Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 112

Lack of exoskeleton standards is holding back their adoption in the workplace

October 1, 2019

Exoskeletons, exosuits, wearable robots and cobots have lept from research labs and incognito startups to establish a presence on production floors and construction sites around the globe. In just five years, exos for industrial use have gone from virtually zero to approaching 10,000 commercially purchased units. Exos for industrial use have a wide range of applications, from automobile production plants to warehouses.

3D glove developed in the U.K.

October 1, 2019

Developed at JLR’s Gaydon site – home to one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the UK – the glove is based on a lightweight lattice structure optimized to provide support to reduce muscle fatigue but also to be flexible and comfortable enough to wear during an eight-hour shift. The company claims that it could help better protect employees on the production line from the threat of a musculoskeletal disorder.

OSHA backs away from beryllium rule rollback

September 30, 2019

Contrary to previously announced plans, OSHA will not revoke all of the ancillary provisions in its Beryllium Standards for Construction and Shipyards. Beryllium is a strong, lightweight metal used in the aerospace, telecommunications, information technology, defense, medical, and nuclear industries. Workers who are exposed to beryllium – by inhaling or contacting it in the air or on surfaces - are at risk for developing beryllium disease and lung cancer.

How to combat alarm fatigue

Do your monitors “cry wolf”?

Kyle Krueger

September 30, 2019

One thing all portable gas detectors have in common is alarm tones. One alarm tone is used to indicate gas hazards, albeit with varied frequency or volume for Low/High/TWA/STEL warnings. An alarm for carbon monoxide sounds the same as an alarm for Lower Explosive Limit, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide.

Top products of the week

September 29, 2019

A heavy-duty tool backpack, a methane detection system and wet scrubbers to prevent combustible dust explosions were the top products featured on ISHN.com this week.

Weekly news round-up

September 28, 2019

New York moves to revoke contractors’ licenses after worker fatalities; more OSHA violations for Dollar Tree stores and a runaway train raises concerns about air brakes. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Older wholesale and retail workers in nonstandard work arrangements

Adrienne Eastlake MS, RS/REH Donna Pfirman Jeanette Novakovich PhD Juliann Scholl PhD Bermang Ortiz BA Deborah Hornback MS Harpriya Kaur PhD, MPH

September 27, 2019

National Employ Older Workers Week takes place the final week in September and recognizes the vital role of older workers [U.S. DOL 2019]. By 2020, workers aged 55 and over will likely make up about 25 percent of the U.S. workforce [BLS 2018]. Within the Wholesale and Retail Trade (WRT) Sector alone, in 2017 almost 4.5 million workers (more than 22 percent) are over age 55, up from 3.8 million workers in 2011 [BLS 2018].

Leading Edge: Helping You Stay Safe While Working at Height

September 27, 2019

Imagine working 20 feet above the ground. Now imagine working on top of a roof over 50 feet off the ground. And now think about being 50 stories in the air while building a skyscraper. Fall protection equipment is an essential component of your safety.

Report from abroad

French employees feel overworked, managed by IT systems

September 26, 2019

More than 1.8 million employees in France (some 10 percent of all workers) are exposed to at least one carcinogenic product on the job, according to a recent SUMER 2017 survey. SUMER is the acronym for the French “surveillance médicale des salariés aux risques professionnels”, i.e. the medical monitoring of employees’ exposure to occupational risks.

Cority client Los Alamos National Laboratory wins 2019 International EHS Innovation Award

Independent research firm recognizes Los Alamos National Laboratory for achieving operational excellence through digital transformation

September 26, 2019

Cority, the most trusted provider of environmental, health, safety, and quality (EHSQ) software, is proud to congratulate its client, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for receiving the 2019 International EHS Innovation Award at the Verdantix Summit in Atlanta. The prestigious awards recognize organizations that have implemented innovative technologies to achieve EHS excellence.