Risk Management


NPPTL Employee Wins ASTM Leadership Award

Angie Shepherd, general engineer at NIOSH's National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, is one of the first two recipients of the President's Leadership Award from ASTM International.

ASSE Named Administrator of ISO 'Road Traffic Safety' Standard

The current draft standard aims to keep workers safe on the road worldwide by specifying legal and other requirements for an organization's RTS management system.

Former OSHA, NIOSH Heads Say Federal Ergonomics Standard Unlikely

"We need to be creative," said former NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard. "For instance, the new head of OSHA should meet with the head of Commerce in the next administration and say 'you need to incorporate an overall workplace safety, health, and environmental program for the proposed new infrastructure programs the President has called for'; this includes all the new highway and bridge construction projects. Start there and show them how.

An image of someone filling wine glasses.

DOL Offers Tips for Office Celebrations

During the holiday season, employers and workers frequently get together to unwind and celebrate. Typically, workplace parties involve plenty of food and drinks. If the drinks include alcohol, however, there is potential for unfortunate consequences.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Issues Recall of Pediatric Arterial Cannulae

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems (Terumo CVS) has issued an urgent, nationwide/worldwide recall of its Tenderflow™ Pediatric Arterial Cannulae involving 21 lot codes.

EPA Launches Mobile Phone Web Site

As the world is getting more mobile, with estimates of more than 250 million cell phones in use in the United States, EPA is launching one of the first government Web sites tailored specifically for cell phone users: http://m.epa.gov.

OSHA Addresses Restraining Mechanisms for Sharps Containers

"The placement of sharps containers, as well as the measures used to maintain them in an upright position during use, must be based on the site-specific hazard assessment of the area of intended use," wrote Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Enforcement Program Directorate.

Does OSHA's Jurisdiction Extend to the Baseball Diamond?

According to Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Enforcement Programs Directorate, the agency does not take enforcement action with regard to professional athletes in most cases.



doctor treating a patient

Do Employers Know How They're Paying Medical Providers?

An online survey about workers' compensation policies and practices found nearly 60 percent of respondent employers weren't sure how their third-party administrators or managed care organizations are compensated for medical provider network development.

OSHA Answers Questions about Compressed Gas Cylinders

The agency clarifies that a cylinder that contains 20.9 percent oxygen and 79.1 percent nitrogen, which is essentially compressed air, presents no greater oxidation hazard than that of the atmospheric air already present in the workplace and would therefore not be considered an oxygen cylinder or an oxidizing compressed gas for the purposes of 29 CFR 1910.101.

EU-OSHA's Healthy Workplace Campaign Grows to 17 Partners

GE, Air Liquide, and Eli Lilly are among the eight newcomers to sign on to the campaign organized by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The campaign aim to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses by focusing on risk assessment.

Ontario Nurses Release Workplace Violence Prevention Guideline

A team of nurses and other health experts spent the past two years identifying the strongest research evidence and developing recommendations to address verbal, emotional and physical acts of aggression and violence that could be perpetrated by health-care professionals, patients or patients' family members.

Sixteen Organizations Commit to Review under New Wellness Accreditation

This evaluation program will help employers and others compare wellness programs using standardized results and select a wellness program with demonstrated value and quality.

Panel Calls for Changes to EPA's Risk Assessments

EPA's process of generating risk assessments -- which estimate the potential adverse effects posed by harmful chemicals found in the environment in order to protect public health -- is bogged down by unprecedented challenges, and as a decision-making tool it is often hindered by a disconnect between available scientific data and the information needs of officials, according to a new report from the National Research Council.

Fund Created to Sustain TLVs and BEIs

"Current economic conditions and recent legal challenges put the continuation of ACGIH®'s core mission and value at risk, namely the continued development" of both the key exposure guidelines from ACGIH, the Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety said in its announcement.

U.S. Navys suicide prevention campaign logo

DoD Ramps Up Social Networking and Suicide Prevention

One of the largest U.S. employers announced initiatives this week that are letting employees help one another in new ways.

NY Developer Cited for Willful Lack of Asbestos Monitoring

"Employees who were removing asbestos-containing materials at this site lacked basic safeguards that must be in place before performing such work," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.

Chemical Distributors Report Decrease in Vehicular Accidents

The National Association of Chemical Distributors’ (NACD) member companies announced reportable vehicular accidents or spills decreased by almost 19 percent, and recordable injuries due to vehicular accidents or transportation spills decreased by 23.5 percent from 2006, according to the just-released 2007 NACD Membership & Performance Data Report.

New Director Named for NIEHS

Board-certified toxicologist Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., will take over in January at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Minnesota DOL Town Hall Meetings to Discuss Home Fire Sprinklers

Three meetings this month in Rochester, Bemidji, and St. Paul will allow homebuilders and others to discuss potential changes to the building code with Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum.

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