Risk Management


FCC's Pandemic Summit to Highlight Emergency Communications

The Sept. 16 event in Washington, D.C., will focus on how communications furthers response by health care, responders, government, and industry.

Imperial Sugar's Operations VP Had Port Wentworth Manager Fired

Hired eight weeks before explosion, he toured the mill and found it "the most dangerous manufacturing plant that I had ever entered," then warned management.

Long Island Maritime Workers Begin Port Security Credential Enrollment

Port and longshore workers, truckers and others operating within Long Island Sound and the nearby area have begun to enroll in the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential program.

Court Reverses $33 Million Verdict, Sides with Hospital in Peer-Review Case

An amicus brief filed in the case last year by the American Hospital Association and other heath care organizations urged that hospitals "be allowed the full freedom afforded by HCQIA to protect patients and to improve the quality of care," and that the judgment of the lower court be reversed.

Hormel Food Division Self-Discloses Violations, Has Penalties Waived

At its San Joaquin County facility, at least 16,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia used in the refrigeration system mandated a risk management plan, which the company quickly provided to EPA officials.

ASSE to Host Webinar on New Construction Safety Standard

A10 Committee members will lead the discussion and answer questions during the event, designed to introduce components of the new standard and how it can be implemented in construction and demolition operations. Last week, NAHB President Sandy Dunn said the standard, in it present form, "will be useless for the construction industry."

National Stop On Red Week One Week Away

The campaign attempts to inform the public and elected officials about the seriousness of red light running, as well as law enforcement practices and tools that can make roadways safer.

EEOC Adds to Compliance Guidance on Religious Discrimination

Religious discrimination charge filings with the agency have risen substantially nationwide over the past 15 years, doubling from 1,388 in Fiscal Year 1992 to a record level of 2,880 in FY 2007.



CSB Safety Videos Viewed More than 1 Million Times

More than 75,000 DVDs resulting from CSB investigations have been distributed to industry and labor groups, government agencies, safety trainers, educators, emergency responders, and individual requesters throughout the world, the agency said.

Drinking Water, Medical Care Top Hurricane Katrina Survivors' Concerns

Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, a new survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security shows that one-third (34 percent) of those affected by the storm report they are very prepared if a major hurricane were to strike their communities in the next six months.

Defective Cranes, Scaffolds Part of $78,100 Fine for Mississippi Manufacturer

Inspectors found serious safety violations with employees operating cranes with broken, missing, and leaking parts, and the agency determined that monthly safety inspections were not being performed.

AAOHN Conference to Focus on 'Relationship Economics,' Persuasion

Nurses interested in updating their clinical skills also can choose to attend one of the two three-day preconference workshops slated for Sept. 8-10.

Hospital Infection Control Survey Highlights Hand Hygiene

Many respondents indicated that their hospital had achieved hand hygiene compliance of 70 percent or higher before as well as after patient contact.

Tower Erectors' Group Unhappy with Dateline Depiction

"What caught my eye was just the unprofessionalism of the climbers," the group's executive director says.

Study: Soot Problems Plaguing Weather, Affecting Health

"Because of the way it collects other pollutants, particularly sulfate that is originated from power plants, soot can have much larger effects on visibility and cloud formation," says TAMU Professor Renyi Zhang, adding that it also can result in significant breathing problems for people because particles can be deposited on human lungs.

NAHB Accuses ASSE of Subverting ANSI Process

"In effect, ASSE has created its own version of consensus and has adopted an unworkable program, despite strong objection from the construction industry," said NAHB President Sandy Dunn.

Tips for Reducing Workers' Heat Load

Heat stress can be a major concern in workplace environments, potentially causing irritability, low morale, absenteeism, shortcuts in procedures, and unsafe behavior. In extreme cases, heat stress, in the form of heat stroke, can be fatal. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the years 2003-2005 indicate an average of 31 worker deaths annually from exposure to “environmental heat.”

Cal/OSHA Applies Heat on Employers to Prevent Heat Illness

The agency has issued more than 242 citations since the summer began, primarily for failing to have written heat illness prevention plans. During heat waves, special compliance teams are dispatched to outdoor work sites to ensure workers are being properly protected.

GHSA Chair Advocates New Speed Management Incentive Program

Speeding is a factor in about one-third of all crashes, and costs society about $40 billion annually. Reducing speed not only saves lives, but also saves energy, GHSA said, recommending to Congress other changes to federal behavioral highway safety programs, as well.

Permeation vs. Penetration

The selection of any protective garment is complicated and carries the potential for serious consequences should the decision prove to be incorrect or the selection in any way inadequate. For this reason, standards bodies, vendors, customers, and workers are engaged -- often in the pages of this very magazine -- in ongoing conversations to determine the appropriate levels of protection for a given task.

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