Hazard Communication


Military hazmat training exercise

Contemporary Issues in Process Hazard Analysis

Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), a regulatory requirement under OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.119(e), is a collection of methodologies to address process hazards. Societal and technological changes are affecting sources, intensity, and frequency of hazards. For instance, digital controls and smart instruments have reduced maintenance requirements inherent with analog instruments.

Medical Students Stuck by Needles Often Fail to Report Injuries

Medical students are commonly stuck by needles--putting them at risk of contracting potentially dangerous blood-borne diseases--and many of them fail to report the injuries to hospital authorities, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the December issue of the journal Academic Medicine.

firefighting

FEMA Awards $1 Million to Take Firefighting Technology to New Level

The new system will display the risk of extreme heat stress and time to flashover (the point when all combustible materials in a room simultaneously erupt in flames) on the incident commander's screen, along with the firefighters' locations and vital signs.

Personalized signs are a way to make a fundamental shift in the safety culture of a facility, Mitch Fein says.

The Personal Touch

"Companies are populating signs, posters, banners, and scoreboards with the children, and the wives, and the husbands within the facility, with a common theme about safety being a family value."

Fueling Cultural Change

Strongest leaders know that real Safety goes beyond what you think or say; it’s revealed when there’s no time to think.

NIEHS to Fund More Research on Health, Safety of Nanomaterials

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, is increasing its investment in understanding the potential health, safety, and environmental issues related to tiny particles that are used in many everyday products such as sunscreens, cosmetics, and electronics, by awarding about $13 million over a two-year period, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to bolster the NIEHS’s ongoing research portfolio in the area of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs).

Campaign Promotes Banning of the Handshake

The Web site serving as ground central for the campaign includes tips on alternatives to handshaking and articles such as "History of the Handshake," "Famous People Who Don't Shake Hands," and "How Many Men Wash Their Hands After Using Toilet."

DIA Conference to Discuss Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management

The Drug Information Association will host its 9th Annual Conference on Contemporary Pharmacovigilance and Risk Management Strategies from Jan. 10-13, 2010 in Washington, D.C.



Holiday Tips to Keep Pets Safe

While the season brings wonderful celebrations with family and friends, it's important to think about how the holidays affect our furry friends. You can take simple steps to keep your pets safe in the winter months.

ASTM Starts Certification Programs

"The board agreed that the ability for the society to offer certification programs . . . is important in remaining relevant in the changing global marketplace," ASTM International President James A. Thomas said.

Concerns Raised about Outdoor Secondhand Smoke

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard.

Crowd Control Safety Tips for Black Friday

OSHA has prepared a fact sheet providing crowd control guidelines for retailers to protect workers during major sales events. Last year a worker was trampled to death while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store to take advantage of an after Thanksgiving Day "Black Friday" sales event. The store was not using the kind of crowd control measures recommended in OSHA's fact sheet.

First aid and CPR courses taught at the employer sites are among those for which the N.C. Industrial Commission will begin charging fees.

New Fees Coming for NC Industrial Commission Safety Training

The fees for training and courses provided by the commission's Safety Section take effect Dec. 1 in three categories: per-person specialty courses/workshops, flat-rate full or half days once per month for a year, and hourly rates for as-needed training.

FDA Warning: Avoid Plavix Use with Prilosec

Patients should avoid using the stomach acid reducer Prilosec/Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the Food and Drug Administration warned on Nov. 17.

Colorado Grain Fatality Brings $1.6 Million in Fines

OSHA issued $1,592,500 of the $1.6 million in fines against Tempel Grain Elevators LLP of Wiley, Colo., in connection with the May 29 engulfment death of a 17-year-old worker.

Gorilla Inc. Recalls EXO-Tech Safety Harness Due to Fall Hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Gorilla Inc., of Flushing, Mich., has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 90 EXO-Tech safety harnesses. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Rapid Influenza Tests Pose a Dangerous Public Health Risk

Rapid influenza diagnostic tests used in doctors' offices, hospitals, and medical laboratories to detect H1N1 are virtually useless and could pose a significant danger to public health, according to a Loyola University Medical Center researcher.

Do Z359 Standards Cover Transportation-Related Falls? Yes, Says ASSE

The Z359 Accredited Standards Committee said that an interpretation was not necessary because the scope of the committee and its projects and standards has always included rolling stock and therefore it is not exempt from the standard.

OSHA Issues H1N1 Enforcement Procedures Directive

States are required to notify OSHA whether they intend to adopt policies and procedures identical to today’s Instruction or adopt or maintain different policies and instructions for conducting inspections to minimize high to very high risk occupational exposures to the virus identified as 2009 H1N1 influenza.

Contractor Cited for Cave-in Hazard in Downtown Boston Trench

"An unprotected trench is a potential grave, since its sidewalls can collapse in an instant, crushing and burying workers before they have a chance to react or escape," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.

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