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In a public hearing last week, the American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) expressed support for OSHA’s proposed rule on occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Nearly one million Americans have lost some degree of their sight due to an eye injury. More than 700,000 Americans injure their eyes at work each year. Luckily, 90% of all workplace eye injuries can be avoided by using proper safety eyewear.

ACGIH® will honor its 2014 awards recipients at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) held May 31-June 5, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. Each year, ACGIH® honors individuals and/or groups who have made significant contributions to the profession through their leadership and dedication. This year’s awardees join that distinguished list.

OSHA’s effort to reduce the permissible exposure limits for silica began a new phase this week, with an intensive three week period of public hearings that wrap up on Friday, April 4. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels said his agency’s rulemaking is an open process, “and the input we receive will help us ensure that a final rule adequately protects workers, is feasible for employers, and is based on the best available evidence."

A new engineered stone countertop product known as “quartz surfacing,” was created in the late 1980s by combining quartz aggregate with resins to create a product for use in home building and home improvement.  Manufacturing of this material, including products such as CaesarStone™, Silestone™, Zodiaq™, or Cambria™ is a fast growing industry.

The use of digital devices, including personal computers, tablets and cell phones, continues to increase.  And the impact of prolonged usage can often be felt in the eye. In fact, because of extended use of these devices, close to 70 percent of American adults experience some form of digital eyestrain, according to a new report from The Vision Council.

With warmer weather hopefully on the way, OSHA wants to know how effective its heat illness prevention campaign website. The agency is gathering stakeholder input on the campaign using a brief survey to evaluate the website and and to identify possible modifications for next year.

Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) released a draft bill entitled the Chemicals in Commerce Act (CICA) on Thursday, Feb. 27 that provides no significant improvements in protecting public health and the environment from toxic chemicals. Many of the provisions in the draft bill maintain the already deficient approaches to health protections now included under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our nation's outdated and ineffective chemical safety law.

Income level, occupational type and gender all play a part in whether or not a U.S. worker gets paid sick leave, according to a new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Paid sick days bring substantial benefits to employers, workers, families, and communities,” according to by Claudia Williams, Barbara Gault, Ph.D., authors of:Paid Sick Days Access in the United States: Differences by Race/Ethnicity, Occupation, Earnings, and Work Schedule

ACGIH^® has released its 2014 editions of the TLVs^® and BEIs^®book and the Guide to Occupational Exposure Values. The information in the user-friendly, pocket-sized TLVs^® and BEIs^®book is used worldwide as a guide for evaluation and control of workplace exposures to chemical substances and physical agents.