Hazard Communication


Imperial Sugar has settled litigation stemming from the 2008 explosion at its Georgia plant in which 14 people died.

Imperial Sugar Settles with OSHA, Agrees to Pay $6.05 Million

As part of the settlement, the company agrees that it has corrected all deficiencies at both of its plants or will correct those deficiencies according to a set schedule. Originally, OSHA fined the company $8.8 million following the 2008 explosion that took 14 lives and seriously injured dozens of others at its plant in Port Wentworth, Ga.

Workshop to Investigate Impacts of Indoor Air Contaminants, Lead Paint

The half-day event will focus specifically on damage to building contents that can result from airborne contaminants and the ramifications to contractors of EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule.

Parts of Dust Standard Likely to Be Retroactive

The OSHA Combustible Dust Team's web chat with more than 400 stakeholders also gave some idea of the timetable for the combustible dust standard that will be developed.

ASSE: Safe Parading Requires Planning, No Stallions

Among other things, the society recommends that the proceedings be an “all forward motion” event with planned distances between parade entries, and that there be no stopping along the parade route.

EPA Takes Wind Out of Texas' Air Permit Program, Steams Governor

The agency determined the state's 16-year-old plan allows companies to avoid certain federal clean air requirements by lumping emissions from multiple units under a single "cap" rather than setting specific emission limits for individual pollution sources at their plants.

CPSC Warns of Dangerous Counterfeit Electrical Products

Counterfeits can be extremely difficult to spot as it could be a knock-off of a name brand product or one that bears an unauthorized certification marking. CPSC offers the following tips to help avoid counterfeit hazards.

Fifth Postal Facility Fined This Month, This Time in Maine for $430,000

All five of the facilities were investigated following complaints, and all ended up being fined for insufficient electrical safety practices. This latest fine brings OSHA's proposed penalty total against USPS to more than $1.3 million for the month of June alone.

New NOAA Website Highlights Economic, Ecological Value of Nation's Coast

Visualizations highlight important aspects of America's 95,000 miles of coastline, such as anticipated changes in coastal population from 1970 to 2040, the impact coastal areas have on the U.S. economy, the overall health of the U.S. coasts, and coastal areas' vulnerability to long-term sea level rise.



Schneider Electric Faces $42,300 Charge for Worker's Electrocution

The worker was fatally electrocuted when he grabbed the test leads on a shop-made cart the company used during the testing process of equipment the company manufactures.

CDC Issues New Guidelines for TB Testing

According to the World Health Organization, about one person dies of TB every 17 seconds, and the disease continues to be a contagious scourge in both developing and developed countries because each infected person represents a potential yet preventable future outbreak.

Researchers found that reusable bags have a great potential for cross contamination.

No Paper, No Plastic? Potential Problem

A university study of reusable grocery bags found that 50 percent were contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria, and that a full 97 percent of the shoppers who use them had never washed, much less bleached, the totes.

Airport AED, Fast-Acting Bystander Save Traveler

EMTs at the scene said the incident was an excellent example of what is possible if CPR and AED use are initiated quickly, along with timely activation of the emergency medical services system.

Irish Employers Given Safety Signs Update

The key change as outlined by the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland is separation of any explanatory text from the pictorial element in the sign.

New BOHS Website Debuts

The biggest society of occupational hygienists in Europe now offers a news scroller and more resources online.

Logo of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, Inc.

Hot Ticket: 2010 Chemical Sector Security Summit

The July 7-8 event in Baltimore brings top DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, together with leaders of the chemical industry to discuss security issues and solutions.

Worksites Sought for Safety Field Tests on Eyewear Fogging

The research plan targets organizations with known fogging problems, including industries such as utilities, pulp and paper, chemical handling, construction, law enforcement, and military.

Ford Fined for Failing to Fix Overhead Cranes

"It should not take an OSHA inspection and enforcement action to prompt an employer to complete necessary repairs that should have been made months, even years, ago," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director for western New York.

Keith Klein testifies on behalf of ATA. Photo courtesy of Brad Stotler/ATA.

CSA 2010 is Flawed, ATA Tells Congress

"A system that is based on inconsistent data and a flawed scoring methodology will not achieve its objectives," said Transportation Corporation of America CEO Keith Klein, in his testimony Wednesday before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

AMA Focusing on Spread of Infections by Lab Coats, Scrubs

"When doctors or nurses lean over the beds of patients who are carrying organisms, their clothing can become contaminated. Hours later, that bacteria can still be alive and passed on through incidental contact with other patients," said Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Beef Plant Faces Fines for Repeat Amputation, Serious Ammonia Release Hazards

An inspection found that machine guarding was inadequate for dumpers or packing machines and that, in general, mechanical integrity throughout the plant’s refrigeration system was not sufficient to prevent equipment malfunctions.

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