Environmental Health and Safety

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In the United States, the number of acres burned each year from wildland fires has grown, increasing work-related risks to wildland firefighters. One invisible risk is carbon monoxide (CO), produced from the burning of fuels, such as in fires or from gasoline-powered engines. In a recent study led by Scott Henn, NIOSH industrial hygienist, he describes conditions that increase this risk.

The dominant market leader in Ready-Mix and Concrete Production dust collection since 1978, C&W Manufacturing is now C&W DustTech. This change is based on recently conducted market research that led to a better understanding of what customers value most, including a singular focus on dust, commitment to the advancement of dust collection technologies, and people who are passionate and determined to make a meaningful difference.

In 2018, NIOSH, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contracted the National Academies of Science (NAS) to conduct a consensus study on improving the cost-effectiveness and coordination of occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance systems.

Equipment that monitors noise and can help reduce occupational expose to it and a device for preventing contact with pinch points were this week’s top products of the week.

Firefighters’ deaths lead to a lawsuit against a construction company; nurses get the recognition they deserve and new studies show what we’ve known all along: staying active can help you live longer.

The airports across the United States have been using aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), the premier firefighting foam in the United States for several decades. AFFF contains per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which are a large family of man-made fluorinated chemicals with thermal stability that enhances its ability to rapidly extinguish hazardous fires.

The burden of colorectal cancer is swiftly shifting to younger individuals as incidence increases in young adults and declines in older age groups, according to Colorectal Cancer Statistics 2020, a publication of the American Cancer Society. A sign of the shift: the median age of diagnosis has dropped from age 72 in 2001-2002 to age 66 during 2015-2016.

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) and six of its Allied Industry Partners entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Indoor Air Quality Association’s (IAQA) Annual Meeting & Exposition in West Palm Beach, Florida. Frank Mortl III, CAE, ACGIH®’s Executive Director signed the agreement on behalf of ACGIH®.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) says preparing communities in the U.S. for COVID-19 – the illness caused by coronavirus – is going to require a coordinated national response, with leadership from the top levels of government. “Attempts to silence public health officials — or manipulate public information — will only make it harder to get ahead and stay ahead of this virus."

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) announced changes to the self-insurance process for coal mine operators that it says will better support the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. The Black Lung Benefits Act requires each coal mine operator to secure the payment of its potential benefits liability by either qualifying as a self-insurer or by purchasing and maintaining a commercial insurance contract.