Facility Safety


Vision Testing: A Blind Spot in Occupational Safety

How many departments in your organization have requirements for visual inspections? How many of the codes, regulations, and legislative mandates demand that visual inspections be performed on a regular, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis? Think of the requirements for slings and wire ropes, aircraft parts, hazardous waste containers, and every commercial vehicle and load—the list goes on and on. Yet how many of those same codes have a single line that requires the inspectors (your employees) to be able to see and see correctly?

CPSC Warns of Home Heating Fire, Carbon Monoxide Hazards

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there have been more than 150 residential fires that resulted in more than 200 deaths since Thanksgiving. These statistics have led USFA and fire chiefs to declare the holiday season and start of the new year as one of the deadliest in recent memory.

Workers' Worries about Job Security Increase

Forty-five percent of employees polled believe that because of the continuing economic conditions they face greater risk that their job will change or be eliminated, and 55 percent believe the risk that their future earnings will plateau or decline has increased.

New Web Site Focuses on Changes to NRR System

The site offers news updates as changes are made, answers to frequently asked questions, articles, and an opportunity to pose questions to hearing conservation experts.

Public Hearing on Proposed Cranes, Derricks Standards Announced

OSHA will hold an informal public hearing on the proposed cranes and derricks in construction standard on March 17.

Research Links Sleep Loss to Weight Gain

”No one’s sure why that happens, but it's thought to be influenced by limited food choices on the night shift, eating at the wrong times of day, and having limited time and energy for exercise,” the study says.

road construction ahead sign

Civil Engineers Give Nation's Infrastructure a 'D' Grade

Since ASCE's last assessment in 2005 there has been little change in the condition of the nation’s roads, bridges, drinking water systems, and other public works, and the cost of improvement has increased by more than $500 billion.

Alliance Aims to Boost Safety for Hispanic Workers in Central Florida

The focus of the pact is on reducing construction and general industry hazards, including but not limited to falls, electrical operations, ergonomics, bloodborne pathogens, fire safety, egress/exit routes, and evacuation plans.



California Launches 'Wiki' to Develop Green Chemistry Regulations

The wiki allows anyone to access and contribute or modify content, using simple on-line tools.

CSB Safety Video Urges OSHA Coverage for All Public Employees

Citing a fatal explosion in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 2006, U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman John Bresland has issued a new video safety message urging the state to move forward promptly with recommendations to extend OSHA coverage to all its public workers.

2009 Oregon GOSH Conference Headed to Portland

Registration is now open for the 2009 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference, to be held March 9-12 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The largest conference of its kind in the Northwest will feature more than 30 full-day workshops and 115 single-topic classes. It is designed to educate managers and workers about safety and health issues.

OSHA Cites Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer Following Amputation Incident

OSHA has cited A.P. Dailey Custom Laminating Inc. of Windham, N.H., for 34 alleged serious violations of workplace safety and health standards. The manufacturer of custom kitchen cabinets and countertops faces a total of $44,500 in proposed fines following OSHA inspections prompted by an Aug. 1, 2008, accident in which a company employee lost two fingers while operating an unguarded saw.

AMGA Unveils Health Care Reform Priorities

With the advent of the new administration and the 111th Congress, the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) recently announced its health care reform principles. Beginning with a call for universal access to health care, AMGA's priorities focus on systemic changes to improve the quality of health care for America's patients.

Trucking Firm to pay $2.43 Million to Settle EEOC Discrimination Lawsuit

An interstate trucking firm has agreed to pay $2.43 million and provide other remedial relief to a class of women to settle a major sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced recently.

Study Finds Cleaning Activities May Be Harmful to Women with Asthma

Cleaning activities may be associated with increased lower respiratory tract symptoms in women with asthma according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

Tips for Choosing the Right Nursing Home

Although a new nursing home quality rating system has several dimensions, experts say it fails to address perhaps the most important question: Are the residents who live there happy?

Study Finds MRSA in Midwestern Swine, Workers

The first study documenting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in swine and swine workers in the United States has been published by University of Iowa researchers.

OSHA Issues Nine Serious Citations Following Laser Lab Accident

OSHA has cited the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics for nine alleged serious safety violations and proposed $56,700 in fines against the laboratory as a result of an Aug. 6, 2008, accident that seriously injured an employee.

an in-trunk gun rack

Another Stohler Letter Could Restore Oklahoma's Gun Law

Filed Jan. 16 with the clerk of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, this OSHA "statement of agency position" says the general duty clause does not preempt the Oklahoma statute barring employers from banning employees' firearms. The law is before the 10th Circuit because a federal judge in 2007 ruled the OSH Act preempts the state law.

EEOC Report Addresses Federal Hispanic Employment Issues

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a comprehensive report to Chair Naomi C. Earp from the Federal Hispanic Work Group, titled Report on the Hispanic Employment Challenge in the Federal Government. The report contains an extensive number of practical recommendations that address a broad array of contemporary federal sector employment issues, including hiring, leadership development, and retention.

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