Weekly world news
EPA, OSHA win big in high-profile legal challenges; lawmakers take heed of EHS credentials when crafting regulations and the CSB issues a report on the causes of a Utah refinery blast. These were among the top EHS-related stories this week on ISHN.com.
Occupations with high obesity prevalence in Washington State
A NIOSH Science Blog post
If work and the workplace contribute to poor health behaviors, should employers attempt to improve those behaviors? It likely is in the employer’s best interest to do so.
Safety advocates prepare for Workers' Memorial Day, April 28
The annual commemoration of those killed on the job is fast approaching, and a variety of organizations are getting ready to hold solemn events on April 28. While Workers’ Memorial Day is observed around the globe, this will be its 25th anniversary in the United States.
NY manufacturing co. reduces workers’ comp costs by $200,000
OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program used at facilities in five states
VonRoll USA, Inc. -- which manufactures insulating materials, resins, varnishes and mica -- has decreased its injury and illnesses rates to “considerably below industry averages,” according to OSHA, which worked with the company under its On-site Consultation Program.
Health study of Gulf oil spill cleanup workers enters new phase
Research continues four years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers who are conducting the largest study ever on the potential health effects of an oil spill have a big concern: that participants may not continue participating in the project because it is so long-term.
Deadlines extended for silica rulemaking comments
While public hearings for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rule concluded on April 4, the agency is extending submission deadlines in order to give participants additional time to prepare post-hearing submissions.
Court upholds EPA’s limits on pollution limits for power plants
A legal challenge to the EPA’s rule limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants was shot down yesterday by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
ACGIH® releases the 2014 supplement to the documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices, 7th edition
The 2014 Supplement to the Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices, 7th Edition is now available. The Supplement contains Documentation for the substances that were on the Notice of Intended Changes for 2013, with their corresponding values and notations, that have been approved and adopted as Threshold Limit Values (TLVs®) and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs®).
Unguarded machinery, electrical, noise, chemical and fall hazards at one facility
Company earns two dozen OSHA violations
OSHA has cited Jarvis Metals Recycling Inc. of Lubbock for 24 safety and health violations – 20 of them serious – for exposing workers to a host of hazards at its Lubbock, Texas facility. The company faces a proposed penalty of $64,400.
EPA: Individuals can do something about climate change
Earth Day activities highlight simple measures to take
Individual action can make a difference in protecting the climate, according to the EPA, which is using Earth Day – coming up on April 22nd – to educate the public about ways to combat climate change.
UN floats idea of “vacuuming” CO2 from sky to combat global warming
In a report released this week, a UN panel of climate change scientists advanced a geoengineering approach to the problem of climate change and said the world must act swiftly in order to avoid a catastrophic temperature rise.
U.S. mining deaths increase in 2013
Data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) shows an uptick in mining fatalities during 2013 – despite an improvement in the overall injury rates for the mining industry.
Fort Worth manufacturer exposes workers to struck-by, amputation hazards
Workers at a Texas manufacturing company were exposed to struck-by hazards and amputation hazards, according to OSHA, which has cited EICA Industries Inc. of Fort Worth for 17 serious violations, with proposed penalties of $46,000.
New survey finds EHS credentials mentioned in lots of laws and regs
“IH professionals should feel very pleased with this result”
The issue of how important credentials are for safety professionals got a bit more clarity recently, with a review by the American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) and the American Board of Industrial Hygiene® (ABIH).
Nominations now being accepted for the NSC Rising Stars of Safety, Class of 2014
Annual National Safety Council recognition of the next generation of safety leaders
The National Safety Council is now accepting nominations for the NSC Rising Stars of Safety, presented by DuPont Sustainable Solutions. Awarded annually, this honor recognizes individuals younger than 40 who stand out in the safety field by displaying creative and innovative ideas.
NYC construction worker falls eight stories to his death
Planking had been removed from part of scaffolding
A 34-year-old construction worker died yesterday afternoon after falling from scaffolding at a hotel under renovation in midtown Manhattan.
States want flexibility on power plant emissions rule
The EPA is trying to reassure state energy regulators that the upcoming rule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants would give states flexibility.
New York fights over scaffold safety law
A construction industry effort to eliminate New York’s century-old Scaffold Law is getting push-back from a new coalition of pro-Scaffold advocates which says it’s needed to protect the state’s construction workers.
Steel association calls for global safety audit
In an effort that could involve up to four million people across the globe, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) is asking the steel industry to conduct a comprehensive safety audit that would conclude on Steel Safety Day and World Safety Day, April 28.
CSB: Utah refinery blast caused by corrosion, lack of inspection
Massive release of hydrogen sent a blast wave through residential area
A massive explosion and fire at the Silver Eagle Refinery on November 4, 2009, in Woods Cross, Utah, which damaged homes in a nearby neighborhood, was caused by a rupture in a pipe that had become dangerously thin from corrosion, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
Court turns down SeaWorld’s appeal of OSHA citations
Agency wants more protections for trainers working with killer whales
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday denied SeaWorld's appeal of safety citations issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a killer whale killed a trainer four years ago.
Two workers at NJ manufacturing facilities suffer severe hand injuries
Company cited previously for lack of machine guarding
After one machine operator's hand was crushed and another's hand partially amputated, an OSHA investigation into at Precision Custom Coatings in Totowa, NJ found that the fabric manufacturer had failed to correct an earlier violation cited for a lack of machine guarding.
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