Army researchers have developed an application that helps unit leaders better predict the likelihood of heat illness for both training and operations.
The Heat Strain Decision Aid is an app for both computers and tablets that conducts simulations of heat stress so that planners can effectively set out time tables that allow soldiers to work while also protecting them from overexertion, which can lead to debilitating, even deadly heat-related conditions, according to a release.
After an analysis of 25 OSHA heat-related illnesses — 14 fatal and 11 nonfatal — the Centers for Disease Control suggested that employers start screening their workers for heat stress when the heat index reaches 85 degrees Fahrenheit rather than the 91 F OSHA currently recommends. Heat stress covers a wide variety of potential illnesses, including life-threatening heat stroke.
The state of California continues to place obligations for preventing employee heat stroke onto employers. In 2015, California heat stroke law clarified that cooldown periods or “recovery periods” must be paid, by state law.
Cooperating with OSHA gets two employees fired – and their employer found guilty of retaliation; health experts want asbestos banned and the Association Health Plans program gets a defeat in court. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
On a summer morning near Dayton, Ohio, a temporary worker began his first day with a commercial roofing company around 6:30 a.m. Mark Rainey, 60, was assigned to a crew to rip off and dispose of an old bank-building roof. Within hours, as the heat index reached 85 degrees, his co-workers noticed the new guy was “walking clumsily,” then became ill and collapsed, according to documents from OSHA.
Summer is just around the corner. And while we all welcome the sunshine and a break from the cold and snow…are you ready for higher temperatures, rain and an influx of bugs and pests?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is often called the silent killer because it is odorless, tasteless, and invisible, making this toxic gas one of the most overlooked dangers in homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that annually close to 450 people die and 20,000 people are admitted to the emergency room as a result of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.
An electronic nose typically identifies odors by detecting the “fingerprint” of a chemical compound across an array of sensors monitored by pattern-recognition software. E-nose technology is already in use across many industries, including agricultural, environmental, food, manufacturing, and the military.
MIT researchers have developed low-cost chemical sensors, made from chemically altered carbon nanotubes, that enable smartphones or other wireless devices to detect trace amounts of toxic gases.
Using the sensors, the researchers hope to design lightweight, inexpensive radio-frequency identification (RFID) badges to be used for personal safety and security.
Gas analyzers, sensors, and detectors have become a key part of several industries in recent years due to their effective contribution in averting mishaps related to gas leakage. The global gas analyzers, sensors, and detectors market is thus likely to grow at a steady rate in the coming years due to the rapid growth of the industrial sector across the world.
