Occupational Safety
Occupational Safety RSS Feed RSS

robot

OSHA in the age of robotics

Evolving tech may bring changes to 30-year-old LOTO rule
Maureen Paraventi
May 30, 2019

OSHA’s recent call for comments that may be used to help update its Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard highlights an area of growing concern for safety professionals: robotics-human interaction. When the agency’s Control of Hazardous Energy (LOTO) standard was issued in 1989, industrial robots were in use – primarily in manufacturing – but they bore little resemblance to their modern day counterparts. In the 1960s, '70s and '80s, industrial robots were capable of gripping objects, moving them from one point to another and performing assembly tasks.


Read More

Many facilities fail to conduct arc-flash hazard assessments, exposing workers to dangerous conditions

Many facilities fail to conduct arc-flash hazard assessments, exposing workers to dangerous conditions
May 30, 2019
Littelfuse, Inc., a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection and power control, today announced the results of its recent facility electrical safety survey. The global survey conducted by Littelfuse earlier this year finds that while most workers feel arc-flash mitigation is a priority in their workplace, only half have completed a risk assessment to identify hazardous areas.
Read More

Concussions and thrown feces — staff at Anoka psychiatric hospital fear for their safety

Christopher Magan
May 30, 2019
Staff at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center say safety conditions have deteriorated so badly at the state-run psychiatric hospital that many are afraid to go to work. Workers say staff members have been knocked unconscious, dragged across the floor by their hair and had feces and urine thrown at them. Recently, a nurse was hospitalized after being beaten by a patient.
Read More
Valve safety trains

Facility safety inspections

Valve safety trains require regular inspections, maintenance and training. Tremendous explosive forces can be unleashed if best practices are not followed.
May 30, 2019

Thermal processes are used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material or coating. Two common examples of thermal processing would be high-temperature operations such as heat treating, and low-temperature operations, for instance drying or baking.


Read More
A NIOSH Science Blog post

Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder

Susan Afunah MA Casey Chosewood MD, MPH Tamekia Evans Lauren Cimineri PharmD, MP Dr. John Howard
May 29, 2019
The opioid overdose epidemic continues to claim lives across the country with a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017[i]. The crisis is taking an especially devastating toll on certain parts of the U.S. workforce. High rates of opioid overdose deaths have occurred in industries with high injury rates and physically demanding working conditions such as construction, mining, or fishing[ii],[iii].
Read More
highway construction zone

Contractors to drivers: Go slow in highway work zones

Associated General Contractors of America tries to reduce risk to workers
May 29, 2019
Some 67 percent of highway contractors report that motor vehicles crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). In response, association officials have launched a new radio and media campaign urging drivers to slow down and remain alert in highway work zones.
Read More

Human performance expert Shane Bush to lead special safety workshop following conclusion of the 76th Annual Pulp & Paper Association Health & Safety Conference

Focus is on Human Performance Improvement (HPI)
May 29, 2019
Certified Human Performance Technologist Shane Bush will lead a special workshop titled, “What Works – What Doesn’t,” at the Pavilion at Hilton Palacio in San Antonio, TX, June 26 – 27. The workshop is presented in conjunction with the Pulp and Paper Safety Association’s (PPSA) 76th Annual Health & Safety Conference.
Read More
Inspector with clipboard and hardhat image

Where can an EHS degree take you?

May 28, 2019
Planning a career in occupational and environmental safety management? Expect a median salary in the $48,820 to $70,920 range, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while graduates can work in a variety of fields and locations - like healthcare facilities, construction sites, oil and gas operations and manufacturing plants – you might take a close look at New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania - they’re all in the top five for employment opportunities for occupational health and safety specialists.
Read More

Become a Leader in Safety Culture

Build your knowledge with ISHN, covering key safety, health and industrial hygiene news, products, and trends.

JOIN TODAY