"Planning for pandemic influenza is critical, and the business community must not delay in considering the impact of a pandemic and to adjust their company's employee health and safety plans accordingly," says AIHA President Lindsey Booher, CIH, CSP.
There are currently no products authorized for sale in Canada that are indicated specifically for the treatment of H1N1, the federal department says.
Researchers have detected common plant toxins that affect human health and ecosystems in smoke from forest fires. The results from the new study also suggest that smoldering fires may produce more toxins than wildfires--a reason to keep human exposures to a minimum during controlled burns.
A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.
On Feb. 23, 2009, a federal appeals court resolved the final challenges to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Hexavalent Chromium (CrVI) Standard that was promulgated in February 2006. The last challenge argued to lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) to 1 μg/m3 from 5 μg/m3. This appeal was denied, and OSHA’s PEL was upheld by the court.
Because products used in a nail salon may be extremely flammable, no one should be allowed to smoke in the vicinity. As required by OSHA, employees should be provided training on hazard communication (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200) and on the proper storage and handling of flammable liquids (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106).
Manager Carlos Mondragon, who heads Dimension Data Mexico, explains here how the company's Mexico City office is coping with flu-related disruptions while striving to keep its employees well and informed.
The U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Emergency Medical Services Chiefs have both issued detailed guidance for EMS and other responders to use during the flu.
U.S. Labor Secretary Solis also announced OSHA is moving forward the proposed regulation governing workers' exposure to diacetyl food flavoring by convening a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel May 5.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis recently announced that OSHA will convene a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel May 5 on a draft proposed rule on occupational exposure to diacetyl and food flavorings containing diacetyl.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and other federal officials Tuesday said they're confident federal and state agencies have a sufficient antiviral stockpile to meet the U.S. demand. Early today, CDC confirmed a 23-month-old child in Texas has died.
Though written with avian flu in mind, the guidebook will help workplaces prepare for the swine flu already affecting several countries. The organization is making it available free.
Inspectors identified other hazards including locked exits, obstructed exit access, and an unmarked exit; lack of welding screens and personal protective equipment for welders; untrained forklift operators; excess carbon monoxide levels from forklifts; and numerous electrical safety deficiencies including exposed live electrical parts.
The agency's acting director, Dr. Richard Besser, said the travel advisory will be issued this afternoon. But "it's quite premature" to advise restricting travel to the United States, he added.
An in-depth analysis of blood from patients recovering from the H5N1 avian influenza virus has provided important insights into how to combat the potentially lethal virus.
CSB Chairman John Bresland warned this week that extensive secrecy claims like the one made in this case, which involves an August 2008 explosion at Institute, W.Va., could compromise CSB's effectiveness as a safety agency.
Sooner than expected, with about half of the listed prosecution witnesses not called to testify, the prosecutors in the federal court jury trial in Missoula, Mont., will rest its case early this week, according to reporters covering it. The company and five former managers are charged with conspiring to conceal evidence of the dangers of asbestos contamination in the Libby community from the dust produced by a vermiculite mine.
Air quality standards have become more stringent, and, according to EPA, air pollution levels have declined. Still, ground-level ozone and particle matter can pose serious health problems, which is why the index is important.
Three items alleging the employer failed to provide guardrails on painters' scaffolds are now back for an administrative law judge's consideration. They've been litigated for years.
The "Grand Opportunities" program, highlighted this week by the National Institutes of Health, will invest about $200 million in large-scale research projects to boost public health, health care delivery, and biomedical R&D.