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.
Tim Fisher, ASSE's director of Practices and Standards, said ASSE is developing technical briefs for ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009, "Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction," and ANSI/ASSE A10.16-2009.
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.
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.
Endocrine disruptors may be addressed this year, but comprehensive action on combined chemicals as a whole probably is two years away, according to the EU.
Just write a short essay (100 words max.) explaining your biggest fall protection challenge and submit it online by Jan. 29 for a chance to win a brand-new ExoFit NEX™ from Capital Safety. No more than one entry per person will be accepted. We'll announce the winner here by Feb. 12.
Click here for a link to the entry form in a Q&A with Capital Safety-North American Product Manager Nate Bohmbach.
NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard has informed OSHA's assistant secretary that NIOSH and NIEHS research on the alternative butter flavoring 2,3-pentanedione "suggests that, in rats, 2,3-pentanedione causes airway epithelial damage similar to that produced by diacetyl."
The event, held in conjunction with Reach Expo 2010, will feature a variety of noted professionals in the overhead crane and rigging industry.
"We constantly refresh our pool of ideas. Our end users are very vocal about what works and doesn't work."
Learning how to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous or fatal fall hazards allows organizations to take a proactive approach to worker safety. In November 2007, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released a comprehensive family of standards, known as the Z359 standard or "Fall Protection Code," to help organizations learn how to reduce risk.
The H1N1 pandemic was 2009's biggest safety and health story, but OSHA also grabbed the spotlight last year with a blockbuster $87 million fine. For all of the attention paid to tower crane safety, combustible dusts, crumbling infrastructure, and a jobless recovery, the biggest story of 2000-2009 was Sept. 11, 2001.
Are user seal checks necessary to ensure protection? And, if so, when should they be performed? A white paper prepared by the American Industrial Hygiene Association's Respiratory Protection Committee asks these and several other questions to resolve important issues.
Trust and involvement are vital components of the Incident and Injury Free safety program that has improved results for Baker Concrete Construction Inc.
Among other charges, the company faces citations for six willful violations that address its failure to provide adequate energy control procedures and a hearing conservation program.
As part of a settlement, an alleged violator may voluntarily agree to undertake an environmentally beneficial project related to the violation in exchange for mitigation of the penalty to be paid. This company chose to donate a RAE Systems gas monitoring system and 42 radiation pagers.
Parents and children giving or receiving an electronic device with music this holiday season should give their ears a gift as well by pre-setting the maximum decibel level to somewhere between one-half and two-thirds maximum volume.
The endorsement establishes it as the model law for harmonizing OSH regulations nationwide. Subject to a four-month comment period late next year, the act will go into force on Jan. 1, 2012.
"Make the Promise" has persuaded 15,000 farmers thus far to promise to work safely for the sake of their families.
"If scaffolding parts had been inspected and replaced or repaired as needed, it is possible that this tragic accident and loss of life could have been avoided," said Eric Harbin, OSHA's area director in Austin.
Dr. William Schaffner, president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, expressed optimism Wednesday that the seasonal flu vaccination rate for U.S. health workers will be higher than in 2008. The peak months for seasonal flu are right around the corner.