As the world is getting more mobile, with estimates of more than 250 million cell phones in use in the United States, EPA is launching one of the first government Web sites tailored specifically for cell phone users: http://m.epa.gov.
"The placement of sharps containers, as well as the measures used to maintain them in an upright position during use, must be based on the site-specific hazard assessment of the area of intended use," wrote Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Enforcement Program Directorate.
According to Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Enforcement Programs Directorate, the agency does not take enforcement action with regard to professional athletes in most cases.
An online survey about workers' compensation policies and practices found nearly 60 percent of respondent employers weren't sure how their third-party administrators or managed care organizations are compensated for medical provider network development.
The agency clarifies that a cylinder that contains 20.9 percent oxygen and 79.1 percent nitrogen, which is essentially compressed air, presents no greater oxidation hazard than that of the atmospheric air already present in the workplace and would therefore not be considered an oxygen cylinder or an oxidizing compressed gas for the purposes of 29 CFR 1910.101.
GE, Air Liquide, and Eli Lilly are among the eight newcomers to sign on to the campaign organized by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The campaign aim to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses by focusing on risk assessment.
A team of nurses and other health experts spent the past two years identifying the strongest research evidence and developing recommendations to address verbal, emotional and physical acts of aggression and violence that could be perpetrated by health-care professionals, patients or patients' family members.
This evaluation program will help employers and others compare wellness programs using standardized results and select a wellness program with demonstrated value and quality.
EPA's process of generating risk assessments -- which estimate the potential adverse effects posed by harmful chemicals found in the environment in order to protect public health -- is bogged down by unprecedented challenges, and as a decision-making tool it is often hindered by a disconnect between available scientific data and the information needs of officials, according to a new report from the National Research Council.
"Current economic conditions and recent legal challenges put the continuation of ACGIH®'s core mission and value at risk, namely the continued development" of both the key exposure guidelines from ACGIH, the Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety said in its announcement.
One of the largest U.S. employers announced initiatives this week that are letting employees help one another in new ways.
"Employees who were removing asbestos-containing materials at this site lacked basic safeguards that must be in place before performing such work," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
The National Association of Chemical Distributors’ (NACD) member companies announced reportable vehicular accidents or spills decreased by almost 19 percent, and recordable injuries due to vehicular accidents or transportation spills decreased by 23.5 percent from 2006, according to the just-released 2007 NACD Membership & Performance Data Report.
Board-certified toxicologist Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., will take over in January at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Three meetings this month in Rochester, Bemidji, and St. Paul will allow homebuilders and others to discuss potential changes to the building code with Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum.
A 15-month study produced this week's Institute of Medicine report that found medical residents' work schedules can hamper their performance and increase errors.
But 17 percent of workers in the first-ever National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance survey said their employers do nothing to shield them from loud noise on the job, and 22 percent said nothing is done to dampen vibration of equipment or vehicles to which they are exposed.
The association says that at other times when fuel costs have risen, it has seen a corresponding increase in heating-related fires, and with today's combination of much higher energy costs and much higher unemployment, "we fear that . . . more people who are unable to pay for heating oil or utilities [will] use more dangerous ways of heating their homes."
As part of the plea agreement, the company was ordered to pay a $350,000 fine and issue a public apology in an appropriate trade journal regarding the conviction.
Located in the Pocono Mountains, the facility performs metal fabrication for the military and has approximately 589 full-time employees.