Researchers found that during the early phase of the H1N1 outbreak in Hong Kong, 47 percent of people washed hands more than 10 times per day, 89 percent wore facemasks when having influenza-like illness, and 21.5 percent wore facemasks regularly in public areas.
The event will include subcommittee and taskforce meetings on government, education, and construction industry performance, as well as an exclusive reception at Cincinnati's Newport Aquarium.
“OSHA needs to bring more attention to the worst actors among employers, but not at the expense of encouraging employers to be as good as they can be in managing occupational safety and health,” said ASSE President C. Christopher Patton, in a letter to Congress on Friday expressing concern over the proposed cutting of OSHA’s VPP and MSHA’s Small Mines Office.
Almost two-thirds of the more than 7,000 respondents did not know that all forms of UV exposure, whether from natural sunlight or artificial light sources found in tanning beds, are unsafe.
The agreement, which includes 15 worksites and approximately 53 subcontractors, focuses in part on reducing exposure to hazards and incidence of serious injuries and fatalities.
Five Chinese companies manufactured the 10 drywall samples tested for CPSC and found to emit the highest levels of hydrogen sulfide.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius hailed the CDC report released Thursday. It focused on central line-associated bloodstream infections, which cause an estimated $2.7 billion in added health costs nationally.
The inspection was initiated under the agency's Construction Hazards Emphasis Program when an OSHA inspector observed employees working at heights of more than 14 feet without the use of fall protection.
The OSHA leader and Dr. John Howard, director of NIOSH, are working together on a broad front to make important changes in OSHA's approach and effectiveness, they said Wednesday in a joint AIHce appearance.
The leading cause of home structure fires, civilian fire injuries, and unreported fires continues to be cooking equipment. Forty-one percent of home fires started in the kitchen area and caused 15 percent of home fire deaths and 36 percent of reported fire injuries.
"Although management knew the existing sign needed to be removed or covered, they chose to ignore the requirement and put their employees in danger," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Inspectors discovered that employees were bypassing safety switches in order to reach into running machinery to un-jam it without shutting down the machine.
“The industry survey confirms that there are readily available safe alternatives to using flammable natural gas for pipe cleaning,” said CSB Investigator Dan Tillema, P.E. “At the same time, a disturbing number of companies continue to use natural gas which creates the serious risk of a fire or explosion.”
The agency is seeking comment on, among other things, whether it should include an explicit reference to combustible dust or other hazardous material in the regulatory language of the final rule.
The agency needs nominees with experience and expertise in construction-related safety and health issues to fill two employee, two employer, one state safety and health agency, and two public representative seats to advise DOL on developing standards affecting the construction industry.
Following a thorough investigation, the agency issued two willful and 12 serious citations with total proposed penalties of $135,900. The alleged violations include arc flash hazards, insufficient hand protection, and industrial truck training deficiencies.
Cryptococcus "is inhaled into the lungs of people who may have been near trees or soil where the microbes live,” says Dr. Christina Hull of the ubiquitous C. neoformans species (pictured), the spherical cells of which are 3 to 7 microns in diameter. Abandoned buildings also are often hotbeds.
The site by IRSST, a Montreal research agency seeking to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses, allows searches by glove model or hazard type.
Thirty-four percent of respondents said they have an infection control plan to increase interventions in the event of an outbreak of CDI, a condition frequently associated with previous antibiotic use and most commonly contracted by the elderly and those with recent exposure to hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care institutions.
"This was a horrific and preventable situation," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "The employer was aware of the hazards and knowingly and willfully sent workers into a confined space with an explosive and toxic atmosphere."