PPE


Electrocution Hazards Propel Fines Against NY Helicopter Plant

OSHA agents found workers were exposed to dangers from the company's failure to first de-energize live electrical parts before having employees work on them, resulting in the issuance of a willful citation.

Massachusetts Starts Home Oxygen Fire Safety Campaign

The state fire marshal and a task force announced the campaign Jan. 21 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where they said 24 fire deaths and seven firefighter injuries have occurred in such fires since 1997.

Coast Guard Station Receives New Rescue Airboat

Currently, USCG members must walk -- carrying all of their equipment -- to any ice rescue scenes, which can take valuable time in rescue efforts. With the airboat, which goes over ice and water, rescuers will be able to reach more incidents and get there faster.

OSHA Booklet Outlines Hexavalent Chromium Standards, Dangers

Requirements for exposure limits, exposure monitoring and determination, protective work clothing and equipment, medical surveillance, communication of hexavalent chromium hazards, and recordkeeping are described.

NIOSH PPT Meeting to Offer PPE Updates

Breakout sessions during the March 2-3 stakeholder meeting in Pittsburgh will detail current research on protective clothing performance and help NIOSH do better at warning end users about counterfeit respirators. Dr. John Howard will be the keynote speaker.

The ASSE Utilities Branch will address EHS issues in solar and wind power generation, among other areas.

ASSE Forms Agricultural and Utilities Branches

The society cited growth and interest in these sectors' safety for launching them. The Utilities Branch will address EHS issues in solar and wind power generation, water and wastewater, and telecommunications, among other areas.

New Study Finds Table Saw Injuries Remain Consistently High

Woodworking is a popular hobby, with table saws being owned and used by an estimated 6 to 10 million people in the United States. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990-2007, an estimated 565,670 non-occupational table saw-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments, averaging 31,500 injuries per year. Although a 27 percent increase in the number of injuries was found over the 18-year study period, there was no change in the rate of injuries per 10,000 U.S. population.

Strong Interest in New ANSI/ASSE Construction Standards

Tim Fisher, ASSE's director of Practices and Standards, said ASSE is developing technical briefs for ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009, "Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction," and ANSI/ASSE A10.16-2009.



Needlesticks are one cause of Hepatitis C infections.

Hepatitis Awareness Campaign Recommended

An IOM committee's report outlines a national strategy for preventing and controlling Hepatitis B and C, calling them "important public health problems" and noting 5.3 million Americans have the diseases in chronic form. They are more common in this country than HIV/AIDS, but awareness is low.

New OSHA Videos Put Respirators, Facemasks in Starring Roles

The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection.

The combined effects of chemicals that seem safe in isolation but may present health risks when absorbed together were identified by Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas in June 2009 as a large future challenge.

Multiple Chemicals Concern EU Environment Ministers

Endocrine disruptors may be addressed this year, but comprehensive action on combined chemicals as a whole probably is two years away, according to the EU.

The ExoFit NEX, which debuted in late 2009, is an upgrade of the original introduced 10 years before.

Win a Free ExoFit NEX™ Harness!

Just write a short essay (100 words max.) explaining your biggest fall protection challenge and submit it online by Jan. 29 for a chance to win a brand-new ExoFit NEX™ from Capital Safety. No more than one entry per person will be accepted. We'll announce the winner here by Feb. 12. Click here for a link to the entry form in a Q&A with Capital Safety-North American Product Manager Nate Bohmbach.

The alternative butter flavoring 2,3-pentanedione causes airway epithelial damage similar to the damage caused by diacetyl, according to NIOSH and NIEHS research.

Diacetyl Substitutes Also Harmful

NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard has informed OSHA's assistant secretary that NIOSH and NIEHS research on the alternative butter flavoring 2,3-pentanedione "suggests that, in rats, 2,3-pentanedione causes airway epithelial damage similar to that produced by diacetyl."

Crane & Hoist Conference Set to Debut in Houston

The event, held in conjunction with Reach Expo 2010, will feature a variety of noted professionals in the overhead crane and rigging industry.

The ExoFit NEX, which debuted in late 2009, is an upgrade of the original introduced 10 years before.

Priming the New Product Pump

"We constantly refresh our pool of ideas. Our end users are very vocal about what works and doesn't work."

Change in PPE Fall Protection Standard

New ANSI Fall Protection Standards: What They Mean to You

Learning how to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous or fatal fall hazards allows organizations to take a proactive approach to worker safety. In November 2007, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released a comprehensive family of standards, known as the Z359 standard or "Fall Protection Code," to help organizations learn how to reduce risk.

This DoD photo taken by USMC Cpl. Jason Ingersoll shows the damaged Pentagon minutes after a hijacked airliner struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001.

2000-2009: The Decade in Safety & Health

The H1N1 pandemic was 2009's biggest safety and health story, but OSHA also grabbed the spotlight last year with a blockbuster $87 million fine. For all of the attention paid to tower crane safety, combustible dusts, crumbling infrastructure, and a jobless recovery, the biggest story of 2000-2009 was Sept. 11, 2001.

AIHA White Paper Outlines Respiratory Research Needs

Are user seal checks necessary to ensure protection? And, if so, when should they be performed? A white paper prepared by the American Industrial Hygiene Association's Respiratory Protection Committee asks these and several other questions to resolve important issues.

The morning routine for Baker Concrete Construction Inc. coworkers involves stretch and flex and Mission Task Analysis.

Baker's Recipe for Better Safety

Trust and involvement are vital components of the Incident and Injury Free safety program that has improved results for Baker Concrete Construction Inc.

Printer Fined Nearly $160K for Not Providing PPE, Other Violations

Among other charges, the company faces citations for six willful violations that address its failure to provide adequate energy control procedures and a hearing conservation program.

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