The American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society have partnered to launch a Give Blood to Give Time campaign to raise awareness on how blood donations help patients fighting cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation, used to treat cancer, can damage the body's ability to generate healthy blood cells and cause potentially life-threatening conditions. Blood transfusions from generous donors help to provide patients with critical clotting factors, proteins and antibodies needed to help their bodies fight back.

Human error - unsafe work procedures, maintenance mistakes, and mishandling tools, wires, and metal covers; Negligent preventive maintenance - not checking for loose termination, allowing dust and debris build-up (critical in medium voltages and higher), and not testing stored energy (e.g., spring-operated bolted pressure switches); and

Q: If there is no date on arc flash labels, how does the site electrician ensure the label is within the 5-year review period or other review requirements as defined in NFPA 70E? (…especially since Electricians don’t typically carry the latest arc flash drawings (or report) with them.)

An OSHA letter of interpretation dated August 2015 answers a series of questions concerning the use of 29 CFR 1910.333(b). 1910.333 covers the Selection and Use of Work Practices for Electrical work (Subpart S). Here, three of the questions and OSHA’s answers are included. Comments follow the second and third answers in purple italics.

Demand for high-efficiency electrical equipment is steadily increasing. With more electrical equipment to maintain and operate, workers are exposed to numerous hazards every day. One of those hazards is arc flash, or an arc blast, which can have devastating consequences. If there is an incident, the emotional and financial effects can be devastating.

A new report from Zion Market Research (ZMR), “Arc Flash Protection Market by Equipment (Personal Protective Equipment and Arc Flash Detection & Control System) by End Users (Infrastructure, Utilities, Oil & Gas, and Others): Global Industrial Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2017 – 2023,” is predicting big things for this niche in the near future.

A worker was investigating a blockage of flour in a collection hopper when his foot slipped on the ladder he was standing on and, as he reached out to balance himself, his right hand came into contact with the rotating vanes of a rotary valve. He sustained partial amputations to all four fingers on his right hand.

In rodeo, it’s not really a matter of if you’ll get injured, but when and how badly. Last year, a major shoulder injury that tore six of the eight tendons in his riding arm took one rider out of competition for several months. Every rider who competes in professional rodeos carries a catalog of their injuries.

Flaring at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California this week caused employees to be evacuated and disruptions in operations, according to news sources. Flaring is a refinery safety mechanism that burns gases that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. No injuries were reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the sequence of events involved in a spectacular multi-vehicle crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last month – one that killed five people and injured dozens more. The deadly chain reaction occurred on Jan. 5 in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, amid light snow (the roadway had been treated).