Industrial Hygiene


NIOSH Taking Comments on Asbestos Research Plans

The agency's revised "current intelligence bulletin" for asbestos fibers and other elongate mineral particles explains what NIOSH still wants to explore and also clarifies the 1990 NIOSH recommended exposure limit for airborne asbestos fibers.

This is the logo of the New OSH Era project.

Berlin Conference Wraps Up EU's New OSH Era

Four years of meetings and dialogue among partner agencies have created a network that will move ahead on EU-wide research, if funding support is maintained.

N.Y. Concrete Manufacturer Cited for Chemical Hazards, Lack of PPE

Specifically, OSHA found blocked exits, workers lacking safety glasses and gloves while working with acid, unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals, unmarked electrical equipment, exposed live electrical parts, and moisture in electrical equipment.

Pig Feed Plant Fined for Combustible Dust Hazards

The willful violations cited address the inappropriate location of an air material separator that lacked explosion venting, an inadequate housekeeping program, and allowing combustible dusts to collect at depths greater than one-eighth of an inch.

Dallas-Based Oil & Gas Producer Cited for Spill Prevention Violations

EPA noted that a spill of only one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of water. SPCC regulations require onshore oil production or bulk storage facilities to provide oil spill prevention, preparedness, and responses to prevent such discharges.

ASSE Group Seeks Nominees for '100 Women Project'

"Our honorees will be diverse. They won’t all be public figures, well known, or famous; they will be everyday heroes making a difference in the lives of others,” said ASSE WISE Chair Kelly Bernish.

Buttermilk Plant Settles Pollution Allegations in Nebraska

The dairy facility and its former owner are the last two of five defendants to settle claims made in a 2008 civil lawsuit accusing the company of violating the Clean Water Act and befouling the Elkhorn River.

The survey of Australian trades workers who sand, cut, and drill asbestos-containing sheets found many do not adequately protect themselves.

Many Australian Tradesmen Handling Asbestos Improperly

A study done for Safe Work Australia also showed that many in the country's trades do not follow standard safety precautions to protect themselves against exposure to asbestos fibers.



CSCs 20th Conference and Expo

Construction Safety Council Celebrates 20th Conference & Expo Anniversary

More than 60 sessions will be offered throughout the event’s three days, including sessions on fall protection, power line safety, worker’s compensation issues, electrical safety, industrial hygiene issues, and work zone safety. NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard will deliver the event’s keynote address.

Colorado Firm Awarded Grant to Study Mine Methane Emissions in China

As part of EPA’s Methane to Markets Grant, the firm will subcontract with the University of Colorado for the project, which will inventory emissions in the gassy, abandoned coal mines in the coal-bearing regions of the Shanxi and Hebei Provinces.

North Idaho Developers Fined Nearly $45K for Storm Water Violations

EPA noted this is the seventh year in a multi-year initiative to improve compliance with the construction general permit. The permit authorizes storm water discharges from construction sites, and it requires operators of those sites to design, install, and maintain storm water controls to protect surface waters from common construction site pollutants like sediment, oil and grease, and concrete washout.

EPA Issues Cease and Desist Orders to Three Energy Companies

All three companies were found responsible for the unauthorized discharge of oil field brine into the tributaries of various creeks in Oklahoma and Texas generated by their production activities.

Gaining on Secondhand Smoke, But Thirdhand Now Feared

This third time is not a charm: Residual nicotine from tobacco smoke that clings to indoor surfaces reacts with the common air pollutant nitrous acid to form dangerous carcinogens.

Inspection at Alabama Plant Finds Amputation Hazards, Bloody Machinery

"Company management was aware of the requirements to establish a lockout program and did not take action," said Kurt Petermeyer, director of OSHA's Mobile (Ala.) Area Office.

chemicals in 55-gallon drums

GAO Recommends EPA Biomonitoring Upgrade

The Toxic Substances Control Act may allow EPA to obtain more useful data than it now gets about the health effects of commercial chemicals. But the extent of EPA's authority to collect such data is unclear and untested, a new Government Accountability Office report concludes.

The International Apparel Federation and two allied organizations organized the conference about U.S. and EU product safety and chemical safety regulations for apparel and footwear makers.

Fashionistas Talk Product Safety

The International Apparel Federation and two allied organizations have organized a conference Tuesday in Paris about product safety and chemical safety regulations in the United States and the European Union, while, outside, the big Texworld 2010 conference takes place.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency ensures ships in the United Kingdom conform to UK and international safety rules.

Asbestos Rules Coming to UK Merchant, Fishing Fleets

After the Maritime and Coastguard Agency finishes its consultation with stakeholders, regulations could be in effect by Oct. 1 to implement EC Directive 83/477/EEC and protect workers from asbestos exposure.

EPA Proposes New Use Rule for Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes

Anyone intending to manufacture, import, or process them for an activity that is designated as a significant new use would have to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance, giving the agency time to evaluate the intended use and bar it, if necessary.

Registration Opens for OH&S Virtual Event 2010

This April 7, 2010, all-day event will allow attendees to access product information and whitepapers, chat in real time with exhibitors, seek and share advice with other attendees, and learn about important industry developments taking place this year.

Breaking germ-carrying habits

Old Habits Die Hard—It's Time to Form New Ones!

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that proper hand washing is the single most important action each of us can perform to help stop the spread of diseases.

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