Respiratory


The case involves U.S. Steel employees working at mills in Michigan and Illinois; it arose primarily from the company

Unanimous Supreme Court Sides with U.S. Steel in Donning Case

The justices agreed with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that protective gear is not distinct from “work clothes.”

OSHA Extends Silica Rule Comment Period

The agency has added 15 days, so comments are now due by Feb. 11, 2014. Hundreds of comments have been submitted already.

The proposed PEL of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air as an eight-hour time weighted average is half of the current PEL for quartz, the most common form of crystalline silica, in general industry and far below the now-obsolete PELs for crystalline silica applied to construction and shipyards.

OSHA Announces Jan 14. Web Chat on Proposed Silica Rule

The 90-minute chat will discuss in detail the rule, which would reduce the agency's PEL for workers' exposure to respirable crystalline silica in general industry, construction, and maritime.

Some OSHA regions helped to organize safety stand-downs with oil and gas industry partners and STEPS organizations during 2013.

Silica, Spills, Lawsuits & Rules

The safety challenges of a booming industry were met on many fronts in 2013, from training and recruitment to regulatory changes and safety stand-downs.

NIOSH

COPD Linked with Memory Loss by Mayo Clinic

The study found people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are about twice as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment.

More than a thousand consumer products already on the market in the United States contain nanomaterials, according to NIOSH.

NIOSH Releases New Nanomaterial Control Recommendations

The section on engineering controls -– local exhaust ventilation, isolation, and dust suppression methods -- states they are likely to be the most effective control strategy for nanomaterials, but it also advises using elimination and substitution first if they are feasible.

EPA Adding o-nitrotoluene to Section 313 List

The agency's final rule applies for the reporting year beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

Employers must have a written program outlining employees

Dust Mask or N95?

OSHA's respiratory regulations require that you have a written program outlining your company's usage of respirators. The program needs to be reviewed annually.



Head protection that is either too large or too small is inappropriate for use, even if it meets all other requirements.

Exploring Crystalline Silica Exposure

When respirators are used to lower exposure to respirable crystalline silica, employers must establish a written respiratory program meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.134.

OSHA Cites Trucking Company for Willful Confined Space Violation

The agency has proposed $113,400 in fines against Sherman Brothers Trucking Inc., doing business as Team Transport Inc.

OSHA Issues Notices After Army Facility's Explosion

The explosion and fire occurred March 28 in the pyrotechnic building of the Crane Army Ammunition Activity, in Crane, Ind.

Texas Company's Former President Sentenced, Fined for Employee Deaths

He admitted not protecting workers from hydrogen sulfide, which killed two truck drivers in 2008 and 2009.

OSHA Extends Silica Rulemaking Comment Period

Stakeholders have until Jan. 27 to comment and until Dec. 12 to submit a notice of intention to appear at OSHA's "informal public hearings" about the proposed rule.

OSHA Fines Top $280,000 for Power Plant Contractors

Employers from five states are cited for a variety of hazards in Berlin, N.H.

Manufacturing Day Webinar Planned

The Oct. 8 webinar, "Healthier, Safer and More Engaged: Your Guide to Creating Total Worker Health," will address safety and health challenges faced by small and mid-sized manufacturers. CNA and NIOSH are co-hosting the event.

China adopted a swath of new safety regulations recently, and 3M offered assistance during the process, Frank Little said.

A World of Experience

Frank Little, vice president and general manager of 3M's Personal Safety Division, explains how the company builds its competency in countries all over the world and interacts with safety authorities and customers as they manage issues such as disease outbreaks and disasters.

Tower climbing and rescue training will be taught by experienced trainers. Students already trained at the Honeywell Life Safety facility have come from as far away as Toronto and Trinidad, trainers said Sept. 17.

Honeywell Life Safety Opens Texas Training Center

Company executives christened a gleaming new Training & Customer Experience Center where workers can get hands-on experience with confined space entry and rescue, communication tower climbing/rescue, servicing a wind energy nacelle, installing and using fall anchorages on a residential roof, and rescuing a co-worker from an oil rig’s catwalk and pipe rack.

OSHA Publishes Silica Proposed Rule

OSHA Publishes Silica Proposed Rule

This triggers the 90-day countdown to the deadline for filing comments on a proposal that is the most important regulatory action by OSHA this year, so far.

Chicago

Celebrating the National Safety Council's First Century

Chicago's McCormick Place once again will host one of the world's largest conferences for environmental, health, and safety professionals.

Protecting Workers from Risks Associated with Nanomaterials: Part II, Best Practices in Risk Management

Control banding is likely the most well-developed risk management strategy proposed for use with nanomaterials to date.

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