Weekly news round-up
Shutdown
Lots of stories from the NSC Congress & Expo, how the government shutdown affects the EHS community and electrical safety topics were among this week’s top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com:
By Dave Johnson
These tragic electrocutions, all investigated by NIOSH, show just how widespread and unexpected electrical dangers can be, sometimes involving the most ordinary types of work:
Five common causes of electrical fatalities
Almost all American workers are exposed to electrical energy at sometime during their work day, and the same electrical hazards can affect workers in different industries. Based on the analysis of these cases, NIOSH identified five case scenarios that describe the incidents resulting in 244 fatalities:
OSHA enforcement cases relating to hearing conservation
Earlier this year OSHA cited Kamps Inc. for 10 alleged safety and health -- including one willful -- violations at its Versailles wood pallet manufacturing facility. OSHA's inspection was initiated on Nov. 4, 2011, under the agency's Site-Specific Targeting Program, which expands the scope of a routine inspection to cover all hazards associated with the employer's industry. Proposed fines total $101,000.
By Dave Johnson
You would think if workers knew how little electricity it takes to kill someone, they would be more cautious around energized equipment and other electrical hazards. But among most electrical workers there exists the old “it can’t happen to me” attitude of complacency.
How will shutdown affect OSHA’s silica proposal?
A prolonged government shutdown could affect the rulemaking process of OSHA’s recently proposed OSHA silica rule in a number of ways, according to Aaron Trippler, Government Affairs Director for the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).
How to handle electrical injury
The following information comes from Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. As noted below, the first aid directions are of a general advisory nature and are not intended to be applied without the consultation and assessment on on-site first aid providers.
20 takeaways from the 2013 National Safety Congress & Expo
By Dave Johnson
1. Paul O’Neill would be voted in as OSHA chief by safety pros in a heartbeat. Or they would like to clone him for every boardroom meeting on safety. He is an inspiration to professionals, with his straight talking passion for safety.
Your execs should know: Safety isn’t a commodity anymore
By Dave Johnson
The safety job has matured, and will continue to do so – that was one of the takeaways from last week’s National Safety Congress & Expo, sponsored by the National Safety Council.
What you can do to prevent electrical injuries and fatalities
According to NIOSH, at least one of the following five factors was present in all 224 incidents evaluated by the NIOSH fatality investigation program: (1) established safe work procedures were either not implemented or not followed;
The wide, wide world of safety gear
By Dave Johnson
For the record, there were 204 exhibitors from foreign countries; 100 of them from China. Most of the rest were from Canada, with a smattering of vendors from India, Malaysia, Pakistan, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and Argentina.
Top industries for OSHA noise exposure violations – fiscal year 2013
1 - Fabricated Metal Products, except machinery and transportation equipment
47 inspections, 107 citations, $108,740 proposed penalties
2 – Lumber and Wood Products, except furniture
42 inspections, 71 citations, $135,564 proposed penalties
Federal OSH agencies cope with shutdown in different ways
AIHA's Trippler: More crises are expected
As the U.S. government remains locked in a stalemate – with a Pew poll showing that the GOP is getting most of the blame for the shutdown – disapproval of all politicians has hit an all-time low, with Congress earning an approval rating of only ten percent.
According to the Workplace Safety Awareness Council, in an effort to limit electrical injuries in the workplace, OSHA has passed a law that only allows a “Qualified” person to work on or around energized circuits or equipment.
You can’t be a safety manager without a smartphone
Or a tablet device…
By Dave Johnson
Talking to vendors at last week’s National Safety Congress & Expo, sponsored by the National Safety Council, it’s clear a safety pro who comes to work without a smartphone is going to lost in the dark.
Safety is now about conversations, not confrontations
One of the changes in the nature of workplace safety work happens to be the nature of conversations revolving around safety. Back in the day when safety was largely a policing job with a heavy emphasis on rules and discipline, conversations between the safety manager and an employee tended to be short and direct.
2013 Class of “Rising Stars of Safety” recognized at NSC Congress & Expo
The National Safety Council recognized its latest class of NSC Rising Stars of Safety, in conjunction with its 2013 NSC Congress & Expo Leading Safety into the Future, at a National Awards Celebration.
Critics of EU chemical policy had industry ties
Seventeen scientists who launched a high profile attack on plans in Europe to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals have past or current ties to regulated industries. An investigation by Environmental Health News (EHN) revealed that of 18 toxicology journal editors who signed a controversial editorial, 17 have worked with or for the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, tobacco, pesticide or biotechnology industries.
NSC recognizes “Distinguished Service to Safety” award honorees
The National Safety Council recently recognized four individuals with the highest honor it bestows on safety professionals. The Distinguished Service to Safety Awards are presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime of outstanding service to the field of safety and health through their careers.
Forklift fatality leads to $67,000 in OSHA penalties
Vehicle was defective, driver didn’t have a clear view
National Pipe and Plastics Inc., of Vestal, NY has been cited by OSHA for 16 serious violations of workplace health and safety standards after a March 22 incident in which a truck driver working for a separate company was fatally struck by a forklift driven by a National Pipe employee.
National Safety Council recognizes Paul O’Neill with the President’s Award
The National Safety Council honored former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Alcoa CEO Paul O’Neill with the Council’s President’s Award at its annual Congress & Expo – the world’s largest annual gathering of safety and health professionals.
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