandatory recall can be ordered by the commission or a U.S. District Court.

Former Wholesale Grocery VP Busted for Using Untreated Wood Pallets

The Department of Agriculture requires the heat treatment of wood pallets imported into the United States. The requirement is designed to prevent plant pests that can destroy domestic agriculture and livestock from entering the United States in wood packaging materials.

Violating hazmat regulations for packaging and handling lithium batteries can bring a maximum civil penalty of $50,000, $100,000 if serious injury, death, or substantial property destruction results.

HazCom Changes Proposed for Transporting Lithium Batteries

For aviation, unless the cells or batteries are transported in a container approved by the FAA administrator, they would have to be stowed in crew-accessible cargo locations or locations equipped with an FAA-approved fire suppression system.

Study Finds One Type A Characteristic Lowers Work Stress

Most characteristics of the "Type A" personality are linked to increased work stress. But there's one important exception, according to a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Harvard Pilgrim to Develop Safety Monitoring System for FDA

The Food and Drug Administration has awarded a contract to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc. to develop a pilot of the agency's Sentinel System, which will use automated health care data to evaluate medical product safety.

New OSHA Videos Put Respirators, Facemasks in Starring Roles

The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection.

EPA: Now Is the Time to Test for Radon

The colorless, odorless, tasteless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind cigarette smoking, the agency notes.

National Influenza Vaccination Week Kicks Off Today

On Tuesday, HHS and CDC will host a webinar with the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Cancer Society. Other activities are planned all week, focusing on the importance of continuing the tide of flu vaccinations.

FDA Seizes more than $1M of Food from Nashville Food Processor

At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals have seized bulk restaurant food product at Won Feng Trading Company, a food processor and warehouse in Nashville, Tenn. The products are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they have been held under unsanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth. The act uses the term "insanitary" to describe such conditions.

Contractor Digs Up $55K Penalty for Cave-In, Other Hazards

"No one ever thinks the trench he or she is working in will collapse, but the fact is cave-ins happen in seconds, crushing and burying workers beneath tons of soil and debris before they have a chance to react or escape," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for southeastern Massachusetts.

Short-Term School Closures Don't Control Flu Epidemics

Closing schools for less than two weeks during an influenza epidemic has no effect on infection rates, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, RTI International, and the Allegheny County Health Department.

Colo. Company to Pay $5M to Resolve Medical Device Allegations

Spectranetics Corp., a medical device manufacturer, located in Colorado Springs, Colo., has agreed to pay the United States $4.9 million in civil damages plus a $100,000 forfeiture to resolve claims against the company, the Department of Justice announced.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence