Respiratory


N.Y. Felt Firm Fined $146,300 for Crushing, Machine Hazards

"Left uncorrected, these hazards expose employees to possible electrocution, crushing, and struck-by injuries, being caught in moving machine parts, hearing loss, falls, eye and hand injuries, asbestos, and lead," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's acting area director in Albany.

Uniform Provider Penalized for 48 Safety Violations at N.J. Facility

OSHA initiated an inspection in response to a referral from New Jersey's Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Program. Proposed fines total $126,875.

OSHA Fines Shooting Range Cleanup Firm $480,000

The agency also has placed Welch Group Environmental LLP into its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, according to its Jan. 10 announcement.

911 Dispatchers Can Save Lives by Coaching Bystanders in CPR: AHA

In the 2010 resuscitation guidelines, the American Heart Association advised 911 dispatchers to help bystanders assess anyone who may have had a cardiac arrest and then direct them to begin CPR. “I think it’s a call to arms,” said E. Brooke Lerner, Ph.D., lead author of the statement and associate professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Chicken Processor Fined $288K for Process Safety Management Deficiencies

Violations related to OSHA's process safety management standards allegedly resulted in an ammonia release at the facility on June 30.

Six Mideast Countries Join in NCD Strategy

Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer cause more than 60 percent of all deaths in the six GCC countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

CSB: Flash Fires at Hoeganaes Plant were Preventable

The CSB investigation found that significant amounts of fine iron powder had accumulated over time at the Hoeganaes facility, and that while the company knew from its own testing and experience with flash fires in the plant that the dust was combustible, it did not take the necessary action to reduce the hazards through engineering controls and basic housekeeping.

MSHA Releases Preliminary Fatality Data for 2011

Of the 37 fatalities reported, 12 occurred at surface coal mines, 11 at surface metal/nonmetal mines, nine at underground coal mines, and five at underground metal/nonmetal mines.



$5 Million Crane Reaches Port of West Sacramento

Port officials hope the mobile crane unloaded Jan. 3 will bring container cargo to the inland port for the first time.

On-Duty Firefighter Fatalities Down from 2010: USFA

Heart attacks were responsible for the deaths of 48 firefighters (59 percent) in 2011, nearly the same proportion of firefighter deaths from heart attack or stroke (60 percent) in 2010.

PAHO Praises Brazilian Anti-Smoking Law

The new law will make Brazil the largest country in the world to declare all workplaces and indoor public spaces 100 percent smoke-free, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

DOL Sues Granite Quarry to Collect $142,992 in Unpaid Fines

The 58 citations carry civil penalties of $125,432.37. Since becoming final orders, some extending back to 2007, those penalties have been accruing interest and other charges totaling not less than $17,560.53.

International Asbestos Awareness Conference Slated for March

Conference presentations will include advances in diagnosing and treating asbestos-related diseases, preventing asbestos exposure in the home and workplace, patient resources, and a global advocacy session.

Rubber Parts Fabricator Fined $77,600 for Plethora of Violations

OSHA opened inspections in July after receiving complaints alleging burn hazards and poor housekeeping throughout the plant.

Houston Recycling Plant Penalized for Exposing Workers to Hazardous Substances

OSHA began its investigation in August in response to a complaint, and found workers exposed to sulfuric acid and caustic soda while recovering silver from X-ray film and processing plastics for recycling. Proposed penalties total $144,760.

OSHA Fines Utility Firm $118,580 Following Worker's Death in Manhole

OSHA's Fort Worth Area Office initiated an inspection on June 28 in response to a report that employees working on a new sewer line were exposed to inhalation of a hazardous chemical.

MSHA Announces Results of November Impact Inspections

MSHA recently announced that federal inspectors issued 315 citations, orders, and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal/nonmetal mines last month.

New OSHA Web Page Offers Winter Hazards Guidance for Workers

The page includes guidance for workers clearing heavy snow in front of workplaces and from rooftops, workers encountering downed power lines or traveling on icy roads, and utility workers restoring power after winter storms.

Air Pollution Levels from Deepwater Horizon Spill Similar to Large Urban Area: NOAA

About eight percent, or about one of every 13 barrels of the Deepwater Horizon-spilled oil that reached the ocean surface, eventually made its way into airborne organic particles small enough to be inhaled into human lungs.

NIOSH Releases Roster Summary Report on Deepwater Horizon Response Workers

The work from which the report was drawn marks the first time that NIOSH has developed a prospective, centralized roster of workers for a response event of this magnitude.

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