A rider included the U.S. Senate’s proposed fiscal year 2016 budget would block funding related to silica exposure regulations until additional studies are done.

In an OSHA hazard alert, “Hydraulic Fracturing and Flowback Hazards Other than Respirable Silica,” (issued in late 2014), the agency states that more workers are potentially exposed to the hazards created by hydraulic fracturing and flowback operations due to the large increase in the number of these operations in the past decade.

Hot work safety, Total Worker Health and an extension for OSHA’s controversial injury and illness tracking rule were among the top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week:

A short, documentary-style video examining the devastating effects of silicosis has won PR Daily’s 2013 Video Award for Best Safety Video. Produced by the U.S. Department of Labors' Office of Public Affairs, “Silicosis: Deadly Dust” features interviews with doctors, department officials and stone carvers, painting a haunting picture of living with the disease and why it is so crucial that workers be protected from it.

"Deadly Dust," an OSHA educational video on the hazards of silica exposure, has won first place in the safety category in an international competition to find the best business communications videos.

A new engineered stone countertop product known as “quartz surfacing,” was created in the late 1980s by combining quartz aggregate with resins to create a product for use in home building and home improvement.  Manufacturing of this material, including products such as CaesarStone™, Silestone™, Zodiaq™, or Cambria™ is a fast growing industry.

OSHA held a web chat last week on its proposed rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica that gave small businesses and other stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions about a proposal that OSHA predicts will prevent thousands of deaths from silicosis, lung cancer, and other diseases among the American workforce. Following are some of the exchanges that took place during the web chat:

OSHA held a web chat last week on its proposed rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica that gave small businesses and other stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions about a proposal that OSHA predicts will prevent thousands of deaths from silicosis, lung cancer, and other diseases among the American workforce.

The Mobile Air Shower by HalenHardy (MASHH), which removes hazardous silica dust from workers clothing during oil and natural gas completions operations, will be introduced at the Shale Insight Conference in Philadelphia on Sept. 24-26.