Environmental Health and Safety

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The American Council of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) is pleased to announce new members for its 2013 Board of Directors and its 2013 Nominating Committee. In accordance with a recent amendment to the ACGIH Bylaws, ACGIH’s membership elected three (3) members to serve effective immediately as Directors on the Board of Directors.

Frustrated by delays in the review of a proposed silica rule, occupational health advocates have launched  an online petition meant to compel the Obama administration to make good on its promise to support the U.S. labor force.

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.

“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.

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.