The revised version of ISO 14001, the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS), will be published in September 2015. Greg Roberts, Manager of Sustainability and Mike Shaw, Senior Manager of Health & Safety (H&S) at Ramboll Environ, look at the changes and explore how it will align with the new ISO management system standard for occupational H&S, ISO 45001, being planned for publication in 2016.
47K deaths per year v. billions to remove the substance
July 20, 2015
The total number of asbestos-related deaths in Europe could peak at 47,000 per year -- 50% higher than previously believed and double the number of deaths caused by road accidents – according to an expert who spoke last month at a conference entitled, Freeing Europe Safely from Asbestos.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA ) recently launched the main findings of the Second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2) at the European Parliament in Brussels. The results of the survey — which collected responses from almost 50,000 workplaces in 36 countries, including all 28 Member States — give a detailed insight into how occupational safety and health (OSH) risks are managed in Europe’s workplaces.
Work-related injury and death rates higher than in other industries
July 14, 2015
Workers involved in nearly every step of the modern food industry are at increased risk of occupational illness/injury and death, compared to other industries, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has released two new educational materials focused on formaldehyde, specifically formaldehyde emissions from laminate flooring. The two documents, Laminate Flooring Outgassing: Technical Guidance and Formaldehyde: Is It a Problem in My Home?, were created by AIHA’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Committee Task Force on laminate flooring formaldehyde outgassing.
More than 200,000 users have downloaded the OSHA Heat Safety Tool since its launch in 2011. This spring, OSHA released a new version of the app for Apple devices, with full-screen color alerts, improved navigation and accessibility options.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has signed a bill into law that requires school districts throughout the state to provide training on workplace safety and health to students in grades 7 through 12.
Retired coal miners who lost health care benefits as a result of bankruptcy – including many who have black lung disease – have a shot of getting those benefits extended, under bi-partisan legislation introduced today in the U.S. Senate.
In May, NIOSH, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology (SOHP) hosted the 11th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health. “Work, Stress, and Health 2015: Sustainable Work, Sustainable Health, Sustainable Organizations” marks 25 years of efforts to advance research and intervention on work-related stress through the conference series.
Last year was the hottest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) That didn't surprise the experts; nine of the ten hottest years have happened since 2000. The health-related consequences of extreme heat are evident in a statistic from OSHA: 30 workers die from heat stroke in an average year -- and not just in the sunbelt.