The U.S. plans to reduce consumption and production of HCFCs by 75 percent in 2010 and completely eliminate the chemical by 2030.
A study examined factors contributing to occupational deaths in East Attica, Greece, in the five years preceding the 2004 Olympics. A 2002 increase to 19 deaths was linked with construction of large-scale public works projects, the investigators concluded.
University of Utah researchers have developed an automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving. The university has obtained provisional patents and licensed the invention--Key2SafeDriving--to a private company that hopes to see it on the market within six months at a cost of less than $50 per key plus a yet-undetermined monthly service fee.
After a follow-up inspection, OSHA issued the company seven failure to abate notices carrying $168,000 in proposed fines and then further issued the company one serious citation with a $1,500 fine for not medically evaluating employees' fitness to wear respirators.
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is urging health care workers and their employers to follow three basic steps this flu season to help prevent influenza infections in the health care workforce.
Years of discussion, studies, and comments went into the final rule published yesterday. Taking effect April 9, 2009, it addresses maritime employers' responsibilities for providing training and designating "stand-clear zones" from vertically connected containers in motion.
The fugitives' alleged violations include smuggling of ozone-depleting substances, illegally disposing of hazardous waste, discharging pollutants into the air and water, laundering money and making criminally false statements.
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 (Terumo CVS) has issued an urgent, nationwide/worldwide recall of its Tenderflow™ Pediatric Arterial Cannulae involving 21 lot codes.
To date, the U.S. and Canada have completed and made public screening assessments on hundreds of chemicals. Mexico has made progress in the design and development of its chemicals inventory.
An MMWR case study and post on the NIOSH Science blog by two men in the NIOSH Education and Information Division cite potential occupational hazards associated with 1-bromopropane (1-BP), which is used in dry cleaning and as a substitute for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons.
A better understanding of smokers' "compensatory smoking behavior" is behind the change, the agency said.
"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.
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.
The U.S. Fire Administration has completed a project with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to study what important areas of safety and technology discussed in the USFA manual Fire Department Communications Manual - A Basic Guide to System Concepts and Equipment (FA-160) needed to be updated or revised, as well as what topics and technology related to fire department communications not discussed in the manual needed to be added since its development in 1996.
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.
AIHA says its first Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene training course in Shanghai was a success, and ASSE President Warren K. Brown delivered a speech about key skills for today's safety professionals at the 4th China International Forum on Work Safety in Beijing.
To help raise awareness regarding the seriousness of influenza and the importance of annual vaccination throughout the influenza season the Department of Health and Human Services, National Influenza Vaccine Summit, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners are conducting activities during the third annual National Influenza Vaccination Week, starting today and running through Dec. 14, 2008.
The United States government recently announced that there is no food or feed safety concern from an incident in which a small portion of an unauthorized genetically engineered (GE) cotton variety was harvested along with commercially available GE cotton.
A new study finds the use of light exposure therapy, dark sunglasses, and a strict sleep schedule can help night-shift workers create a "compromise circadian phase position," which may result in increased performance and alertness during night shifts while still allowing adequate nighttime sleep on days off.