Weekly news round-up
A dust-up on an NTSB plane crash investigation, new regulations to protect health care workers in California and North Carolina and surprising research about emotions in the workplace were among the week’s top EHS-related stories as posted on ISHN.com.
Paint stripping chemical IDd as health risk to workers, others
DCM among three final chemical risk assessments issued by EPA
More than 230,000 workers in the U.S. are directly exposed to Dichloromethane (DCM), which is widely used in paint stripping products and poses health risks to those who use the products and even bystanders in workplaces and residences where DCM is used.
NIOSH Science Blog:
NIOSH chief reflects on Labor Day
On Labor Day 2014, we reflect on the ways in which work sustains us as individuals, strengthens our families and communities, and enables our society to function smoothly and productively. We see this in our daily lives.
Reinstatement ordered for trucker fired for refusing to drive unsafe truck
Vehicle had inadequate tire tread
An Oregon trucker wrongly fired for refusing to drive an unsafe vehicle will get her job back, plus reimbursement for back wages and compensation for fees associated with the case, after an OSHA investigation.
Feds slam California over Cal/OSHA
"An agency completely adrift"
The California agency that’s supposed to help protect workers from on the job hazards and investigate working condition safety issues is doing a lackluster job, the U.S. Department of Labor says.
"Vision Zero" imagines a world without fatal work accidents
Millions of people worldwide die each year as a result of work-related accidents and illnesses. But experts at a congress in Frankfurt think that number can be reduced to zero.
Hot work accident kills worker in Mississippi
Another severely injured
“Telltale signs” of microbial activity were found by investigators in a storage tank that exploded earlier this year, killing a contract worker and severely injuring another. The July 28 incident at the the Omega Protein facility in Moss Point, Mississippi involved hot work being done on or near a tank containing eight inches of a slurry of water and fish matter known as “stickwater,” which was thought to be nonhazardous.
A 25’ trench, inadequate cave-in protection
OSHA has cited an Illinois sewer and water contractor for one willful and two serious safety violations after two employees were observed working in a 25 foot-deep trench without adequate cave-in protection while installing storm sewers.
California nurses applaud new patient lifting regs
The California Nurses Association says new state regulations by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board will result in improved safety for patients, registered nurses, and other staff in lifting and other handling of hospitalized patients.
GE VP Speech at VPPPA
GE’s philosophy: Fix systems, not people
By Dave Johnson
By ISHN Editor Dave Johnson, reporting from the annual VPPPA conference: Mistakes will happen, it’s human error, people are people working within the context of systems, so GE takes people out of the equation and focuses on risk, the risks of the systems that employees work within, said Ann R. Klee, the VP for Environment, Health and Safety at GE, speaking at the opening session of the 30th annual meeting of the Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association (VPPPA), in National Harbor, MD, outside of Washington DC.
AEM expands REACH training program to cover Conflict Minerals and RoHS rules
Manufacturers must prove compliance throughout supply chain or risk losing market access
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is expanding its REACH regulatory-compliance training program to help members and the industry comply with the complex Conflict Minerals and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) rules.
Oil industry association releases health leading Indicators report
A global oil and gas industry association has issued a report based on 2013 data on leading indicators related to health management in the industry.
Relieved your kids aren’t smoking cigarettes?
They may be using the e-version instead
More than a quarter of a million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes in 2013, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. This number reflects a three-fold increase, from about 79,000 in 2011, to more than 263,000 in 2013.
Pilots association is kicked out of NTSB’s plane crash investigation
“It doesn’t matter who started it”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revoked the party status of both the Independent Pilots Association (IPA) and UPS Airlines from its ongoing investigation of UPS Flight 1354, an A300-600 air cargo flight that crashed on approach to Birmingham, Ala., last August.
Flammable chemical hazards found at Ohio fiberglass manufacturer
Perry Fiberglass Products Inc. has been cited for four repeat and nine serious safety and health violations after OSHA received a complaint alleging unsafe handling of hazardous chemicals at the company's Avon Lake facility.
Deadlines for AIHce 2015 proposals are up ahead
The American Industrial Hygiene Association is inviting OEHS professionals to contribute to next year’s AIHce by submitting a presentation in their area of expertise that will “inspire and energize” health care professionals with information, solutions, and best practices they will need to meet and excel in their daily workplace challenges.
GreenWood, Inc. celebrates 3 million safe hours at West Virginia operations
"Safety can seem like a simple concept, but it has to be a priority every day"
GreenWood, Inc., an integrated maintenance, operations and construction solutions provider, recently celebrated 3 million safe hours at their West Virginia Operations (WVO) project based in South Charleston, West Virginia. The major safety milestone was reached after twelve years of continuous operations without a lost time event supporting multiple clients in the chemical and petro-chemical industries.
Feeling bad at work can be a good thing
(And vice versa)
Research by the University of Liverpool suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, it can be good to feel bad at work, while feeling good in the workplace can sometimes lead to negative outcomes.
Historic Rhode Island mansion holds dangers for renovators
Lead exposure, fall potential get Preservation Society cited, fined
Employees of The Preservation Society of Newport County were exposed to lead and potentially fatal falls while scraping and abrasively removing lead-based paint from an outbuilding at the Newport mansion known as Chateau-sur-Mer, reports the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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