Drug testing for workers in safety sensitive positions, ergonomic injury prevention and a fracking hazard alert were among the week’s EHS-related stories posted on ISHN.com.
CPWR to research nanotechnology risks for construction industry
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has revealed plans for a major research effort to explore how nanotechnology is transforming our industry, and what implications this holds for worker safety.
ISEA seeks panel participants for revision of high-vis apparel standard
The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) is looking for people outside of the association to help review revisions to the voluntary consensus standard, ANSI/ISEA 107-2010, the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear.
OSHA’s final rule requiring employers to notify the agency about workplace fatalities and severe injuries will be joined by other federal regulatory activity in 2015, according to Washington observers, who expect a number of regulations to be finalized during the last two years of the Obama administration.
EHS pros in 2015: Feeling satisfied and secure, says ISHN poll
According to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, job satisfaction and job security both receive high marks from about two-thirds of respondents – 63% express satisfaction with their current work and 65% feel secure in their jobs.
How retail workers can avoid ergonomic injuries
NIOSH releases new illustrated publication
A new publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) highlights how workers in grocery stores can reduce strains and sprains when moving materials from the delivery truck to the sales floor.
2015 EHS budgets to hold steady, according to ISHN survey
About four in ten (42%) of the ISHN subscribers surveyed in the 2015 EHS State of the Nation poll say their safety and health resource allocation will increase in 2015; 53% say resource allocation will hold steady with 2014 funding levels; and only 5% say resources will be cut.
Timothy Ludwig, Ph.D., was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies™ (CCBS) during its 2014 Annual Meeting of the Trustees recently held in Atlanta, Georgia.
OSHA’s online reporting option for employers not available yet
The ability to report severe injuries online in order to comply with updates to OSHA’s recordkeeping rule that went into effect Jan. 1st will not be available until mid-January, according to the agency. “The electronic form is currently under development,” according to a statement from OSHA.
Greensboro civic auditorium demolition may have exposed workers to asbestos
Greensboro, NC city employees and contractors may have been exposed to asbestos while working toward the demolition of War Memorial Auditorium, according to a recent report in the region’s newspaper, The News & Record.
Hong Kong tourists with respiratory symptoms could have MERS
Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced Dec. 29 that it was investigating two suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) affecting a nine-year-old boy and his six-year-old sister.
OSHA issues hazard alert for fracking and drilling
In an OSHA hazard alert, “Hydraulic Fracturing and Flowback Hazards Other than Respirable Silica,” (issued in late 2014), the agency states thatmore workers are potentially exposed to the hazards created by hydraulic fracturing and flowback operations due to the large increase in the number of these operations in the past decade.
Survey: Most EHS pros use OSHA PELs for respiratory protection
According to an exclusive Industrial Safety & Hygiene News magazine subscriber survey, the overwhelming majority of safety and industrial hygiene personnel use OSHA’s permissible exposure limits (PELs) to monitor hazardous substances and as part of their overall employee respiratory protection efforts (85 percent).
Artist/sanitation worker loses drawing hand in on-the-job injury
A New York artist who is well-known in the street art community had the hand he draws with amputated Dec. 31st after it was injured on his “day job” with the city’s Sanitation Department.
Worker injured when Louisiana packing plant ignores dangerous hazards
After a Graphic Packaging International Inc. employee suffered a severe injury in June 2014 when the worker's hand was caught in a moving printing press, OSHA cited the West Monroe, Louisiana company for 28 safety violations. Proposed penalties total $129,000.
Fiberglass panel manufacturer agrees to safety improvements to reduce respiratory exposures
During the past two years, two prisoners on a work-release program suffered permanent lung damage while other employees at the Fiberdome Inc.’s Lake Mills fiberglass manufacturing plant in Lake Mills, WI, plant were exposed to harmful levels of chemicals, dust and noise, according to reports released by OSHA.
Workers renovating Ill. middle school are exposed to asbestos
No PPE, engineering controls to limit exposure
While renovating an Evanston, Ill. Middle school, workers from six separate companies were exposed to asbestos, lead and electrical hazards, according to OSHA, which inspected the site after receiving a complaint. Staff and students were on summer break during the July 2014 inspection..
Drug testing for workers in safety sensitive positions to remain at 50 percent
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) says that the annual minimum random controlled substances testing rates for employees in safety sensitive positions, including tractor-trailer and bus drivers, will remain at 50 percent through 2015.
ESFI: Make electrical safety a priority in 2015
The beginning of a new year often prompts positive lifestyle changes, and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is encouraging people to keep electrical safety in mind while they strive for improvement in 2015.
NTSB urges better visibility for railroad signals
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a Safety Alert that focuses on the visibility of railroad signals. On railroads, light-emitting diode (LED) railroad signals may mask nearby incandescent signals, preventing incandescent signals from being visible to train crews.
OSHA cites Cleveland metals company for alleged high levels of lead and copper
OSHA in December, 2014, cited Republic Metals Inc. in Cleveland for 19 alleged serious health and safety violations, including exposure to lead and copper fumes. The proposed penalties are $42,800, the administration said in a news release Thursday, Dec. 18.
