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A large explosion at Carbide Industries that killed two workers and injured two others resulted from a failure by the company to investigate similar but smaller explosive incidents over many years while deferring crucial maintenance of the large electric arc furnace that blew up, according to a U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) report.

A worker in a New England warehouse was recently found unconscious and seizing. Several of his co-workers also became sick. The culprit? Carbon monoxide poisoning. All of the windows and doors were closed to conserve heat, there was no exhaust ventilation in the facility, and very high levels of carbon monoxide were measured at the site.

Here are the week's top products as featured on ISHN.com:

From nanotechnology exposure guidelines to unusually large fines for a Sinclair Oil refinery in Wyoming to electrical safety, here are the week's top EHS-related news stories as featured on ISHN.com:

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has cleared the way for two miners’ widows to pursue a lawsuit against the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for its admitted failure to inspect and enforce safety regulations at the Aracoma Coal Company’s Alma Mine #1 in that state.

The first deadline in the implementation phase of OSHA’s Hazard Communications Standard isn’t fast approaching, but it is approaching. Employers have until Dec. 1, 2013 to train workers on the new label elements and safety data sheet format.

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted the second year of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions data on its website, which provides public access to emissions data by sector, by greenhouse gas, and by geographic region such as county or state.

OSHA recently issued several new Fact Sheets and QuickCards that provide important safety and health information for workers and employers in the construction, nanotechnology and maritime industries.

OSHA's new Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee held its first meeting last week in Washington, D.C. Representatives from both management and labor highlighted improvements made to the program over the past 18 months.

Wyoming’s most-fined refinery for safety violations is facing another round of penalties, this time stemming from a formal complaint and three August incidents at the facility, according to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune. The Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a $259,950 fine against the Sinclair Oil-owned Sinclair Wyoming Refinery. The fine would be the largest levied against a refinery in Wyoming in the past five years.