Workplace Health - Articles - Page 87

A FairWarning Story

No verdict in sight on safety of crumb rubber fields, prompting angst all around

April 18, 2019

Amanda Gabriele of North Haven, Conn., would love to be wrong. The mother of two, Gabriele has been anxiously awaiting results of a federal study begun in 2016 to unravel the public health mystery of synthetic turf laced with crumbs of ground-up tires. With at least 12,000 crumb rubber fields already in use in the United States – and 1,200 to 1,500 more going in each year – the stakes of the federal study are high: Has America finally found a new home for its old, cast-off tires?

StarKist fined by EPA for polluting harbor in American Samoa

April 18, 2019

The EPA has announced $84,500 in penalties against StarKist Co. and its subsidiary, Starkist Samoa Co., for violating the terms of a 2018 settlement designed to remedy deficiencies at their tuna processing facility in American Samoa to achieve environmental compliance. “EPA will continue to work closely with StarKist to ensure the needed safety and pollution control upgrades are realized, per our agreement,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker.

Casella launches NoiseSafe software

Instant noise exposure reporting protects employees from hearing damage

April 18, 2019

Casella, a leading provider of air sampling, noise and vibration monitoring solutions, announced today its new advanced software package, NoiseSafe. NoiseSafe is designed for use with Casella’s personal dosimeter, the dBadge2, which captures noise exposure in a single measurement and provides subsequent download and analysis.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Workplace smoke-free policies and cessation programs

April 18, 2019

Nearly half a million Americans still die prematurely from tobacco use each year despite the fact that it is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the U.S.1, 2. So what can be done to prevent the toll of smoking in the U.S.? The workplace is an important setting for implementing tobacco control interventions. 3, 4

Going far beyond OSHA

Michigan OSHA’s lead standard has very strict exposure limits for pregnant workers. Are OHS pros ready to face a six-fold reduction challenge?

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

April 18, 2019

Appendix A to federal OSHA’s 1978 lead standard (current today) provides that blood lead level (BLL) of workers, both male and female, who intend to have children should be maintained below 30 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL) “to minimize adverse reproductive health effects to the parents and to the developing fetus.

Health groups want added sugar amounts on food labels

April 17, 2019

A label showing added sugars content on all packaged foods and sugary drinks could have substantial health and cost-saving benefits in the United States over the next 20 years, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. Using a validated model, researchers were able to estimate a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes cases from 2018 to 2037, if such a mandated addition to the Nutrition Label was implemented.

ISO publishes two standards to combat climate change

Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis

April 17, 2019

Floods, droughts, record-breaking temperatures – the evidence indicates that addressing climate change has become one of the world’s most pressing issues, which is why the publication of two International Organization for Standards (ISO) standards will have a significant part to play in helping to reduce damaging greenhouse gases. Tackling the effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on global warming and the subsequent impact on climate change is one of the defining, and intractable, challenges of our time.

5 ways to incorporate wellness into your daily lifestyle

Cathy Baylis

April 17, 2019

Wellness is more than just something that we can “do” as a one-off thing for a short-term boost. It’s a way of life, which is why it also needs to find its way into your lifestyle. Unless you make it a habit, it’ll quickly be forgotten and you’ll be back to your old bad habits in no time.

Groundbreaking Legionella prevention model reported

Number of cases has jumped since 2002

April 16, 2019

A groundbreaking new hazard analysis formula is expected to significantly aid users in preventing Legionella growth in buildings' water systems. Designed by J. David Krause, Ph.D., MSPH, CIH, vice chair of AIHA's Indoor Air Quality Committee and a nationally known expert in toxicology, public health and risk assessment, the tool evaluates the combined effectiveness of control measures used to prevent Legionella and other waterborne pathogens.

Five ways to move more at work and make it count

April is "Move More Month"

April 16, 2019

With the recent news that even small bouts of exercise lead to significant health benefits, the American Heart Association (AHA) is urging adults to move more and make it count where they spend most of their time - at work. “It doesn’t matter whether you get activity in short bursts of a few minutes or longer periods of time,” says Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP and AHA’s chief medical officer for prevention.