Today's Safety News

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Wal-Mart workers poured hazardous materials down sewers and the CSB clashes with the ATF over fertilizer plant explosion investigation in this edition of the weekly news roundup.

Question (1): Scenario: Employees will be using an insulated device to verify that an electrical circuit that has been "turned off, locked, and tagged" is de-energized. Are these employees required to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) under OSHA's construction standard 1926.416(a)(1) and/or NFPA 70E?

The EPA this week proposed two rules that would require composite wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States meet the formaldehyde emission standards established by Congress.
 

Christopher Cantu, a 22-year-old worker in Corpus Christi, Texas, was killed Tuesday when a 2,600-pound metal tank fell on him. Sources say it was Cantu’s third day on the job.

Costs to treat stroke are projected to more than double and the number of people having strokes may increase 20 percent by 2030, according to the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association.

At AIHce 2013, AIHA Director of Government Affair Aaron Trippler gave an informal assessment of the political side of occupational safety and health, circa 2014. The reason nothing is getting done in DC is both parties have lost control of their members, said Trippler.

OSHA requires employers to protect employees from electrical hazards, including arc flash. Yet OSHA does not specifically explain how to comply with these regulations. NFPA 70E is the bridge between OSHA regulations and compliance.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists® (ACGIH) kicked off the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) 2013 in Montreal, Canada, with a dynamic presentation by Frans Johansson, CEO of The Medici Group in New York, NY.

The third day of AIHce 2013 featured a General Session address by L. Casey Chosewood, MD, Senior Medical Officer for Total Worker Health™, NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

After 34 years as Executive Director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), safety activist Joel Shufro is retiring. Shufro has headed up the organization for most of its 31-year history, growing it into a membership encompassing approximately 200 local unions and 300 individuals.