Hazard Communication


Conditions Surrounding Death, Injury at Lumber Yard Lead to $439,400 Fine

“Employers are legally bound to provide a safe work environment for their employees,” said OSHA chief David Michals. “This company has repeatedly failed to do so, costing one worker his life and grievously injuring another. This must stop.”

FDA Seeks Court Order against Michigan Dairy

The complaint is based, in part, upon illegal neomycin, penicillin, and sulfadimethoxine drug residues that the USDA found in the edible tissue of dairy cows that defendants had offered for sale for human consumption.

CPSC Makes Recall Data Available Via API

Recall data from 1973 forward is available, containing information such as brand names, product types, product descriptions, companies involved in recalls, where the products were manufactured, hazards, recall dates, and UPC codes (when those are available).

Research Study Calls for Disclosure of Medical Mistakes that Affect Multiple Patients

Health care organizations should disclose medical mistakes that affect multiple patients even if patients were not harmed by the event, according to an AHRQ-funded research paper published in the September 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

DHS plans to expand the If You See Something Say Something campaign nationally with public education materials.

FEMA Hosts Webinar on Remaining Vigilant, Stopping Threats

The event is part of a campaign designed to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime, and other threats and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

ASSE Makes Plea for Labor Day Roadway Safety

As far as holiday weekends go, only Thanksgiving, July Fourth, and Memorial Day have more roadway fatalities—and nearly half of those are alcohol related.

Brass Foundry Cited for 'Deliberate' Lead-Exposure Hazards

The citations allege, among other things, that the company did not take air samples as required for workers who were overexposed to airborne lead nor provide the required annual training associated with the hazards. An additional willful violation alleges that the company stopped providing hearing tests to employees overexposed to noise.

September is National Preparedness Month.

Emergency Physicians to Public: Prepare Now Before Disaster Strikes

Hurricane Earl, a Category 2 storm this morning, now poses little danger to the U.S. eastern seaboard. But the hurricane season isn't over, and other threats are out there.



Study Finds No Increased Birth Defect Risk with Certain Antiviral Drugs

An analysis of data from Denmark finds no associated increased risk of major birth defects for mothers who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy to the antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, often used to treat herpes simplex and herpes zoster infections, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.

Improper use or device malfunction can lead to the use of the contaminated lancet blade on more than one patient.

Bloodborne Infection Transmissions Increasing 'Progressively': FDA, CDC

A safety alert issued this week notes that fingerstick and POC blood testing devices such as blood glucose meters and PT/INR anticoagulation meters used on more than one patient may not be safe for several reasons.

USFA Releases Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings Report

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report examining the characteristics of fatal fires in residential buildings. According to the report, an estimated 1,800 fatal residential building fires occur annually in the United States, resulting in an estimated average of 2,635 deaths, 725 injuries, and $196 million in property loss.

Asphalt Paving Firm Penalized Following 'Willful' Tractor Incident

According to OSHA, an employee operating a tractor struck and hospitalized another worker who was digging a shallow ditch.

Postal Service Continues to Receive OSHA's Stamp of Disapproval

Citations against two USPS facilities in the past week are the latest in a string of penalties against other individual postal facilities nationwide, and follow DOL's filing in July of an enterprise-wide complaint that included 350 postal outposts.

Event Rental Co. Fined for Combustible Residues, Electrical Hazards, More

In addition to 18 serious citations, the company received four repeat citations, in part for failing to develop an energy control program, develop and implement a written hazard communication program, and train workers on chemical hazards in their work area.

Bedbugs have a tendency to hitch rides from one location to the next.

New Report Ranks Top U.S. Cities for Bedbug Infestations

According to Terminix, reports of bedbug infestations in office buildings and retail shops are on the rise. The company offers tips for keeping the pests at bay.

Sweden Set to Host Global Conference on Antibiotics

"Good research and good intentions are not enough," said Otto Cars, chairman of the International Secretariat for ReAct. "Priorities need to be established, along with new guidelines, diagnostic methods and incentives to promote investments in pharmaceutical development. Global cooperation and concrete proposals are required."

CSB Issues Final Report on Fatal Flash Fire in Xcel Plant Tunnel

The board also released a 15-minute safety video titled "No Escape: Dangers of Confined Spaces," which includes a detailed animation depicting the tragedy that unfolded at Xcel's Cabin Creek plant on Oct. 2, 2007, taking the lives of five contractors.

Eliminating hazardous conditions on the high seas is one of the goals of NTSB.

NTSB to Host Fishing Vessel Safety Forum

"Creating a safer environment and eliminating hazardous conditions on the high seas is one of the goals of the NTSB," said Robert Sumwalt, NTSB board member. "The forum will provide a great opportunity to identify strategies to improve safety."

Study Finds MRSA Policies Differ Among Hospitals

Hospitals vary in how they detect and treat drug-resistant staph infections, but most follow national guideline recommendations, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

OSHA Slaps SeaWorld with Willful Violation Following Death by Orca

Video footage shows the killer whale repeatedly striking and thrashing the trainer, and pulling her under water even as she attempted to escape. The autopsy report describes the cause of death as drowning and traumatic injuries.

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