Articles Tagged with ''exposure''

In the two years that a proposed rule to protect workers from exposure to dangerous levels of silica dust on the job has been held up by the White House, more than 100 workers have died and thousands have been sickened by preventable exposure to silica dust.

A worker in a New England warehouse was recently found unconscious and seizing. Several of his co-workers also became sick. The culprit? Carbon monoxide poisoning. All of the windows and doors were closed to conserve heat, there was no exhaust ventilation in the facility, and very high levels of carbon monoxide were measured at the site.

“Working Safely with Nanomaterials” is a new four-page PDF fact sheet published by OSHA. According to the fact sheet: “Workers who use nanotechnology in research or production processes may be exposed to nanomaterials through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion.

Panthera Painting Inc. of Canonsburg, Pa has been cited by OSHA for 38 alleged violations—including 14 willful and 11 repeat—found at bridge work sites in Slatington, Harrisburg and Slatedale, where workers were exposed to lead and other safety and health hazards while performing abrasive blasting and repainting projects.

Hearing protection programs are designed to reduce the risk of long-term damage from repeated or prolonged exposure to noises. OSHA standards require a hearing protection program when workers are exposed to noise levels above 85 decibels (dB) based on an eight hour time-weight average (TWA).

Occupational and recreational noise exposures were evaluated at two sporting arenas hosting collegiate hockey games (Venue 1) and semi-professional hockey (Venue 2), according to the article, “Occupational and Recreational Noise Exposure from Indoor Arena Hockey Games, published in Volume 10, Issue 1, 2013, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.

OSHA has cited an asbestos remediation company for nine alleged violations of safety and health standards -- including one willful – related to its removal of roofing material containing asbestos. Lorice Enterprises LLC of Albany, N.Y. faces a total $83,300 in proposed fines.

OSHA has cited COL-Pump Co. Inc., with 10 health and safety violations, including two willful, for failing to monitor workers’ exposure to noise hazards above 85 decibels at the Columbiana foundry in Columbiana, Ohio, a city of about 6,300 residents. Proposed fines total $56,880, according to the Norwalk Reflector.

In a new study by British researchers, one in six cases of adult-onset asthma was linked to the workplace. Additionally, the illness was strongly associated with 18 different occupations --particularly those that exposed workers to chemicals -- such as cleaning jobs, farming, hairdressing and printing.