For years, we’ve known many workers in the “real world” do not achieve the same amount of attenuation from hearing protectors as indicated on the EPA required Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) label. Numerous studies show the NRR greatly overestimates the amount of attenuation that workers get in the field. This problem is so widely accepted that OSHA recommends de-rating the NRR by 50 percent. However, studies also show that a one-size-fits-all de-rating is also inaccurate when compared to individual measures of attenuation. EPA will soon make an announcement proposing a major change in the required labeling and method of testing of hearing protection devices (HPDs).
The Workplace Safety Awareness Council begins a series of electrical safety and arc flash training classes on March 2 that includes stops in 33 cities. A Susan Harwood grant from OSHA funded the development and presentation of the series.
It’s late in the afternoon on a Friday at International Meta-Multi-Mega Manufacturing Inc.’s corporate headquarters, and Bill, the manager of Safety, Health and Environmental Services, is on the hot seat regarding management’s latest concerns about compensation liability. The director of Finance, Samantha, is anxious to get some answers. The HR manager, Hector, nods in agreement.
In the midst of changes taking place throughout the health care industry, many OHNs are rightly feeling they are in a whole new profession, which helps explain why organizers of this year's annual AAOHN conference have for months now been plugging the event with the tagline "It's a Whole New Symposium."
"Suppliers exhibit behind their tabletop booth, and after 15 minutes are up, each DPA member rotates to the next booth in their rotation order. You really accomplish a lot by the time the conference is over," said DPA Executive Director Zachary Haines.
"The sizable fines proposed here reflect the fact that this company knew several of these critical safeguards were necessary yet chose not to provide them," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y.
In addition, one of the plant's maintenance providers has also been cited, in part for failing to adequately train employees to fight fires, which it contracted to do at the site.
Eight of its workers were treated for exposure to the organic chemical para-nitroaniline (PNA) in powder form. The penalty is based on 21 alleged willful citations, 20 of them cited on a per-employee basis.
PowerTest 2009 will bring the testing and maintenance industry together on the San Antonio Riverwalk for the March 9-12 event hosted by the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA).
An investigation found alleged willful violations in the construction company's failure to provide training in avoiding hazards associated with working in trenches eight feet deep or more and failure to provide a means of egress while employees are working at excavation worksites that are four feet deep or more.
A free, one-hour safe handling CE webinar on the subject is planned for April 20--the inaugural Safe Handling Awareness Day--and all health care professionals are invited to participate.
Members attending the annual conference will be asked to individually pledge to make 100 percent tie-off a reality in the industry. They also will be asked to sign a petition to stop further delays in the DTV transition.
"Knowledge is the most portable and the most valuable resource in any worker's toolkit. Laborers and others will be able to carry the information obtained here to any jobsite," said Paul Mangiafico, director for OSHA's Boston North area.
Key updates contained in this version include optional testing and marking features for high visibility of head protection devices and a detailed protocol for reverse-wearing of hard hats.
The first Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards were presented during NHCA's 34th annual conference, which ended yesterday in Atlanta and won praise from NIOSH Acting Director Christine Branche.
How administering beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and magnesium before exposure to a loud sound may prevent hearing loss is explored in two studies being presented at the 2009 Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology that starts today in Baltimore.
Among the items OSHA cited after an investigation that opened in August 2008 were improper forklift operations, not providing eye protection or eye flushing stations, and improper hazardous energy control procedures during press machine maintenance and repairs.
If the distance between a lift's work platform and a lower level will be less than the minimum anchor point elevation stipulated by the lanyard's manufacturer, then a different fall-arrest or restraint system must be used.
The company's CEO said the rapid integration of Hagemeyer's European operations "reinforces Rexel's global leadership, accelerates its penetration with key accounts, and improves its operational performance."