Environmental Health and Safety

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Public Health Online is less than six months old, but its goal is an ambitious one: to provide students, parents and general readers with accurate and expert-driven information and resources about public health topics, careers and the post-secondary educational landscape.

About a month ago, I took a trip to the Cleveland Clinic. I met a lot of great people, but one stood out—even if he needed to stand on a chair to do it. Parker Frey is 10 years old. He’s struggled with severe asthma all his life. His mom said despite his challenges, Parker’s a tough, active kid—and a stellar hockey player.

The EPA today unveiled a plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent over the next 15 years – a big goal which is sure to meet with stiff opposition from the coal industry.

I know ISHN magazine is quoting reports by other sources, but I know for a fact that OSHA and EPA did extensive air sampling for air contaminants at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center after 9/11. Results of the sampling were posted in the OSHA and EPA web sites.

Are you tired of lessons and definitions of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke every summer? Don’t get me wrong, these are important topics for our employees to know and understand. My concern is many of our employees are a little short on actionable information past the three definitions.

It’s that time of year again. OSHA is putting its Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers in full swing, in an attempt to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards.

Project Safety Facilitator: With the implementation of the CSP and other certifications, why are many safety professionals without proper credentials allowed to have the positions of directors and managers? I have a MS in EHS and experience and credentials, but I still encounter colleagues with only experience and they feel as though education in safety doesn't matter, because they've been doing safety for well over 20 years.

Although worker safety hazards in the oil and gas extraction industry are well known, there is very little published data regarding occupational health hazards (e.g., types and magnitude of risks for chemical exposures) during oil and gas extraction operations.

A new study published recently in the journal Neurology suggests a link between workplace solvents and memory loss. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Colorado School of Public Health examined the results of memory and cognitive tests conducted more than 2,000 retirees of the French national utility company about ten years after they’d retired.