Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 222

Reduce incidents with universal metrics for leading indicators

Data + action = injury prevention

February 1, 2018

For well over a century, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has collected data and published reports on occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. As a result, the safety profession has utilized this information to drive safety metrics.

ACGIH® BOARD ratifies 2018 TLVs® and BEIs® 2018 TLVs® and BEIs® Substances and Agents listing

January 31, 2018

CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES TLVs® 2018 NOTICE OF INTENDED CHANGES (NIC) Introduction to the Chemical Substances – Threshold Limit Value-Surface Limit (TLV-SL) New notation – Ototoxicant (OTO) Antimony trioxide (withdrawn from Notice of Intended Changes) Cobalt and inorganic compounds, as Co Cumene Cyanazine Cyclopentadiene (withdraw adopted TLV® and Documentation; see Dicyclopentadiene, including Cyclopentadiene)

ACGIH® Board ratifies 2018 TLVs® and BEIs®

January 31, 2018

ACGIH® announced today that its Board of Directors ratified the 2018 Threshold Limit Values (TLVs®) for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs®). The Board also approved recommendations for additions to the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC).

Weekly news round-up

January 27, 2018

A workplace tragedy in Oklahoma, states with the best traffic safety laws and what that extra weight does to your feet. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

A Confined Space blog post

Dispatches from the front lines of the battle for safe and health workplaces: Short stuff

January 26, 2018

Trumpworld to Government Scientists: No Science for You! This falls into “The Onion or Real News” category. Imagine my alarm when I read in The Intercept that “Republicans on the House Science Committee are accusing Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, of lobbying.” Lobbying, as any political appointee or high level government official can tell you, is strictly verboten for government employees.

American Airlines workers say uniforms made them sick

January 23, 2018

American Airlines is changing vendors for its employee uniforms, after employees sued over health problems they allege were caused by the garments. Thousands of flight attendants and crew members complained of symptoms ranging from caused hives, swollen faces, wheezing, vertigo, headaches and severe respiratory problems. A lawsuit filed against American Airlines and Twin Hill – the manufacturer of the uniforms – was filed in federal court last fall by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the union representing more than 25,000 AA flight attendants.

Protect your family from radon

January 22, 2018

It’s naturally occurring and it’s just about everywhere, so we are all exposed to it. People who are regularly exposed to high radon levels, though, are at increased risk of lung cancer – especially if they smoke. Because radon is odorless and colorless, the only way to determine if your home is safe is to conduct testing.

What’s the workers’ comp cost for a foot injury?

January 22, 2018

A foot injury is, according to the Comp Pinkbook, the eighth most common workers’ compensation injury in Maryland. (The Comp Pinkbook represented a study of over a quarter million comp claims that had some kind of permanency award from the period of 1/1/11 to 6/30/12. The book is for sale at Amazon.com.)

Weekly news round-up

January 20, 2018

One state considers a bill to help prevent workplace violence. OSHA fines for safety violations increase – by two percent. And the production company that produces the TV show “The Walking Dead” is cited and fined for the death of a stuntman. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Inside NIOSH

High BPA levels found in factory workers

January 19, 2018

Factory workers participating in a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study had urinary BPA levels that far exceeded those found in the public. For years, manufacturers have used the industrial chemical BPA, or bisphenol A, to make polycarbonate plastic, epoxy resins, and other specialty materials. Although BPA’s effects on people remain unclear, health concerns about the chemical have arisen because it weakly mimics the hormone estrogen.