Respiratory


ASSE offers tips to prevent farming injuries.

ASSE Offers Tips to Reverse Upward Spiral in Farming Fatalities

"Too many farm family members and hired workers are getting hurt and dying on farms," said ASSE Director of Member/Region Affairs and agricultural safety specialist Terry Wilkinson, Ph.D., CSP, CAE. "A combined effort by the safety professionals and agricultural community can lead the industry into a new direction to prevent future traumatic injuries and illnesses."

image from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius YouTube video announcing PSA contest

Finalists Chosen in HHS Flu Video Contest

What can a doctor's rap, a man wielding a chainsaw, and a troupe of young dancers taking five on a sound stage do to encourage good health practices for this flu season? Vote now, and soon your favorite PSA may be on the air.

FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of H1N1 Test for U.S. Troops Serving Overseas

An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) authorizes the use of unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products during a declared public health emergency.

the MSHA tutorial includes this image of a refuge chamber

MSHA Posts Refuge Chamber Guidance

A short tutorial added to the agency's Web site explains the requirements for these mine emrgency chambers and links to the rule requiring them.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones heads the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canadian Summit Next Week on Treating Severe H1N1

The Sept. 2-3 meeting will produce new treatment guidelines and guidance on identifying surge capacity for hospitals during a severe outbreak, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.

this photo is displayed on the CSB page summarizing its investigatoin of the August 2008 explosion at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute, W.Va.

Big MIC Reduction Promised at Bayer CropScience Plant

Company officials announced Aug. 26 that the Institute, W.Va., plant will reduce its average inventory of highly toxic methyl isocyanate by 80 percent.

more U.S. hospitals are stamping out smoking on their campuses

Most U.S. Hospitals Going Smoke-Free

In 1992, with the Joint Commission first requiring accredited hospitals to prohibit smoking within the hospital, only 3 percent did, but 15 percent said they were pursuing a smoke-free campus policy.

John P. Holdren is assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology and a co-chair of PCAST

White House Posts Update on H1N1 Preparedness

The update responds to recommendations from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which completed a report on flu readiness that is also on the White House Web site.



this MSHA photo shows a mine rescue team

It's Almost Mine Rescue Season

The national contest starts Aug. 30 in Nashville, while the second annual surface mine rescue competition takes place Sept. 26 at a quarry in New Jersey.

FACOSH Meeting Sept. 15 on Agencies' H1N1 Planning

Getting federal employees ready for pandemic flu is the subject of a draft report OSHA's Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health will consider next month.

Kathleen Sebelius, sworn in as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary April 29, 2009

New Federal Flu Guidelines Out for Employers

Three cabinet secretaries, including HHS' Kathleen Sebelius, urged businesses to plan for absences, encourage employees to be vaccinated, and ensure critical operations are not interrupted.

William Schaffner, M.D., is chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and professor of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

2009 Flu Vaccination Challenge Begins

With a very challenging flu season ahead, year two of the Joint Commission Resources' Flu Vaccination Challenge has a goal of building on last year's success at raising the flu vaccination rate among U.S. health care workers.

Ohio Edison Agrees to Repower Plant with Renewable Biomass Fuel by 2012

DOJ says that once the switch is done, the R.E. Burger plant will be the largest coal-fired electric utility plant in the country to repower with renewable fuels and the first such plant at which greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced under a Clean Air Act consent decree.

15,000 from Fire & Emergency Field Set to Respond to Dallas Conference

Featured speakers at the IAFC event will include DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate; Ltc. Greg Gadson, a decorated Iraq war veteran and double amputee; and recently confirmed U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran.

Houston Construction Firm Cited for Improper Erection, Inspection of Scaffolds

The repeat violations contributing to the proposed penalties totaling $144,900 included failing to provide guardrails on scaffolds at different working levels, provide access ladders and toe boards, and ensure all working levels were fully planked.

Sanofi Pasteur Files H1N1 Vaccine Application

The company began U.S. clinical trials Aug. 6 and plans to test the vaccine's immunogenicity and safety, with about 2,000 people getting it in the trials.

Analytical Instruments Maker Fined for Electrical, Chemical, Respirator Hazards

"OSHA standards require that circuits be de-energized before employees work on them and that appropriate personal protective equipment be supplied and used in those rare instances where de-energizing is not feasible," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex (Mass.) counties.

workers are shown on an active oil rig

Drilling Fluids' Health Risks Explained

A new online guide from the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers' Health Committee can help to limit workers' exposures to the fluids, which can produce a variety of health effects, including contact dermatitis.

a health worker wears a medical mask and protective eyewear

IOM Panel Studying Health Workers' H1N1 PPE Needs

By Sept. 1, the 14-member committee will provide a letter report to CDC and OSHA addressing personal protective equipment needs for this crucial workforce.

Assistant Secretary David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, who is the leader of OSHA, is shown in a GWU photo

Stage is Set for Change

The president's nominee to lead MSHA spent years advocating for stronger health protection for miners and more enforcement. The OSHA choice, Dr. David Michaels (shown here), studied the illnesses suffered by nuclear weapons industry workers and is credited with starting the program to compensate them.

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