Covering material handling, reconstruction exposures, and wellness programs, the publications illuminate industrial hygienists' many roles.
A post-collapse inspection by the agency revealed 46 alleged safety and health violations, including struck-by, fall, electrical, and noise hazards, as well as failure to prevent explosive dust from accumulating on machinery and the shop floor.
"A great deal of technical development and capabilities have evolved since the 1982 edition of the standard," said Jeff Fryman, Z244 Committee vice chairman. "These new technologies make the control of hazardous energy both more complex and easier to achieve.
The two-day symposium takes place this week in Scottsdale and will be keynoted by T. Shane Bush's presentation, "Right Brain Leadership for the Future of Construction Safety."
The meeting also will include comments from the Office of the Assistant Secretary, Thomas M. Stohler, who was named the acting assistant secretary on Nov. 10 when the previous OSHA chief Edwin Foulke Jr. left the agency to join the Atlanta office of law firm Fisher & Phillips.
Interestingly, the issue of emergency preparedness and response—previously one of the public policy issues most on members' minds—was nowhere near the top of the list of concerns in the latest survey.
According to a new survey released today by Kimberly-Clark Professional, 89 percent of safety professionals polled at the 2008 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress have observed workers failing to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when they should have been.
Installing an effective ventilation system and ensuring compressors used to supply breathing air are equipped with a high-temperature alarm or carbon monoxide alarm are among the agency's recommendations for lowering employees' risk of exposure. Using compressors that are not oil lubricated is another.
The agency has developed a searchable database that pulls together publicly available information from various sources to help identify consumer and commercial products that contain mercury and their possible non-mercury alternatives.
EPA's new 2007 Municipal Solid Waste Characterization report shows Americans recycled and composted 85 million tons of the 254 million tons of total municipal solid waste produced last year.
3M recently started a giveaway promotion to coincide with the launch of its new Lexa™ MinimIzeR™ safety glasses. The eyewear is designed for welders, helpers, and other personnel around the immediate welding site, such as supervisors or engineers, to minimize their chances of accidental exposure to "flash burn."
The agency has determined that, for both substances, use without impervious gloves or a NIOSH-approved respirator with an APF of at least 10 may cause serious health effects.
"Because exposure to high levels of copper, lead, and zinc compounds causes a wide range of illnesses and environmental damage, communities need to know if and when these chemicals have been released," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems Division director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
NFPA is publishing details of a report on the 71 large-loss (more than $5 million in property damage) fires of 2007 in its journal this month.
The four states with the next-highest rates in 2008 are Montana, Ohio, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The lowest rate, $1.08 per $100 of payroll, belongs to North Dakota.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently announced the winners of the Fiscal Year 2009 Intramural National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) competition. Demonstrating a high level of scientific merit and a focus on translating research into practice, awards were given to 17 projects in diverse areas covering some of the many priority needs in each of the NORA sectors.
Electronic tools helping small businesses evaluate workplace safety and health management programs was among the topics presented at a recent OSHA forum titled "Challenges Small Businesses Face in Complying with Regulations."
An inspection found that two of the company's oil storage facilities adjacent to Penobscot Bay had failed to maintain sufficiently impervious secondary containment for its oil tanks and one of the sites next to the harbor had inadequate containment for the loading and off-loading areas.
"It is inexcusable for employees to be situated next to the process operation and have them use equipment that could serve as an ignition source for an explosion," said Clyde Payne, director of OSHA's Area Office in Jackson, Miss.
Despite the very real risk that an influenza pandemic poses to U.S. businesses, studies and anecdotal evidence show there’s a disconnect between risk managers and the Csuite that can make it difficult for pandemic preparedness to receive the attention—and funding—that it deserves. This article will present strategies and new developments that risk managers can leverage to help improve understanding among senior management about the value of comprehensive pandemic planning and to secure C-suite support.