In a final report issued on May 27 into the November 2008 fertilizer tank collapse at Allied Terminals in Chesapeake, Va., the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommended that the Commonwealth of Virginia regulate or authorize local jurisdictions to regulate the design, construction, maintenance, and inspection of large fertilizer storage tanks located on the Elizabeth River.
The facility failed to report many hazardous chemicals stored at the site including sulfuric acid, lead, zinc, and hydrochloric acid, EPA said.
"OSHA's process safety management regulations are designed to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards associated with the catastrophic release of highly hazardous chemicals," said Patricia Jones, director of OSHA's area office in Avenel, N.J., which conducted the investigation.
"Whether it's in a far corner of Alaska or in a crowded urban area, stormwater rules protect our waterways from polluted runoff," said Michelle Pirzadeh, EPA's Acting Regional Administrator in Seattle.
The Boise State University team's leader foresees installed accelerometers that continuously monitor bolts in locations such as a highway tunnel, depicted here in a photo from FHWA's "Public Roads" magazine.
"We want participants to be as imaginative and creative as possible, and to explore ways in which photography can highlight the need for safe and healthy workplaces," the agency says. The top-ranked photo, chosen by an international jury of professional photographers, will win 3,000 euros.
OSHA has certified the RP&L Division of American Packaging Corp. in Columbus as a star site in its prestigious Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
The manufacture of PCBs was banned in 1979. "These federal rules are intended to protect human health and the environment from risks posed by these toxic chemicals," said Daniel Duncan, EPA's regional PCB program coordinator in Seattle.
WorkCover New South Wales, the workplace safety authority in Australia's most populous state, has designated May 2009 as Slips, Trips and Falls Month as it tries to raise awareness of the issue.
The significance of surface RH is that it "bridges the gap between HVAC people's understanding of humidity issues and their relationship to mold problems," consultant and author Lew Harriman says.
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.
"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.
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.
Intended for a range of stakeholders, from architects to owners, Guideline 29-2009 offers a flexible approach to risk assessment for a wide range of safety and health hazards, according to ASHRAE.
Though written with avian flu in mind, the guidebook will help workplaces prepare for the swine flu already affecting several countries. The organization is making it available free.
The U.S. Postal Service' Nottingham post office is the latest postal service worksite in New England to achieve star status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
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.
"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.
OSHA has cited Brady Enterprises Inc. of Weymouth, Mass., for alleged, willful, repeat, and serious violations of safety and health standards at its 45 Finnell Drive plant. The food products packager faces $66,500 in proposed fines, following a Nov. 14 accident in which an employee was caught in a labeling machine while cleaning it.