Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 172

Don’t use gas stoves near California fires

November 14, 2018

Pay attention to local air quality reports. Listen and watch for news or health warnings about smoke. If you are advised to stay indoors, keep indoor air as clean as possible. Keep windows and doors closed unless it is extremely hot outside. Run an air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside.

Employee safety discipline ain’t what it used to be

The focus is on “what failed?” not “who failed?”

Dave Johnson

November 12, 2018

A tricky thing, disciplining employees. Every safety pro has a story about discipline:“I had to terminate a woman in 1987 because her body odor was so repulsive, affecting other workers (and her boss… me),” says a pro who requested anonymity. “I remember progressive discipline... You bet I asked the HR manager for assistance.”

AIHA and OSHA renew worker safety & health alliance

November 9, 2018

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) and OSHAhave renewed a partnership aimed at fostering safer and more healthful American workplaces. Through the alliance, the two organizations will pursue the following national priorities, among others: young worker health and safety; temporary workers; workplace hazards within emerging industries; disaster preparedness, response and recovery; and opioids in the workplace.

Chronic noise exposure may raise your risk of heart disease, stroke

November 9, 2018

Exposure to environmental noise appears to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes by fueling the activity of a brain region involved in stress response. This response in turn promotes blood vessel inflammation, according to preliminary research to be presented in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.

New fibers & yarns, advanced knitting patterns improve hand protection

A cut above

November 4, 2018

Not long ago gloves were considered just another uncomfortable piece of PPE that one was obliged to wear. Leather was the material of choice for premium protection, while less expensive fabric offered basic hand coverage.

A Spill drill action plan

Engage your responders to maximize speed & containment

Jeff Shaw

November 4, 2018

Like so many things in life, our most productive work experiences are often a result of our willingness to try something new. In his 1962 book “Diffusion of Innovations,” Everett Rodgers popularized a theory outlining how innovation moves through a social system.

Part 2 of 2

Process safety management - the business case

Evaluate three critical aspects of your operation

James B. Porter Jr. Deborah Grubbe

November 4, 2018

Simply stated, process safety is a management system implemented to prevent major incidents involving hazardous materials. It is necessary for managing complex process operations. An effective process safety management system focuses on three important aspects of your business:

How to produce and market a successful safety culture

Creating good vibrations

Chuck Pettinger

November 4, 2018

Impacting organizational culture is a long-term, never-ending endeavor. Many companies struggle with maintaining and sustaining cultural initiatives because their impact may not be felt for several years. Culture, as an organizational construct, is a subjective factor not directly measurable by any instrument, survey or metric. Yet, everyone is impacted by culture and can describe when it turns bad.

Hope for hearing loss

Restoring damage thought to be permanent

Benita Mehta

November 4, 2018

Did you know that more people have hearing loss than diabetes, cancer or vision trouble? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, occupational hearing loss, which is caused by exposure at work to loud noise or chemicals that damage hearing, is the most common work-related illness.

Prevent explosions that can occur in dust collectors

Catastrophic consequences

Brian Richardson

November 4, 2018

For operations that produce toxic or explosive dusts, it is a priority to keep the workplace safe and compliant. Industrial dust collectors equipped with integrated safety monitoring filters (iSMFs) can isolate dust particulates to ensure that no measurable weight of emissions is discharged.