Respiratory


NIOSH Releases New Fact Sheet on Diacetyl Exposure

NIOSH recently compiled a fact sheet on lung disease that can result from exposure to flavoring chemicals containing diacetyl.

Styrene Industry Touts Its Safety

The new www.YouKnowStyrene.org from the Styrene Information & Research Center includes a section about exposure limits and health studies.

NIOSH Updates Infectious Disease Exposure List for Emergency Response Workers

The resources include a list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, and specifying those diseases routinely transmitted through airborne or aerosolized means.

Pet Food Plant Cited with $758,000 in Fines

The case includes nine per-instance willful citations for failing to require respirator use by six workers exposed to dust above the permissible exposure limit and failing to adequately protect three dust collection units which collect dusts such as starch, potato base, cellulose fiber, and pea protein.

Filling the Manager's Toolkit

Jim Johnson, past chairman of AIHA’s Respiratory Protection Committee, said he hopes training modules will be ready by the 2012 AIHce conference in Indianapolis.

Study Pegs Construction Workers' Career Risks

Data presented Oct. 31 at the American Public Health Association's 139th Annual Meeting showed nearly all construction workers will experience one or more work-related injuries or illnesses over a lifetime, plus a greater risk of premature death.

American Lung Association Takes Aim at COPD, Lung Cancer

Two new web pages are dedicated to raising awareness of both year round, and particularly during November, which is both Lung Cancer Awareness Month and COPD Awareness month.

Joint Commission Taking Comments on Emergency Drill Change

The revision in the emergency management drill requirements in Standard EM.03.01.03 for the home care accreditation program would allow some organizations to use annual tabletop exercises rather than functional ones.



MSHA Warns Mining Industry about Dangers of Cold Weather

Low barometric pressure and low humidity, combined with the seasonal drying of many areas in underground coal mines, have been key factors in past mine explosions.

OSHA Blasts W.Va. Welding Firm for 25 Safety Violations

"Workers at this welding shop are left vulnerable to hazards that could cause serious injuries or even death," said Prentice Cline, director of OSHA's Charleston Area Office.

$147,840 in Fines Issued to Steel Firm for Unsafe Crane Operations

OSHA issued the company a willful safety violation for failing to remove a crane from service that required necessary repairs before resuming crane operations.

Ontario Labor Ministry Launches PPE, Mine Ventilation Blitzes

Mine inspectors are checking underground mines with large fleets of diesel equipment, while the PPE blitz targets health care workplaces, among others.

Study Estimates 28,000 Pool Chemical Illnesses in 2002-08

Published in the Oct. 7 issue of CDC's MMWR, the study examined data from six states participating in the SENSOR program and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Forty percent of state cases were work-related.

FEMA Sounds the Alarm for National Fire Prevention Week 2011

"The most common causes of home fires include cooking, heating, electrical malfunction, smoking materials, and candles,” said FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy.

New Technologies Featured at National Mine Rescue Contest

The final day's activities Oct. 6 in Columbus, Ohio, included a mine rescue stakeholder meeting with MSHA Assistant Secretary Joe Main, and an awards banquet in the Battelle Grand Ballroom.

Hazardous Waste Tanks Lead to Firm's $122,760 Fine

OSHA inspectors found that workers were exposed to respiratory and confined space hazards while cleaning waste tanks used to store petroleum hydrocarbons at a job site in Channahon, Ill.

OSHRC's 'Legacy' Cases Finally Done

The Sept. 28 decision in Secretary of Labor v. Southern Scrap Materials Co., Inc. allowed the commission to resolve all 10 cases with this designation by the end of fiscal 2011.

Two Workers Die in Flash Fire, Boat Repair Firm Fined $221,200

Nine employees were performing cutting and fire watch operations inside the hopper space, an area between the cargo hold and the bottom plate of the vessel, with limited means of entry and exit when the flash fire occurred.

Some suits on the market offer certification to both standards. This means a suit for use in situations that do not require a Level A suit, one that also provides liquid splash and gas chemical protection. (Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics photo)

Spending Less and Getting More from Your Hazmat Suit

It is imperative for hazmat teams to understand the requirements of NFPA 1994 and NFPA 1992. Doing this not only determines your safety during use, but also gives peace of mind while in the hot zone.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia is the host site for the 2011 National Safety Congress & Expo. (Paul Loftland photo)

All Aboard for Safety

Historic Reading Railroad Terminal is the site of the National Safety Congress & Expo’s long-awaited return to Philadelphia.

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