Coverage of the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo in Chicago, the government shutdown’s affect on OSHA and hearing loss stories were among the top EHS-related articles featured last week on ISHN.com:
EPA to restrict imports of harmful chemicals used in carpets
The EPA is finalizing a rule that will allow the agency to restrict imports of potentially harmful perfluorinated chemicals that could be used in carpets. The regulation will require companies to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic and imported products, of these chemicals once used for soil and stain resistance in carpets.
Construction company includes workers’ families in safety
Even cartoon character plays a role
A New York-based construction company’s annual recognition of the importance of safety includes not only its employees, but their family members as well.
California moves to regulate toxic chemicals in consumer products
Manufacturers will have to find safer alternatives
While efforts to reform the federal Toxic Chemicals Safety Act continue to inch slowly forward, the state of California has taken a bold regulatory leap into controlling toxic chemicals – at least those found in consumer products.
Neb. workers exposed to ammonia at food storage facility
Latest violations echo 2010 citations against company
Nebraska Cold Storage Inc. has been cited for 14 safety violations and fined $132,800 by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to anhydrous ammonia at its Hastings facility.
Tests on Gulf spill cleanup workers show altered blood chemistry
Exposure to oil, dispersants heightens cancer risk
Researchers studying a small sampling of workers who’d helped clean up the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill found significantly altered blood profiles that could indicate an increased risk of certain kinds of cancer.
OSHA, MSHA running on skeleton crews during government shutdown
Routine safety inspections put on hold
OSHA will not be conducting most of its planned workplace safety inspections for the duration of the federal government shutdown, due to a partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
What is noise-induced hearing loss?
Every day, we experience sound in our environment, such as the sounds from television and radio, household appliances, and traffic. Normally, we hear these sounds at safe levels that do not affect our hearing. However, when we are exposed to harmful noise—sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time—sensitive structures in our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Sorry, but safety does pay… and money does matter
By Dave Johnson
“You know, a lot of safety managers don’t like that saying, ‘Safety Pays.’ They think it’s cold and heartless, impersonal,” said the PPE vendor from the NSC’s Congress & expo show floor. “But let me tell you, when you get down to it, a lot of businesses look at safety now in terms of dollars and cents.
Upon further review… OSHA still is a major driver for consumption of PPE and safety goods
By Dave Johnson
“We were up in a customer focus group in Milwaukee not long ago. We had companies there from Fortune 100 to mom and pops,” said the VP of safety for a major distributor. “I’d say seven out of ten had had recent brushes with OSHA. So OSHA is still a big driver of sales, no doubt about it.”
OSHA finds “disturbing” pattern of hazards at NY supermarket chain
Workers exposed to amputations, eye injuries, among others
OSHA has cited seven Trade Fair Supermarkets stores in Queens for 40 violations of workplace safety standards. The local grocery store chain faces $128,000 in proposed fines following inspections that began in March in response to complaints.
2013 NSC Congress & Expo victim of government shutdown
By Dave Johnson
No, they didn’t turn off the lights and locked the doors. The show definitely goes on, and when you’re inside the expo or attending education sessions, the ugly world of federal government shutdowns seems far far away.
Random observations from the NSC Congress & Expo
By Dave Johnson
1 – Ties are out. The men’s tie business must be dying a slow death. Of 13,000 people at the Congress and Expo, you might count the number wearing ties on one hand. OK, maybe on both hands. Business casual rules, no doubt. Many attendees are comfortable in jeans and sports shirt. You don’t see many suits at all. Mostly it is the speakers in suits. And certainly not all of them.
Strangest safety education sessions at the NSC Congress & Expo
By Dave Johnson
It’s no secret speakers sometimes go out of their way to come up with a catchy title to fill a room with attendees. This is much more common in the safety field than say industrial hygiene, where many session topics are narrow and technical. Anyway, at this year’s Congress & Expo, speakers are again playing games with their presentation titles. Here is a selection of them:
What does safety’s crystal ball say?
By Dave Johnson
At a Tuesday session at the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo, former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, OSHA boss Dr. David Michaels, and NIOSH director Dr. John Howard discussed the “future of safety.” Who’s to say what the future holds, right? And predictions about the future are soon forgotten. Here are some of ISHN’s predictions for the future of safety:
By Dave Johnson
Here at the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo, an Egyptian surgeon, Alaa Zidan, who now works as a health and safety consultant in Bahrain, gave a presentation, “Positive Safety Culture and Emotional Intelligence,” that was probably unlike any safety presentation most in the audience had ever heard.
What are the causes of hearing loss?
Hearing loss happens for many reasons. Some people lose their hearing slowly as they age. This condition is known as presbycusis (prez-buh-KYOO-sis). Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families.
A new language emerges for safety
News from 2013 NSC Congress & Expo
By Dave Johnson
Spend a day talking to safety pros and safety product trainers, consultants and PPE vendors and one thing strikes you: a new vocabulary is emerging in safety circles. You hear little talk about OSHA or compliance.
“I swear, people are opening their eyes to safety like never before”
By Dave Johnson
Why are companies not known for selling safety products, such as Staples, Cintas, Caterpillar, Honeywell, and Kimberly-Clark all here at the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo -- a number of them with expansive floor space?
Basic facts on hearing loss & tinnitus
Men are more likely than women to experience hearing loss
1 in 5 Americans have hearing loss in at least one ear. This is 48 million people and far exceeds previous hearing care industry estimates of approximately 25 million.*****
Road warriors spin weary travel horror stories
By Dave Johnson
The NSC Congress & Expo takes on more of an international flavor each year. As per usual in recent years, you have the “China Village,” a group of dozens of small mostly PPE Chinese suppliers separated by thin white pegboard walls.
2013 Drive Safely Work Week Toolkit available for free download
October 7–11 is Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW). The theme of the 2013 campaign is “Gear up for safe driving: Mind ·Body ·Vehicle.” DSWW is developed by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a public-private partnership that promotes road safety on and off the job.
ISHM Safety Management Professional of the Year 2013 announced at 2013 NSC Congress & Expo
The results of the highly successful “ISHM Safety Management Professional of the Year” are in. ISHM is the Institute for Safety and Health Management, a certification organization focused on educating safety and health managers in executive-level skills and certifying their expertise in communicating with C-Suite personnel on critical safety issues.
National Safety Congress announces pivotal safety contributors
By Dave Johnson
DuPont was awarded Monday morning at the 2013 NSC Congress and Expo opening session for integrating environmental, health and safety management with business operations as a cornerstone of corporate financial prosperity.
The Campbell Institute identifies eight characteristics of successful leading indicators
By Dave Johnson
The Campbell Institute – the National Safety Council’s center of excellence for environmental, health and safety management – has introduced a new white paper, “Transforming EHS Performance Measurement through Leading Indicators” at the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo.
OSHA’s Top 10 violations announced at 2013 NSC Congress & Expo
By Dave Johnson
1 – 1926.501 Fall Protection (8,241 total violations
2 – 1910.1200 Hazard Communication (6,156 violations)
3 – 1926.451 Scaffolding (5,423)
2013 NSC Congress & Expo kicks off
By Dave Johnson
The National Safety Council is hosting its 2013 NSC Congress & Expo in Chicago, Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. Chicago is the hometown for the NSC, founded in 1913 – one hundred year’s ago.
Jeff Woodbury named Chairman of the Board at National Safety Council
NSC looks to the future with new Board leadership
The National Safety Council is proud to announce that Jeff Woodbury, vice president, safety, security, health and environment for Exxon Mobil Corporation, has been elected chairman of the National Safety Council Board of Directors.
The science of sound: How Seattle got so loud
In week 2 of the NFL season, fans at CenturyLink Field in Seattle broke the Guinness World Record for the highest peak decibel level — 136.6 decibels — ever recorded at a stadium.
