Respiratory


OSHA Sees Significant Savings from Updated Regs

The final rule will take effect July 8 and will save employers more than $45 million annually, according to OSHA.

Condo Owner Gets Prison Term for Failing to Notify Employees of Asbestos Risk

The owner and manager of a California condominium complex were sentenced for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006 – work that caused asbestos to be released into the complex and the surrounding community.

The incidence rate among agricultural workers in 11 states who were exposed to pesticide drift was much higher than that of non-workers, according to the study.

NIOSH Study Confirms Pesticide Drift Dangers

The authors found that 53 percent of the 2,945 pesticide poisoning cases associated with drift in 11 states during 1996-2008 involved non-occupational exposures, however.

OSHA Starts NEP on Primary Metals Industry

This new National Emphasis Program aims to protect workers from chemical and physical hazards. Some are exposed to metal dusts and fumes, carbon monoxide, lead, and silica, according to inspection and BLS data.

SDI Diagnostics makes the Spirolab II, a portable diagnostic spirometer.

ACOEM Publishes Updated Spirometry Guidance

Developed by the college's Occupational and Environmental Lung Disorders Committee, the guidance statement is available as a free online article from the May issue of JOEM, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

USFA Releases Residential Building Fire Reports

Cooking is the leading cause of both one- and two-family and multifamily residential buildings fires, followed by heating.

The primary sources of information when determining the components likely to be in the fume are the MSDS and/or the technical data sheet from the manufacturer of the consumable electrode/wire.

Welding Fume and Gas Exposure

Welding fume exposure tends to be highly variable due to several exposure factors.



ASSE Offers Cleanup Tips for Businesses Affected by Recent Disasters

"It is projected that we can expect more serious storms and tornadoes during the summer," said ASSE President Darryl C. Hill. "Thus, it is imperative we plan accordingly.”

Illinois Firm Fined $1.2 Million in Asbestos Case

OSHA cited AMD Industries Inc. of Cicero for 19 allegedly willful and eight allegedly serious violations after inspecting its facilities at the request of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Free Training Available for Spray Foam Industry

The Sustainable Workplace Alliance will begin its half-day training classes June 24 in Dallas. The training was made possible by a Susan Harwood grant from OSHA.

The Kloof Gold Mine, located 60 kilometers west of Johannesburg, has produced more than 70 million ounces of gold, according to Gold Fields.

Silicosis Fight Brewing in South African Mines

A lawsuit by 18 former employees of Anglo American South Africa may go to trial next year. Mining executives dispute an estimate that it may cost them $100 billion to settle all potential silicosis claims.

Some Hidden Gems in AIHce 2011 Posters

For instance, IH consultants will be happy to know about the results of SKC Inc. research showing alternative air sampling bags work well.

Workers Exposed to Lead at Chicago Work Site, Firm Fined $180,000

"This company was aware that employees were conducting torch cutting on a steel structure coated with lead-based paint and failed to ensure that a respiratory protection plan was in use on the job site," said Michael Connors, OSHA's regional director in Chicago.

CDC Identifies 10 Public Health Achievements of First Decade of 21st Century

"Americans are living longer, healthier, and more productive lives than ever before thanks in part to extraordinary achievements in public health over the past decade," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

MSHA chief Joe Main welcomed the report, saying that "Massey knew they were having serious compliance problems and failed to effectively fix them."

Massey Disputes Critical State Report

The company greeted Davitt McAteer's report blaming it for the Upper Big Branch mine disaster by saying a "massive inundation of methane-rich natural gas" caused the April 2010 explosion.

Upton Sinclair Award Winner Laments Media Apathy

Going against the mainstream grain, Jim Morris, senior reporter for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity, has consistently—and persistently—written stories that show how the deck is often stacked against workers in hazardous industries—and how it's stacked against their families after the workers have died on the job.

ASSE Offers Cleanup Tips for Flood-Related Mold

Besides infection and allergic reactions, excessive mold growth indoors can result in offensive, musty odors from the gases released by certain molds as they grow and die.

Illinois Production Firm Fined $63,000 Following Worker's Burning

OSHA has cited PolyChem Services Inc. for one safety and five health violations after a worker received second- and third-degree burns at the plant in November 2010.

Live from AIHce: Keynoter Calls for Safer Chemicals

Michael P. Wilson, associate director for Integrative Sciences at UC Berkeley's Center for Green Chemistry, observed that while the United States continues to lead the world in areas of occupational safety and health, the European Union has decidedly taken the global lead in chemicals policy initiatives with its adoption of REACH.

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