They’re small, tight and have limited ventilation or air movement. As a result, confined spaces provide a dangerous gathering place for gases and vapors to accumulate. If you’re not careful, such accumulation can often reach explosive or lethal concentrations. This is why spaces must be evaluated by air monitoring to determine if it is safe for workers to enter and do their work.

Hunter Douglas is a company known for shedding light on matters, quite literally. The well-known manufacturer of window treatments and coverings, including shades, sheers, louvers, blinds and shutters, makes a claim on its Web site that “Light can change everything.™”

ASSE’s Safety 2006, June 11-14 in Seattle, was a hit. Attendance records were broken (3,941 attendees), conference sessions were well attended, and expo vendors seemed giddy with the quality of sales leads. The show was high energy. Not a lot of decaf being consumed in this coffee-laden town. Here are some observations and notes from Safety 2006…

Where does OSHA currently stand on some of today’s top safety and health issues?

Even with lower limits, welders need to use caution

For workers in the welding industry, the new lower OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for hexavalent chromium should be good news. “Hex chrome,” a known human carcinogen, can be produced when welding on stainless steel or some painted surfaces. OSHA’s new standard, published Feb. 28 as a result of a court order, reduces the PEL tenfold, from 52 to five micrograms of chromium per cubic meter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average. The rule becomes effective on May 30.

Are your employees protected?

Environment, not footwear, may be your program's weak link

Proper use of PPE is essential. There are right ways and wrong ways to use protective eyewear, clothing, gloves and even respirators in lab environments.

How much is too much? Employers should try to seek the "optimum ensemble" for the primary hazard involved.

After incorporating engineering controls and emphasizing personal hygiene, an employer's next line of defense is a comprehensive respiratory protection program.