Weekly news round-up
Grain bin dangers, the deadly state of North Dakota and obesity’s effect on productivity were among the top EHS-related stories as featured on ISHN.com this week:
U.S. DOT proposes rulemaking for the safe transportation of crude oil, flammable materials
Releases new data on Bakken crude oil to support increased safety measures
The U.S. Department of Transportation has released the details of a comprehensive rulemaking proposal to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail - particularly crude oil and ethanol - in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a companion Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM).
A NIOSH Science Blog post:
Workplace Exposures and the National Action Plan for Infertility
Infertility is a significant health issue in the U.S. as well as globally. In addition to the large health and fiscal impacts of infertility, the inability to conceive can be devastating to individuals or couples.
Obese workers get tired faster
U.S. workplaces may need to consider innovative methods to prevent fatigue from developing in employees who are obese. Based on results from a new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH), workers who are obese may have significantly shorter endurance times when performing workplace tasks, compared with their non-obese counterparts.
States get a report card on healthful physical activity
Coloradans are moving, Mississipi residents are not
With obesity rates continuing to rise in the U.S. (they’ve doubled since 1980), health experts are urging Americans to be more physically active, and urging policy makers to help them do that. A new report from the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion rates the progress on both those fronts, state by state.
Sunburns not the only summer burn danger
Grilling, campfires send people to emergency rooms
Summertime activities can bring people into close proximity to burn hazards in the form of fire pits, campfires and outdoor grills. Dr. Richard Gamelli, director of the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. said burns due to fire can happen easily and quickly, especially when alcohol has been abused or children are present.
North Dakota’s high hazard industries get OSHA’s attention
Fatalities lead to enforcement program, extra investigators
A special enforcement emphasis program launched by OSHA this month will temporarily bring additional investigators from throughout the U.S. to North Dakota, in an effort to reduce the high fatality rates in the state's oil and gas and construction industries.
Five things employers should know about prescription painkiller use
NSC calls on companies to take actions to combat the nation's fastest growing drug epidemic
The number of people overdosing from opioid prescription painkillers is staggering, killing 45 people each day. Twenty-three percent of the workforce has misused prescription painkillers, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, making opioid use a serious threat to employee safety. Even when employees are taking opioid painkillers at the correct dosage with a valid prescription, subtle impairment may compromise workplace safety.
Wildfire safety? There’s an app for that
Wildfires can strike in any state, particularly during the summer months. Fires are currently burning in Washington, Oregon, California and Utah and more states are under high watch for wildfires. Simple preparedness steps can help save lives.
Tanks that leaked hazmats into WV river were never inspected
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) reports it has thus far found no record of a formal, industry approved inspection performed on any of the chemical storage tanks at Freedom Industries prior to the massive leak which occurred on January 9, 2014.
Texas construction worker dies in fall
Eight companies cited by OSHA
"The cost of providing fall prevention equipment is nominal compared with the senseless loss of life.” Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin, made that comment in reference to an accident at a condo construction site in Canyon Lake, Texas in which a worker fell 29 feet to his death.
ANSI OKs updated limited-use and disposable coveralls standard
Expanded sizing chart accommodates majority of the working population, standard provides detailed tests that users can perform to further validate size selection
The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) has received American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval for ANSI/ISEA 101-2014, American National Standard for Limited Use and Disposable Coveralls - Size and Labeling Requirements.
Construction workers banned from site after woman injured in ‘flying chisel’ accident
A construction company honored last year for its safety program has banned seven of its workers from a New York City worksite, after a flying jack hammer chisel from the project shattered a window in a neighboring building and injured a woman.
Workers fired after filing safety complaints with OSHA
OSHA can sell company owner’s car if he doesn’t pay judgement
OSHA has entered into an agreement with McKees Rocks Industrial Enterprises Inc. and James T. Lind, company president, resolving a lawsuit alleging a worker was wrongfully terminated for filing an OSHA complaint. OSHA inspected the Pennsylvania industrial park and terminal facility after the worker raised safety concerns.
Ohio workers exposed to grain bin entrapment
“Moving grain can act like quicksand”
Three employees of Sabina Farmers Exchange Inc. in Wilmington, Ohio were found working inside a grain storage bin while a mechanical sweep auger, a machine used to push grain remaining at the bottom of a storage bin toward the bin's opening, was operating.
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