Some 59 percent of fire stations in the U.S. are not equipped with exhaust emission control systems, which are critical for mitigating firefighter exposure/keywords/13730-occupational-exposure to diesel fumes. Exposure to these fumes can increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, cardiopulmonary disease, respiratory disease, and lung cancer. Many firefighters sleep in fire stations because they work extended shifts – an arrangement which increases their chance of exposure.

As one of the most powerful hurricanes in history begins to batter the east coast of central Florida – and after that, possibly, Georgia and North and South Carolina, the American Heart Association (AHA) is reminding people that Hurricane Dorian poses a health risk to those in its path.

Grade inflation in school makes it difficult to distinguish who is actually achieving in the classroom. The federal government’s vehicle safety rating system suffers the same problem. Today, 98 percent of all vehicles tested receive four or five stars for crashworthiness. Consumer advocates and safety experts say it’s time to raise the bar for the New Car Assessment Program, which hasn’t been updated in nearly 10 years.

Soft drinks – whether diet versions or in their regular, sugar-laden form – are associated with a higher risk of dying from any cause, according to new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study titled, Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries, is the largest of its kind to date. This study found even in people of a healthy weight, sugary and diet drinks increase risk of dying from circulatory and digestive disease.

The termination of two employees who participated in an OSHA investigation into a workplace injury has resulted in a federal judge ordering their former employee to pay them $1,047,399 in lost wages and punitive damages. The case began with a workplace incident in which one of the employees' co-workers suffered the amputation of three fingers.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking data on economically and technologically feasible methods to protect miners' health from exposure to quartz. The RFI includes an examination of an appropriately reduced permissible exposure limit, potential new or developing protective technologies, and/or technical and educational assistance.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) website has undergone a major redesign that includes a new online University and Consumer Center Makes the organization says will make IH/OEHS resources more accessible than ever. The online address remains the same: www.AIHA.org. The new website adds content resources for industrial hygiene and occupational health professionals, government agencies, researchers and students interested in worker health and safety, and the general public.

September is here, and we National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) employees have put away our Labor Day picnics to get back to the work of protecting the American labor force…. And, of course, celebrating N95 Day! Right? Yes and no. You see, this year is special. This year marks an important anniversary in the history of respiratory protection.

The public comment period for the proposed revision of ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices is now open – but only until September 30, 2019.