Respiratory


Phosphene-Related Death in W. Virginia Results in EPA's Censure of DuPont

The order results from an inspection of the facility following three releases of the gas in January, including the release that caused the death. EPA determined that the facility has not satisfied Clean Air Act requirements that are designed to help prevent accidental releases and minimize the consequences of releases that do occur.

Program Seeks to Compensate Victims of Radiation Exposure

Under RECA, people in the following claimant categories may receive payments: uranium miners, millers, and ore transporters; people who were present at nuclear weapons tests; and people who lived in certain areas "downwind" of the Nevada Nuclear Test Site.

Electronics Firm Fined $101,700 for Failure to Abate, Repeat, Serious Violations

According to investigators, the company has not maintained OSHA 300 logs for two years and has failed to develop and implement a hazcom program, train employees on hazardous chemicals, and develop and implement a respiratory protection program, among other problems.

Most of the U.S. workers who are exposed to hexavalent chromium compounds while on the job are welders, according to OSHA.

HexChrome Change: Employees to Learn All Exposure Results

An appeals court told OSHA to explain why it decided to require disclosure to workers only when the PEL for hexavalent chromium was exceeded, and now the safety agency has changed its mind. Most U.S. workers who are exposed to Cr(VI) compounds on the job are welders, according to OSHA.

Poultry Processing Plant Penalized for Plethora of Problems

The 45 serious violations of which the facility stands accused address hazards with industrial trucks, falls, PPE, machine guarding, electrical safety, process safety management, respirators, and emergency response.

Beware shockingly cold water

Coast Guard Issues Fair Weather Boating Warning

With coastal water temperatures just a few degrees above freezing and inland waters even colder, the lure of spring-like weather creates a deceptively dangerous combination, USCG notes.

Ten Thousand 9/11 Responders' Lawsuits Settled

Awaiting approval by a judge and the workers, the agreement by the WTC Captive Insurance Company will pay as much as $657.5 million to settle the lawsuits claiming dust created by the collapse of the World Trade Centers caused lung damage.

Bulkhead Maker to Pay for Unreported Use of Styrene

Exposure to the toxic chemical can affect the nervous system and can cause changes in color vision, fatigue, slowed reaction time, concentration problems, and balance problems.



EU's CDC Sees No New H1N1 Wave Coming

The most likely scenario for Europe throughout 2010 is continuing low-level transmission and small outbreaks of the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) influenza, although larger outbreaks could occur, according to the March 9 forecast.

HSE Issues New Asbestos Removal Survey Guidelines

The new guidance does away with the old Survey Type 1, 2, and 3, replacing those with the more comprehensive Management Survey and Refurbishment and Demolition Survey.

Wholesale Food Distributor Cited for 'Cross Section' of Warehouse Woes

An inspection found workers unable to open emergency exit doors from inside the workplace; a lack of specific procedures to lock out machine power sources; missing guardrails; improperly stored oxygen cylinders; several electrical hazards; and more.

New England Contractor Fined for Asbestos Hazards, Respiratory Deficiencies

"OSHA standards are designed to minimize the risk of exposure and its potential impact on workers' health, but they are effective only so long as employers adhere to them," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.

Health Canada Offers Environmental Health Resource

The four-year Hazardcheck campaign unveiled on March 1 builds on the Government of Canada's Chemicals Management Plan and Clean Air Agenda.

OSHA Presses Printing Plant for Improvements, Fines Facility $62,350

Specifically, the agency found instances of improper transfer and storage of flammable liquids; lack of specific lockout/tagout procedures and training to prevent the unintended startup of machines during maintenance; lack of hearing protection; inadequate respirator training, fit-testing, medical evaluation, inspection, and maintenance; unguarded grinders; and more.

Filtering Facepiece Respirator

Filtering Facepiece Respirator Use in Construction

Results from a study of construction workers' chest x-rays at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities from 1996 to 2006 indicated that, depending on trade, abnormal results were found in 11 to 25 percent of the workers studied. The prevalence of abnormal chest x-ray increased with age and years worked.

AANMA Clarifies FDA Asthma Medication Warnings

Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) recently offered guidance to help patients understand recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings about Advair® (fluticasone and salmeterol), Foradil ® (formoterol), Serevent® (salmeterol) and Symbicort® (budesonide and formoterol), daily inhaled medications containing a long-acting beta agonist (LABA, a 12-hour bronchodilator).

Contractor, Subcontractor Fined After Worker's Fatal Fall from Water Tower

"This case is a clear and grave example of the human cost incurred when required fall protection safeguards are absent, ignored, or inadequate," said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA's New Hampshire area director.

NIOSH Taking Comments on Asbestos Research Plans

The agency's revised "current intelligence bulletin" for asbestos fibers and other elongate mineral particles explains what NIOSH still wants to explore and also clarifies the 1990 NIOSH recommended exposure limit for airborne asbestos fibers.

The survey of Australian trades workers who sand, cut, and drill asbestos-containing sheets found many do not adequately protect themselves.

Many Australian Tradesmen Handling Asbestos Improperly

A study done for Safe Work Australia also showed that many in the country's trades do not follow standard safety precautions to protect themselves against exposure to asbestos fibers.

Colorado Firm Awarded Grant to Study Mine Methane Emissions in China

As part of EPA’s Methane to Markets Grant, the firm will subcontract with the University of Colorado for the project, which will inventory emissions in the gassy, abandoned coal mines in the coal-bearing regions of the Shanxi and Hebei Provinces.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence