The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has adopted two additional NFPA standards for first responders: NFPA 472, Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents and NFPA 473, Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.
Combining previous references to storm shelter and safe room construction published by NSSA, the FEMA, and the Red Cross, the new standard increases minimum wind resistance requirements and provides basic safety and health requirements.
The Environmental Protection Agency revised the standard to help decrease health problems associated with high amounts of lead, particularly its effects on nervous system development.
Thirty years after the British rule was enacted requiring involvement of workers' representatives, the UK safety and health oversight agency is reminding stakeholders that involvement pays off.
New federal rules will make the nation's 474,000 school buses safer by requiring higher seat backs, mandating lap and shoulder belts on small school buses, and setting safety standards for seat belts on large school buses, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced on Oct. 15.
The Federal Railroad Administration says the final rule on electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes will enable locomotive engineers to have better train control, lower the risk of derailment, and allow trains to safely travel longer distances between required brake tests.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association will host "Cell Phones, Microwaves, Pacemakers and More . . .Nonionizing Radiation Myths and Realities," an introductory TeleWeb Virtual Seminar on Oct. 22, 2008, from 2-4:30 p.m. ET.
OSHA's New York Regional Office is asking the 151 worksites in its jurisdiction participating in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) to conduct voluntary inspections of any crane activity occurring at their worksites during this week. VPP is an elite, voluntary, merit-based program that recognizes worksites committed to effective employee protection beyond the requirements of OSHA standards.
The strategic partnership has developed outreach training courses and decreased fatality rates in several industries
Gov. Ed Rendell also signed bills that create a State Board of Crane Operators to oversee licensing and discipline of crane operators and raise the monthly benefit from $125 to $175 for silicosis or black lung sufferers.
British authorities say people shouldn't be exposed for more than an hour within 1 foot of a bare "open" (single envelope) compact fluorescent light bulb of the type shown here. They're asking for this concern to be addressed in EU standards.
Chemical manufacturers that fail to meet the Dec. 1, 2008, deadline cannot continue manufacturing or importing their chemicals until they have submitted a full registration and paid the registration fee. As of Oct. 1, almost 40,000 chemicals were already pre-registered through the initiative.
By 2020, ships will be required to use fuel with no more than 5,000 ppm sulfur, a 90 percent reduction from today's global cap
The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have completed a report--titled "Technical Note 1499, Performance Metrics for Fire Fighting Thermal Imaging Cameras – Small- and Full-Scale Experiments"--that provides information on the research conducted as part of a project partnership on Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) imaging performance metrics and test methods.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, an association that represents most of the makers of nonprescription over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines in children, has said it will modify product labels to state "do not use in children under 4," and will introduce new child-resistant packaging and measuring devices for use with the products.
The EPA determined the facility is subject to federal pretreatment standards under the Clean Water Act
The 12-member advisory committee "plays an important role in helping OSHA develop and promote standards and guidelines to protect employees from injuries, illnesses, and fatalities on the job," said OSHA chief Edwin G. Foulke Jr.
However, for idling reduction devices to qualify for the tax break, they must be determined by EPA in consultation with the Department of Energy and DOT to reduce idling of such vehicles at a motor vehicle rest stop or other location where such vehicles are temporarily parked or remain stationary.
The new publication "is an essential resource for designers, builders, and others looking for reliable information on topics not covered in [ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007] or seeking to go beyond minimum for high performance construction," said committee chair Steven Emmerich.
"A digital strategy component allows CBP to reach audiences that are increasingly using the Internet as their source of news and information, especially related to travel," said CBP Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski. "The widget, because it sits on the computer desktop, provides an ongoing and interactive reminder to travelers to get appropriate travel documents."