NIOSH said yesterday it has readied a computer-based training program to prepare the new generation of miners to read mine maps, which is critical for staying safe underground. NMA's "Safety First: Stay Alert" initiative has offered training materials to mine operators.
Lax housekeeping and equipment that was inadequately designed and maintained allowed the buildup of sugar dust that exploded in February 2008, the board's final draft report concludes. Georgia's two U.S. senators today joined in backing OSHA's plan to issue a combustible dust standard.
The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned users of personal emergency response buttons worn around the neck of a potential choking hazard associated with this product.
GHSA, whose chairman is scheduled to speak at next week's DOT Summit, also seeks model policies for employers to use and an advertising campaign similar to the ones against drunken driving.
"There can be no delay in exiting a workplace during a fire or other emergency when the difference between escape and injury or death can be measured in seconds," said Kay Gee, OSHA's acting area director in Manhattan.
Nine Ohio mine rescue teams will be assigned the same emergency problem and will be evaluated by state and federal mine inspectors on their procedures and speed. Two courses will run simultaneously and teams will be sequestered until it is their turn to compete.
The June 2008 relocation of the UCLA Medical Center involved limiting incoming transfers and more efficient discharge, enabling a smooth transition without interrupting emergency services, an Archives of Surgery paper reports.
When it comes out later this year, the 2009 version of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices will expand the requirement for high-vis safety apparel to workers on all roads, not just federal-aid highways.
The New York City Fire Department has responded to fire calls this year in 4:03, 13 seconds faster than last year and 26 seconds faster than in 2007 during the same period. And the department launched the country's largest fireboat on Sept. 11.
The serious violations OSHA unearthed related to inadequate process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, lack of emergency preparedness and response procedures, and poor respiratory protection for workers.
Getting home fire sprinklers added to the 2009 International Residential Code wasn't easy. Opponents are still fighting to remove that requirement from the code, and NFPA and its allies have readied their arguments for hearings next month.
"Our Coast Guard crews face risks each and every time they respond to a call--including hoax calls and reports of abandoned or adrift vessels," said Cmdr. Phillip Thorne, chief of the response department at Sector Northern New England. "Not only do these cases put responsible mariners in danger, the time and resources expended are a needless waste of money."
At a public meeting in Jacksonville, CSB investigators will present their final report on the batch reactor explosion that killed four workers and injured 32 people Dec. 19, 2007.
The settlement is related to a release at the company’s ammonia and nitric acid manufacturing facility in Deer Island, Ore., on Sept. 29, 2008. EPA alleges that the company failed to notify the appropriate emergency response entities until approximately 11 hours after the release occurred.
Exposure to high levels of xylene and ethylbenzene can cause a variety of human health effects, including harm to the nervous system, fatigue, general weakness, memory loss, and visual problems.
According to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, including plastic surgeons in disaster-relief efforts could improve long-term outcomes for victims of catastrophes, particularly in medical cases that might involve physical scarring and nerve damage.
For the first quarter of 2009, the agency's Disability Rights Office received 142 informal complaints raising closed captioning issues but no complaints regarding hearing aid compatibility issues.
Work continues on new approval criteria for various respiratory categories, and the branch chief at NPPTL asks whether users have additional needs that NIOSH could address.
Thousands of pages of documents and testimony have been released since the fishing trawler sank in the Bering Sea with 47 crew members aboard. Rescuers saved all but five of them.
The upcoming rule from the State Fire Marshal requiring dual sensor smoke detectors affects new homes, dormitories, and multi-unit residential buildings.