Hazard Communication


DOT Announces New Consumer Program for Child Safety Seats

The Department of Transportation recently announced that it will create a new consumer program to help parents and caregivers find a child seat that fits in their vehicle. The program is the result of a comprehensive review ordered by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to improve child passenger safety and Federal child seat standards.

Tammy Miser, founder of United Support Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (www.usmwf.org)

ASSE's President, Memorial Founder Testifying Tomorrow

Taking place on 2009's Workers Memorial Day, the hearing by the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety has a strong lineup of witnesses -- including Tammy Miser, shown here -- who will describe the true cost of workplace fatalities.

Cesspools Near Hawaii Shopping Center Lead to $52,500 Fine

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, which is currently available for public comment, Puainako Town Center in Hilo, Hawaii, must close all eight large capacity cesspools owned and operated by the company by May 1, 2009.

a surge pile shown in an MSHA photo

MSHA Renews Campaign for Surge Pile Safety

Personnel and equipment at coal mines can be in danger if working too close to or atop piled material as it is drawn down by a feeder below onto a conveyor belt. New bulldozer operators need to know about it, and all operators should be reminded about the inherent hazards, according to MSHA.

OneWrongMove.org logo, part of a Texas Mutual Insurance Company teen safety campaign in Lubbock, Texas

New Teen Safety Campaign Launched in Texas

Texas Mutual Insurance Company launched it in Lubbock on a trial basis with several participating employers. "Workplace Accidents Are a Pain. Work Smart" is the theme, and a free movie ticket can be earned by taking a safety quiz.

Bayer CropScience Hearing Today As Pressure Mounts

CSB Chairman John Bresland warned this week that extensive secrecy claims like the one made in this case, which involves an August 2008 explosion at Institute, W.Va., could compromise CSB's effectiveness as a safety agency.

Developers Pay $86,000 for Stormwater Violations at Idaho Construction Site

"Keeping sediment from polluting rivers and streams isn't just a good idea, it's the law," said Jim Werntz, EPA's Idaho state office director.

Roofing Firm Charged with Willfully Endangering Workers in Omaha, Neb.

"There is no excuse for the lack of fall protection, and it's outrageous to think that employers still allow employees to be exposed to fall hazards without ensuring fall protection is in use," said Charles Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.



OSHA Notifies more than 13,500 High Injury and Illness Rate Workplaces

OSHA recently announced that it has notified more than 13,500 employers nationwide that their injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average.

Study Shows Need for Safer Packaging of Fluorescent Lamps

According to the study, the release of mercury vapors, which can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, presents an environmental and occupational hazard for workers involved with handling and transport of the products.

Alexandra Berzon, Las Vegas Sun reporter

Las Vegas Sun Wins Pulitzer for Construction Safety Coverage

The newspaper is cited for "courageous reporting by Alexandra Berzon," shown here in a Sun photo, and exposing inadequate oversight by Nevada OSHA after several deaths among workers on the mammoth CityCenter and Cosmopolitan sites on the Strip. A safety assessment and follow-up training appear to have improved the situation.

NRC Backs Continued Use of Cesium Chloride Radiation Sources

The federal agency directed its staff to continue enhancing the security of cesium chloride radiation sources and encourages research on alternatives, but it agrees near-term replacement is impractical and would harm cancer treatment, research, and emergency response capabilities.

EPA: Take Care to Know Your Air

Air quality standards have become more stringent, and, according to EPA, air pollution levels have declined. Still, ground-level ozone and particle matter can pose serious health problems, which is why the index is important.

ION Labs Inc. Recalls Influend Cough and Cold Products

ION Labs Inc. of Clearwater, Fla. is voluntarily recalling all of the Influend Cough and Cold products sold on or after May 30, 2008, due to the products not being tested in conformance with the specifications of the lab, therefore, the products may have a possibility to be super potent.

OSHA, Allies Promote Safety at Georgia Construction Career Expo

The Georgia Local Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers' Georgia Chapter, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Occupational Safety and Health Division are taking part.

New NIH R&D Opportunity Targets Environmental Exposures

The "Grand Opportunities" program, highlighted this week by the National Institutes of Health, will invest about $200 million in large-scale research projects to boost public health, health care delivery, and biomedical R&D.

FEMA Releases All-Hazard Emergency Operations Planning Guide

The Federal Emergency Management Administration has recently released its Comprehensive Preparedness Guide, CPG 101, which provides general guidelines on developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) and promotes a common understanding of the fundamentals of planning and decision making to help emergency planners examine a hazard and produce integrated, coordinated, and synchronized plans. The guide is intended to help emergency managers in state, territorial, local, and tribal governments in their efforts to develop and maintain a viable all-hazard EOP.

Mega Brands America to pay $1.1 Million Civil Penalty for Reporting Violations

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced recently that Mega Brands America Inc., of Livingston, N.J., formerly Rose Art Industries Inc., has agreed to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty. The penalty, which CPSC has provisionally accepted, settles allegations that Mega Brands America and Rose Art failed to provide the government with timely information about dangers to children with Magnetix magnetic building sets, as required under federal law.

OSHA Drive-by Results in $60,000 Fine for Construction Firm

"An unguarded excavation can collapse in seconds, crushing and burying workers beneath soil and debris before they have a chance to react or escape," said said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.

map depicting the layout of the Sago Mine in West Virginia

NIOSH Will Measure Atmospheres of Sealed Areas

The agency yesterday asked coal mine companies to offer help in the research, which will examine methane accumulation in sealed areas like the one that exploded in the Sago Mine, depicted here, in January 2006.

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