Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 142

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Recent OSHA enforcement cases

August 5, 2019

OSHA has cited Northridge Construction Corp. for willful and serious violations of workplace safety standards at the company's headquarters in East Patchogue, New York. The company faces $224,620 in penalties.

Safety tips for cyclists and pedestrians

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Safety tips for pedestrians and cyclists

The statistics

August 5, 2019

At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. While pedestrian fatalities remain high, there was a 1.7% decrease in the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2017, totaling 5,977 deaths, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Using graphs to improve studies of work exposures in pregnancy

August 5, 2019

Workers often tend to be healthier and live longer than their unemployed peers, who may be unable to work due to illness or other issues. A recent study by NIOSH and a university partner aimed to understand how to account for these “healthy worker effects” in studies among pregnant workers.

Poultry industry injuries decreasing

August 2, 2019

Although the injury and illness rate for poultry workers remains higher than for all private industry workers, new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the rate is trending downward. The BLS reported that there were approximately 230,000 poultry processing workers in 2016. That year, there was an incident rate of 4.2 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time equivalent workers; higher than the rate for all private industry workers, which was 2.9 per 100.

From the NIOSH Director’s Desk:

Using occupational exposure banding to assess chemicals hazards in the workplace

Someone once said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.”

Dr. John Howard

August 2, 2019

They may have been on to something. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) believes that having the right amount of knowledge helps protect workers from harmful levels of chemicals. For this reason, NIOSH recently released a report on occupational exposure banding to assess chemical hazards in the workplace.

Gas line rupture claims a life in Kentucky

August 1, 2019

A fire caused by a gas line rupture early this morning in Kentucky killed one person and injured at least others, according to news reports. The fire damaged a half dozen mobile homes as well as train tracks. Don Gilliam, director of Lincoln County Emergency Management, said the 30” gas line breached shortly before two a.m in Hustonville.

Learn the different types of arc flashes

Electricity through the air

Benita Mehta

August 1, 2019

While arc flash is an increasingly well-known phenomena, workers are still suffering injuries on a regular basis. In June 2019, OSHA cited a metal smelting company for electrical hazards after an arc flash caused three workers to suffer severe burns at the ASARCO facility in Hayden, Arizona.

High-Reliability Operations emphasis error management

High-Reliability Operations emphasize error management

A system of checks & balances

Dr. John Kello

August 1, 2019

What is a High Reliability Organization? The work is highly technical and complex, operators require a high level of technical training and certification, and the consequences of error can be catastrophic. Hence, “it has to be done right every time.”

Preventing workplace violence & harassment

A new U.N.-related treaty broadly redefines the “world of work”

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

August 1, 2019

Delegates at the International Labour Conference (ILC) overwhelmingly adopted (439 for, 7 against) on June 21, 2019, the Violence and Harassment Convention and Recommendation. The new convention views occupational safety and health (OSH) as a subset of overall work well-being.

Artificial intelligence will be a huge competitive asset

What you need to know about the “Smart” factory

Megan R. Nichols

August 1, 2019

Industry 4.0 has arrived, which means machine shop owners and managers of large manufacturing concerns are all looking at their options for bringing about their own transformation. But what functionality does smart factory equipment really offer? And what types of equipment are worth the price of adoption?