Under the new rule, all employers will need either to have a safety committee or to use the less formal option of safety meetings to involve their employees in addressing jobsite safety.
In response to the low rates of influenza immunization among health care personnel, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has announced its support for requiring flu immunization for health care workers who have direct patient contact as well as ancillary staff.
Although communities commonly use sobriety checkpoints and increased police patrols to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol, a new review by the Colorado Injury Control Research Center and the Colorado School of Public Health reports there is not enough evidence to say definitively that these efforts to cut down the number of accidents and deaths from drunk driving.
Idling typically wastes almost a gallon of fuel per hour, puts more wear and tear on an engine than driving, and causes pollution that contributes to ozone smog, fine particle pollution, and increased carbon dioxide emissions, EPA notes.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has released a new 23-minute safety video, titled "Half an Hour to Tragedy," based on the deadly propane gas explosion at the Little General convenience store in Ghent, W.Va., in January 2007.
The proposed rule would require drug and alcohol testing programs and cost the mining industry about $16 million in year one alone.
The rule is set for public hearings Oct. 14 and now is generating more opposition than support, at least in the comments posted at www.regulations.gov.
The Bush Administration is committing almost $90 million over the next eight years to expand capacity at John F. Kennedy International Airport, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced yesterday. She also unveiled new rules designed to lower fares, increase consumer choices, and improve service for air travelers using JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia airports.
The long-awaited new OSHA rule governing use of cranes and derricks has been published in today's Federal Register. Comments and hearing requests are due by Dec. 8, 2008. The rule is a complete revision of Section 1926.550 of Subpart N of 29 CFR part 1926, the construction standards; Subpart N is one of the originally adopted OSHA regulations.
The U.S. Department of Labor yesterday recognized eight winners of the 7th annual New Freedom Initiative Award for their outstanding efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The company was cited for failing to document and implement provisions of OSHA's PSM standard concerning equipment deficiencies, operator training, and safe working practices, among other things, following an explosion in April resulting from the release of flammable liquid and vapor from an open piping system during preparation for maintenance.
G&K Services failed to control air emissions and properly manage hazardous waste materials
Microwave ovens should be equipped with safety controls to prevent children from opening them and being burned by hot foods and drinks, according to a study published yesterday by University of Chicago Medical Center researchers in the October 2008 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The Jan. 2, 2008, motorcoach crash on U.S. 59 near Victoria, Texas, focused attention on regulation of that industry.
A public meeting focusing on the draft document's thoroughness and scientific and technical soundness is slated for Jan. 22, 2009 in Cincinnati. Written comments are being accepted from Oct. 15, 2008, through Jan. 31, 2009.
In addition to limiting the radioactive waste dose limit to 15 millirem per year for the first 10,000 years after disposal, the final standard will require the Department of Energy to consider the effects of climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, and corrosion of the waste packages to safely contain the waste during a 1 million-year period.
OSHA has cited Pepsi-Cola and National Brand Beverage Ltd. of Pennsauken with $195,000 in proposed penalties for alleged workplace safety and health violations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Merit Energy Co. LLC and Shell Exploration & Production Co. that resolves federal allegations that the companies continued to operate a facility in Michigan after Shell had made improper modifications to the plant.
A "pressing need to improve workplace safety" spurred the two-year pilot program, which began Oct. 1 and lets visitors view OSH standards from various agencies online.
OSHA recently awarded $6.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 36 recipients encompassing labor unions, community colleges, and other nonprofit organizations for safety and health training and educational programs.
Store sold and distributed unregistered and misbranded products.