Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 351

Respiratory protection for workers handling engineered nanoparticles

August 7, 2013

Each day millions of workers in the United States use National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified respirators to reduce exposure to harmful gases, vapors, and particulate hazards. NIOSH has certification, quality assurance, and auditing procedures in place (42 CFR Part 84) that assure purchasers and users that the products they are buying/using have been tested and manufactured to strict standards.

Bill would force MSHA to act on dust limits

Black lung disease rates going in the wrong direction

August 6, 2013

Frustrated by rulemaking foot-dragging on the part of the Obama administration, West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller has introduced a bill that would impose a deadline on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for finalizing a proposal to reduce respirable dust limits in mines.

Workers dying as safety rules stall

Mike Hall

August 5, 2013

AFL-CIO Health and Safety Director Peg Seminario told a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday that the current system for developing and issuing worker and workplace safety rules is: A broken and dysfunctional system, which is failing to protect workers and costing workers’ lives.

Heat stress and your health

August 5, 2013

Whether you work in a hot smelting plant or outdoors in the summer months, heat exposure can be dangerous. Workers who are exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments may be at increased risk of heat stress.

ISHN reveals all 30 category winners from its first-ever Readers’ Choice Award Contest

August 2, 2013

Thousands of Industrial Safety & Hygiene News subscribers jumped online to vote in ISHN’s 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards between March 1 and May 1, 2013. The results are in, and ISHN Publisher Randy Green has released the list of winning entries.

Determining the cause of a workplace injury

Ergonomic analysis plays a role

August 1, 2013

In many work-related injury claims, the prevailing cause of the injury is called into question by healthcare professionals who commonly help determine if a claimed injury was truly the result of a task performed on the job, or factors such as existing medical conditions or lifestyle habits are to blame.

OSHA and NIOSH issue hazard alert on 1-bromopropane

Chemical is used in degreasing, dry cleaning, furniture manufacturing

August 1, 2013

OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today issued a hazard alert to urge employers that use 1-bromopropane (1-BP) to take appropriate steps to protect workers from exposure. "The use of 1-bromopropane has increased in workplaces over the last 20 years," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

Thank someone for working safe?

“Absolutely!” says the Safety-Doc

Timothy Ludwig Ph.D.

August 1, 2013

I was in an industrial facility speaking with a mix of workers and managers trying to figure out why personal injuries kept cropping up with some regularity.

Noise + chemical exposure can cause devastating damage

Dr. Robert Ghent

August 1, 2013

Any safety manager will reasonably segregate personal protective equipment (PPE) into categories based on the hazards such equipment is designed to mitigate.

High-pressure hydraulic “fracking” poses silica exposures

Leslie Mitchell Dennis Capizzi

August 1, 2013

Hydraulic fracturing has been used for hydrocarbon recovery for decades, but has become widespread in North America due to a modern process known as horizontal slick water fracking