Being able to understand safety messages and public information despite language barriers or illiteracy is possible thanks to internationally harmonized graphical symbols from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that, for example, direct you to the exit in case of a fire, or tell you not to swim in dangerous waters. To raise awareness about these symbols and teach the public to recognize the different meanings behind their various shapes and colors, ISO has developed a fun, easy-to-read booklet, “The international language of ISO graphical symbols” (http://www.iso.org/iso/graphical-symbols_booklet.pdf), according to a recent press release.
OSHA has cited FWT Inc. with alleged willful and serious violations of federal safety and health regulations following an inspection at the company facility on East Interstate 20 in Fort Worth, according to an agency press release. Proposed penalties total $293,400.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) today officially accepted the proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area (ECA) — a move that will result in cleaner air for millions of Americans, according to a press release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Large ships that operate in ECAs must use dramatically cleaner fuel and technology, leading to major air quality and public health benefits that extend hundreds of miles inland. The ECA was proposed in March 2009 and the IMO adopted it in the fastest possible timetable.
OSHA announced in a press release that the agency will hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) April 14 and 16, 2010, in Houston. For more than 35 years, ACCSH and OSHA have collaborated to reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the construction industry caused by such hazards as falling objects, unstable trenches, power tools, and silica inhalation. See the notice in the Federal Register for more details.
Here are excepts of a speech OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels made in February before an elite audience of Fortune 500 safety and health executives at the quarterly meeting of ORC Worldwide’s Occupational Safety and Health Group and Corporate Health Directors Network.
If there is a “new sheriff in town,” as OSHA’s leaders proclaim, he’s not the strong, silent type of say, Gary Cooper in “High Noon.” No, the new OSHA sheriff is quite the conversationalist.
Here are comments from Davis Layne, executive director of the Voluntary
Protection Programs Participants’ Association, Inc., presented to OSHA officials at the OSHA Listening Session, March 4, 2010, Washington, DC:
Here are comments from Keith Smith, director of employment and labor policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, presented to OSHA officials at the OSHA Listening Session, March 4, 2010, Washington, DC:
Here are comments from Eric Frumin, director, occupational safety and health program, Workers United/SEIU, presented to OSHA officials at the OSHA Listening Session, March 4, 2010, Washington, DC:
That’s the bottom line question agency boss Dr. David Michaels is asking of “stakeholders” affected by OSHA’s actions. Here is OSHA’s current strategic plan, sketchy on specifics, leaving plenty of wiggle room for how the agency actually executes the plan — and not a single mention of “ergonomics” anywhere.
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