Environmental Health and Safety

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Psychosocial and musculoskeletal risk factors are the most widespread in Europe’s workplaces, according to the Second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2). The results of this survey — which collected responses from almost 50,000 workplaces — were unveiled earlier this month at the European Parliament.

Recent NIOSH research has shed some light on the topic of the safety of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) use by pregnant workers. Women make up approximately one-half of the US work force. At any given time, about 10% of those female workers of child-bearing age (15–44 years of age) will be pregnant.

Four flight attendants are suing Boeing for allegedly exposing them to toxic air aboard a commercial flight from Boston to San Diego. The 2013 flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago after three of the four flight attendants on board lost consciousness and had to be rushed to a hospital.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) inducted Daniel H. Anna, PhD, CIH, CSP, as the new President of AIHA’s Board of Directors at the Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, June 4, during the 2015 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have announced a final settlement with Millard Refrigerated Services that resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for an airborne release of ammonia from Millard’s Theodore, Alabama, facility in 2010.

Fatal incidents at a naval facility and a manufacturing facility, the high cost of rheumatoid arthritis and what the NTSB calls – again – for a technology that will prevent many motor vehicle accidents. These were among the top stories posted on ISHN.com this week.

Burnout is a serious problem that is brought on by the negative effects of chronic, work-related stress. Actual statistics are difficult to come by, but studies from the Nordic countries recently indicated that there, the prevalence of severe burnout is between 2-7 %. If these numbers are extrapolated Europe-wide, the problem and its effects on individuals, businesses and the European economy is sobering.

In the oil and gas industry, employees are often transported to geographically remote areas for temporary work instead relocate there permanently with their families.