Diacetyl exposure limits are recommended, retaliation against a safety whistleblower gets resolved and  grisly workplace death were among the occupational safety and health and environment stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Neb. feed company exposes workers to grain handling, electrical hazards

Nutrition Services cited for more than two dozen violations

Responding to a report of unsafe working conditions, federal investigators found employees at a Nebraska animal feed company exposed to the risk of grain dust explosion, electrical shock and confined space hazards, and multiple other violations of grain handling safety standards.

ISHN 50th anniversary: Happening Now - 18 hot topics

Here are 18 hot topics we’re talking about…

Automakers outperforming greenhouse gas emissions standards

Average fuel economy reaches record 24.8 miles per gallon

Passenger vehicles achieved record-high fuel economy while outperforming greenhouse gas emission standards in model year 2015, according to two reports released this week by the EPA. The GHG Manufacturer Performance Report for 2015 Model Year finds automakers went beyond the model year (MY) 2015 standards by an average 7 grams of CO2 per mile, equivalent to 0.9 miles per gallon (mpg), even as the fleet-wide standard became more stringent by 13 grams of CO2 per mile. 

Entrepreneurs rise to NIOSH/OSHA Noise Safety Challenge

The results are in. After the first “Hear and Now” Noise Safety Challenge event last week, hosted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA), inventors were recognized for submissions that aim to provide solutions to reducing hearing loss from workplace exposures.

Hanford nuke workers report symptoms indicating chemical vapor exposures

Washington state wants a federal judge to issue an injunction requiring the Department of Energy and its contractor to take steps to protect workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The Tri-City Herald reports that from January through July, Hanford workers reported suspicious smells or symptoms that indicate exposure to chemical vapors.

NIOSH recommends exposure limits for diacetyl

Declaring the risks of contracting permanent or deadly lung disease “serious,” the CDC recently finalized a warning to employers and workers in the coffee, popcorn and other food and beverage businesses: Beware of diacetyl.

CDC’s Your Health – Your Environment Blog:

Carbon monoxide poisoning prevention

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, November 6, 2016. As you prepare to set your clocks backward one hour, remember to check the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) detector. If you don’t have a battery-powered or battery back-up CO alarm, now is a great time to buy one.

Ill. worker dies after being pulled into scrap metal baller

A federal investigation prompted by the death of a 50-year-old worker at the Plainfield steel processing facility has resulted in a half-dozen safety and health violations.

OSHA may revise HazCom standard

OSHA is considering potential updates to its Hazard Communication Standard, in order to stay aligned with the most recent revision of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.

Safety not on the agenda at temp agency convention

But staffing association joining forces with NSC on worker safety

A worker safety advocacy group is blasting the American Staffing Association (ASA) for ignoring safety at its national conference last week in San Diego.

Fired safety whistleblower gets $135K in back pay, damages

A plant manager who was fired after less than two weeks on the job – after reporting safety and health hazards at the facility – will receive $135,000 in back wages and compensatory damages, under a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) settlement.

ASSE President's Monthly Message

Reimagining Education at ASSE

Thomas F. Cecich CSP, CIH

When I first entered our profession, safety training was simple. Someone would stand in front of a class, wave an OSHA standard around and say, “This is what you must do to keep your companies from being fined.” Then the instructor would proceed to discuss the standard line by line. What a boring and ineffective method of providing training and education.

Perdue Foods’ Monterey, Tenn., operation associates achieve safety milestone

Associates at Perdue Foods’ Monterey, Tenn., operation achieved a safety milestone on Oct. 17, 2016, after working four million production hours without experiencing an OSHA recordable lost-time case. Counting toward the milestone began in July 2014.

NTSB opens docket for 2015 fatal, multi-vehicle seattle crash

The National Transportation Safety Board opened the docket today for its ongoing investigation of a fatal 2015 lane crossover collision of an amphibious passenger vehicle into a motorcoach and three passenger vehicles on the Aurora Bridge, in Seattle, Washington.

Safety Tips for Home Eye Hazards

Do you know home projects like these can be a major threat to eye safety? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly half of all serious eye injuries occur at home, yet only 35 percent of Americans wear protective eyewear during projects that could pose a threat to their eyes.

Eye injuries at work cost more than $300 million per year

Thousands of people are blinded each year from work-related eye injuries that could have been prevented with the proper selection and use of eye and face protection. Eye injuries alone cost more than $300 million per year in lost production time, medical expenses, and worker compensation.

Electrician dies his first day on the job

The absence of safety pins in two hydraulic leg stands and the failure to use stationary jacks allowed a mobile medical trailer to fall and fatally crush a 58-year-old electrician on his first day working on the job for an Illinois manufacturer of custom trailers and specialty vehicles.