Issued Wednesday, the bulletin describes "technologically achievable and promising" controls for several types of machines used in mines.
Arc flashes occur when electrical current jumps the gap between two or more energized conductors. Depending upon the amount of current, arc temperatures can exceed 35,000 degrees F. That’s why electrical workers must wear fire-resistant (FR) personal protective equipment when working near exposed, energized equipment.
A new NIH-funded study suggests hearing loss is underdiagnosed in this population.
"It is particularly disturbing that we found a number of serious violations of a repeated nature. . . . This situation does not indicate an effective program is in place," said Richard S. Terrill, regional administrator for OSHA in Seattle.
Citing "extreme volatility in costs for raw materials, energy, transportation, and logistics," the company said the increase will be effective July 1.
On only the second official day of the annual event, the society has announced it has broken records for both turnout and exhibition space sold.
Airgas Inc. announced on June 6 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and operations of Energy Safety Services Incorporated, doing business as Oilind Safety. The business, a U.S. provider of rental safety equipment and safety services, generated about $21 million in revenues in 2007.
"The company has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to employee safety and health, and has maintained an injury and illness rate 51 percent below the industry average," said Robert Szymanski, director of OSHA's Pittsburgh Area Office.
As we travel during the course of the day,we are often exposed to the sounds of the environment: trucks and buses honking horns, subways screeching around corners, and trains blowing their whistles at crossings. All these modes of transportation use sound to help keep people aware of their presence and safe from it.And while many of these noises are loud, few are hazardous to those in the vicinity.
Perhaps the most common criterion for specifying hearing protection devices (HPDs), the NRR or Noise Reduction Rating—that bold number on every box of ear plugs—is about to change, hopefully for the better.
The new award is designed to recognize excellence and innovation in hearing loss prevention.
Part of the goal of the program is providing a forum for linking safety professionals, industry needs, and quality research programs; and laying the groundwork for graduate students and faculty members to pursue safety/health applied research projects of their choice.
The two-part event, led by hearing conservation expert Elliott Berger, will discuss hearing protection performance ratings, overall effectiveness of hearing protection, the potential impact of changing NRR standards on the horizon, and communications in noise.
A sound that is barely audible at a worker's threshold of hearing without hearing protection should be inaudible though hearing protection even if it's boosted by 15 dB.
"Make a Difference" is the theme of the National Safety Council's 2008 National Safety Month observance and a call to action to reverse the increase in accidental injuries and deaths.
If you have already addressed stockpiling needs for your facility, OSHA invites you to please provide your underlying assumptions and methodology.
Since 1997, motorcycle fatalities have increased 127 percent. Annually, the number of motorcycle deaths is more than double the number of people killed in all aviation, rail, marine, and pipeline accidents combined.
Employee exposure to electrocution and being caught in unguarded or unexpectedly energized driers and other machinery were also among the dangers OSHA found.
Three employees contracted from a temporary help company were injured after they were instructed by supervisors to clean the inside of a tank that contained concrete slurry waste.