Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., acting director of NIOSH, recently issued the following comments regarding motor vehicle safety as it relates to employers and employees:
Three healthcare organizations, Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth and Global Health and Safety Initiative, submitted a proposal to Congress and the Administration calling for $2 billion to be directed through the Economic Stimulus Package for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for the nation’s hospitals and health care facilities, according to a recent press release. The Renewable Energy and Green Healthcare Jobs Initiative could create more than 57,000 new jobs, 26,800 of which will be new clean energy jobs.
The Nexsteps (www.nexsteps.org) job board Web site is a free service for ASSE members where individuals can review and apply for posted occupational safety, health and environmental jobs and where employers can review résumés and post positions.
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a recent press release that the agency has given a $200,000 grant to the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) to teach local residents environmental assessment and cleanup skills that can help them land good jobs. Under the grant, NJISJ will train more than 80 underemployed or unemployed Newark residents.
Consistent with the Office of Management and Budget’s January 21, 2009, memorandum regarding regulatory review, EPA is extending by 60 days the effective date of the December 5, 2008, Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) final rule, according to an agency press release.
At the White House on Friday, January 30, 2009, President Obama announced three executive orders relating to labor relations issues, and introducted the Middle Class Working Families Task Force to be headed by Vice President Biden.
OSHA will hold an informal public hearing on the proposed cranes and derricks in construction standard published in the Oct. 9, 2008, edition of the Federal Register (73 FR 59713).
ACGIH® announced January 30, 2009 that its board of directors ratified the 2009 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).
The following are excerpts from a message delivered last week by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom updating the public on the investigation of the January 12, 2009, Silver Eagle Refinery fire in Woods Cross, Utah:
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