Environmental Health and Safety

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OSHA is urging workers, residents and businesses engaged in flood cleanup in Colorado to protect themselves against hazards as cleanup efforts continue and rebuilding activities begin.

After a decade of war, America is well schooled on post-traumatic stress, lost limbs and traumatic brain injury, but the most common injury sustained by U.S. troops is literally a silent wound: hearing loss, according to NBC News.

A recent study claims that more than eight in 10 New Yorkers are exposed to enough noise to damage their hearing. Richard Neitzel, Ph.D., an environmental health sciences researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues say that city dwellers may be particularly at risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) because they are exposed to high levels of noise throughout the day.

Noise emitted by the new Gainesville, Florida  Renewable Energy Center-run biomass plant, which some have compared to the sound of screaming jet engines, moved about 10 Turkey Creek subdivision residents to voice their concerns at a recent Gainesville City Commission meeting, reports the Florida Alligator news.

The EPA has released a draft report on alternatives to a flame retardant chemical, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which has persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic characteristics.

OSHA’s stand down program is coming to the oil and gas industry. During national stand downs, participants are asked to suspend work for at least one hour in order to allow employees to attend meetings and learn safety and health information specific to their industry.

A coalition of construction industry trade associations is concerned that OSHA’s proposed reduction in silica exposure levels may cost construction firms a lot of money.