Naming two nominees today, the president announced he wants CPSC to have five commissioners rather than the current three. The National Association of Manufacturers said it hopes the nominees will reform the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which affects ATVs and other consumer products.
The U.S. Fire Administration has completed its review of a recently released study conducted by the TriData Division of the System Planning Corporation, analyzing firefighter presumptive cancer legislation and attempting to prove or disprove a correlation between firefighting activities and the occurrence of cancer. According to USFA, while this study is considered thoughtful and well-presented, its results are scientifically inconclusive and indicate that more expansive study is in order.
"Planning for pandemic influenza is critical, and the business community must not delay in considering the impact of a pandemic and to adjust their company's employee health and safety plans accordingly," says AIHA President Lindsey Booher, CIH, CSP.
There are currently no products authorized for sale in Canada that are indicated specifically for the treatment of H1N1, the federal department says.
Researchers have detected common plant toxins that affect human health and ecosystems in smoke from forest fires. The results from the new study also suggest that smoldering fires may produce more toxins than wildfires--a reason to keep human exposures to a minimum during controlled burns.
A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
"It takes only one slip or misstep to turn a construction site into an accident scene," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex (Massachusetts) counties.
He also told members of a House subcommittee yesterday that he's suspended the practice of setting goals for new VPP sites and Alliances to direct OSHA's resources instead to enforcement.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule on April 28 that requires manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and fever reducers to revise their labeling to include warnings about potential safety risks, such as internal bleeding and liver damage, associated with the use of these popular drugs.
RMPs contain information assessing plans in place to prevent and respond to accidental releases of hazardous substances from facilities and must be updated at least every five years.
For users, the key to the new ANSI/ISEA 201 standard is a label that will provide information to make garment selection based on the work environment and tasks.
Beryllium is the fourth element in the periodic table. It comes right after lithium and before boron. It's a metal that looks like aluminum but is lighter and stronger. In ceramic form, beryllium oxide (BeO) conducts heat but not electricity and has the highest thermal conductivity of commercially available ceramics. It is used in everything from wireless base stations to satellites and advanced radar systems.
"Mercury and lead can pose severe threats to people's health, so properly managing waste that contains them is of the utmost importance," said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou.
The U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Emergency Medical Services Chiefs have both issued detailed guidance for EMS and other responders to use during the flu.
The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) will meet May 19-20, 2009, at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss topics such as speed limits and safety zones in marine terminals and commercial fishing, among other issues. Notice of the meeting appears in the April 27, 2009, Federal Register.
U.S. Labor Secretary Solis also announced OSHA is moving forward the proposed regulation governing workers' exposure to diacetyl food flavoring by convening a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel May 5.
With more outbreaks of the new strain of swine flu come outbreaks of misinformation and rumor. The following is edited from a press release of 20 questions answered by infectious disease expert Charles Ericsson, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of Travel Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Analyzing 1,285 deaths in 1992-2007 of workers who died while performing tree care or maintenance, NIOSH found 38 percent were self-employed. While 34 percent died from falls, another 14 percent were electrocuted.