For the past year, leaders of five societies representing more than one million engineers and other technical professionals have been meeting to identify steps the country might take toward managing carbon emissions, a key issue in climate change discussions, should that become public policy. According to a press release from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the group has developed a Web site for collaboration (http://www.aiche.org/FSCarbonMgmt/) and scorecards for benchmarking carbon management alternatives. The scorecards are part of an effort to assess the merits of different carbon management technologies, to identify barriers to technology deployment, and to address gaps and barriers to measuring and verifying carbon emissions.
The Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals™ (AHMP), formerly the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers, has launched its new Knowledge Center, a centralized education-and-resource center for all levels of industry professionals, according to an AHMP press release.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced Gerber Products Co. has agreed to settle findings of hiring discrimination against 1,912 rejected minority and female applicants for entry-level positions, an agency press release stated. The agreement settles the department's allegations that Gerber engaged in hiring discrimination against minority and female applicants for one year.
According to a press release from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, results of a recent study conducted by the organization showed that 95 percent of respondents 55 and older have one or more medical conditions and 78 percent use one or more medications, yet only 28 percent indicated some awareness of the potential impact on driving performance associated with those medications.
Recognizing the need to protect workers who enter, exit or work in confined spaces, the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) recently announced the approval of the newly revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSE Z117.1-2009 Standard, “Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces.” To discuss the changes, the association will offer a webcast titled “Changes to the ASSE/ANSI Z117.1 Standard – Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces,” on September 30, 2009, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Central Time.
Slippery floors, hot cooking equipment, heavy lifting, loud noises and working alone are some of the dangers teens face as they take that first job or seasonal employment. These dangers can lead to fatalities and serious injury if workers are not aware of them and how to protect themselves against being injured on the job. To help teens stay safe at work, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has launched an interactive online computer game called “Don’t be a Zombie at Work,” according to an ASSE press release.
OSHA has cited Union Drilling Inc. for alleged workplace safety and health violations found at a New Salem, Pa., worksite. Penalties proposed total $54,600.
A new exploratory study published by IRSST (Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute Robert-Sauvé) describes in detail, based on a limited number of cases, the various scenarios depicting the differences between clinical judgment, occupational rehabilitation professionals’ understanding of workers’ representations of their musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and workers’ actual representations, during the occupational rehabilitation process, according to an IRSST press release.
Lockheed Martin has reduced the number of employee injuries in its facilities 50 percent since the launch of its “Target Zero” safety program in 2003, according to a company press statement.