Respiratory


EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

EPA Issues Tougher SO2 Health Standard

This is the first new sulfur dioxide clean air standard in 40 years, according to the agency, whose director says it will protect millions of Americans from short-term exposures.

First Responder PPE, NYC Experts Helping Haiti

As Scott Health & Safety announced it has donated more than $600,000 worth of respiratory and other equipment, New York City's mayor said 12 employees with emergency response expertise are leaving June 7 for Port-au-Prince to help in building a local Community Emergency Response Team program.

Make It Possible to Save Every Employee

Every organization has diff erent characteristics and safety challenges that must be considered when starting or enhancing an automated external defi brillator program. Only then can a workplace determine how many AEDs to purchase, where to place them, and how many employees to train.

Manakin

Choosing the Right Manikin for the Job

Way back in the day, we used to pack up our cleaned CPR manikins, legs and all, into giant hard cases and drag those behemoths back to the storage room. The best you could hope for was to avoid getting a hernia trying to heave “Anne” up onto the rolling cart.

CPR

AHA Focuses on Education for CPR Awareness Week

The American Heart Association's goal is to get 1 million people to learn about CPR during CPR Week, June 1-7.

Don L. Blankenship, former Massey Energy Company chairman and CEO

Massey, MSHA to Reenter Upper Big Branch Mine

This entry, the first since the explosion killed 29 miners on April 5, will monitor air quality inside the mine.

Study: Pandemic Flu Fears Lead to Better Personal Hygiene

Researchers found that during the early phase of the H1N1 outbreak in Hong Kong, 47 percent of people washed hands more than 10 times per day, 89 percent wore facemasks when having influenza-like illness, and 21.5 percent wore facemasks regularly in public areas.

Cryptococcus neoformans

NIH, NIAID Want More Info on Fungus Among Us

Cryptococcus "is inhaled into the lungs of people who may have been near trees or soil where the microbes live,” says Dr. Christina Hull of the ubiquitous C. neoformans species (pictured), the spherical cells of which are 3 to 7 microns in diameter. Abandoned buildings also are often hotbeds.



Ohio Utility to Shut Down Plant, Pay $850,000 for Air Violations

The agreement resolves violations of the Clean Air Act’s new source review requirements at the company’s Gorsuch Station, which has a sulfur dioxide emission rate in the highest three percent of coal-fired utility sources in the country.

Har-Conn Chrome Charged with HexChrome, Electrocution Hazards

The Connecticut-based metal finishing company also was cited for not establishing a regulated work area and ensuring contaminated protective clothing remained in the work area, and for not conducting cadmium exposure sampling.

Honeywell is Buying Sperian Protection

The company announced today that its $1.4 billion bid has been approved by Sperian's board. This will vault Honeywell into the lead position among PPE manufacturers worldwide.

NJ Manufacturer's Sixth Inspection Results in 36 Citations

The 33 serious violations include a lack of training, electrical hazards, inadequate personal protective equipment, failing to implement an adequate hazard communication and respiratory protection program, and failing to properly handle confined spaces.

Women's Apparel Maker Cited for Bloodborne Pathogens Hazards

The company was cited for violations at its Parsippany, N.J., worksite, which it shares with Salonika Associates LLC, also cited after a Site-Specific Targeting Program inspection.

Growing Evidence Links Air Pollution to Heart Disease, Death

“Particulate matter appears to directly increase risk by triggering events in susceptible individuals within hours to days of an increased level of exposure, even among those who otherwise may have been healthy for years,” said Dr. Robert D. Brook, a cardiovascular medicine specialist and associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Treating Truck Drivers with Sleep Apnea Offers Safety, Health Benefits

“Addressing OSA in the workplace offers the possibility of early identification and intervention for a chronic disease that is associated with increased health benefit utilization," said Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, chief medical officer of Waste Management Inc.

The CSE Corp. SR-100 primarily uses a chemical process to generate a 60-minute supply of oxygen.

CSE Corporation Expands SR-100 Alert

The self-contained self-rescuer unit used by underground miners generates 60 minutes of oxygen when started, but the company's investigation suggests start-up oxygen cylinders may fail in any field-deployed unit.

Coking Plant Cited for Respiratory, Industrial Hygiene, PPE Violations

Specifically, the facility failed to adequately train workers on respirator selection, use, storage, and maintenance; did not supply positive-pressure filtered air to all work cabs; did not label containers of coke-contaminated clothing; allowed food and beverages to be consumed in an area with visible accumulations of coke-oven emissions; and more, according to investigators.

Milk Specialties to Pay $535K after Inspection Turns Sour

In its fifteenth OSHA inspection since 1974, the company was charged with nine willful, four repeat, and 17 serious violations, including hazards of confined space entry and combustible dust.

Studies as recently as 2009, including by CDC, found weaknesses in respiratory, hand hygiene, PPE, staff training, and written procedure guidelines.

OSHA Seeks Data on Health Care Infectious Agents

Requesting comments by Aug. 4, the agency noted, "The lack of adherence to voluntary infection control procedures is of particular interest to OSHA."

Company Cited $115,000 for Asbestos Hazards

The MIOSHA investigation found the building was not completely inspected for asbestos. As a result, a major asbestos fiber release episode occurred, potentially exposing employees and building tenants to asbestos.

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