CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden noted that the flu season lasts until May 2010 and already there have been more H1N1-related hospitalizations in the under-65 population than in most entire flu seasons.
"They still have a systemic safety problem in this refinery," said acting OSHA chief Jordan Barab today, announcing an additional 439 new violations found in 17 follow-up inspections at the refinery in Texas City, Texas.
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the probable cause of the Sept. 27, 2008, crash of a Maryland State Police (MSP) helicopter emergency medical services flight was the pilot's attempt to regain visual conditions by performing a rapid descent and his failure to arrest the descent at the minimum descent altitude during a non-precision approach.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and, if possible, sprinklers. More than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have no working smoke alarm.
The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the probable cause of a fatal motorcoach accident in Sherman, Texas, was the failure of the right steer axle tire, due to an extended period of low-pressure operation, which resulted in sidewall, belting, and body ply separation within the tire, leading to loss of vehicle control.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop providing "My Baby Soother" pacifiers to their children. The pacifiers failed to meet federal safety standards because the nipples can separate from the base easily, posing a choking hazard to infants and toddlers. CPSC is issuing this warning because distributor T & L Trading Corp., of Brooklyn, N.Y., has refused to recall these pacifiers.
Developers conducting work in Idaho are facing $125,000 in proposed penalties for violating the federal Clean Water Act at a construction site in Smiths Ferry, Idaho, according to a complaint issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Electricity moves--and can kill or injure--at the speed of light. It doesn't give you a second chance," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford, Conn.
"Steel mills remain a dangerous place to work, and it is inexcusable to fail to correct serious dangers, particularly after they've already been identified by OSHA. . . . We expect better," said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo, Ohio.
The society will begin accepting submissions online Nov. 1. The deadline for entries is Dec. 1.
Employees not wearing PPE and the employer's failure to develop, implement, or maintain a written hazard communications program for employees working with mortar or cement were among the 11 repeat violations, which, together with five serious violations, have proposed penalties totaling $146,000.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) will host "Mastering the Art of Safety: Advanced Communication Techniques," an intermediate TeleWeb Virtual Seminar, on Oct. 27, 2009, from 2-4:30 p.m. ET.
OSHA has been conducting a Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program (NEP) since October 2007, which it says has resulted in an unusually high number of General Duty Clause violations, indicating a strong need for a standard.
In a live webcast conducted on the DHS site at 11 a.m. EDT today, the secretary will discuss the nation’s need to counter the threat of cyber attacks, saying it is every computer users’ responsibility to stay safe online.
Unomedical Inc., a manufacturer of medical devices, recently announced that it is conducting a voluntary recall of certain units of the single-patient use Manual Pulmonary Resuscitator (MPR).
In the medical field, accelerator-produced particle beams or X-rays are directed at cancerous tumors that are not reachable by other methods. Although accelerators can target life-threatening growths within the body, these devices can also potentially expose operators to serious risks.
There are potential health risks for some solvents, depending on the types of landfills in which wipes contaminated with them are disposed, said the agency, which seeks comments on its revised analysis.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Milbank Manufacturing Co., of Kansas City, Mo., has announced a voluntary recall of the Single Meter Sockets. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Inspections conducted over the past several months by OSHA's area office in Andover, Mass., also identified various chemical, mechanical, and electrical hazards--41 violations in all, with proposed penalties totaling $138,000.
According to a report in Harvard Men's Health Watch, evidence suggests that high blood pressure increases the risk of mild cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and even Alzheimer's.