Machinery and OEM designers know that building safety into their equipment is a fundamental requirement. To ensure a consistent approach, the ISO 13849 standard provides guidance for machinery control systems that are applied to provide safety functions for machinery.

A manufacturer of storage tanks and pressure vessels for the petrochemical, paper, and energy industries sharply reduced its recordable injury rate after reaching out to OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program to help it identify and reduce workplace hazards. James Machine Works, LLC (JMW), which has been family owned for three generations, has grown from three to 160 employees since it was founded in 1927.

Employers’ names: Genesis Today Inc. and Texas Management Division Inc., doing business as TMD Temporaries, in Austin, Texas. Citations issued: Nov. 9, 2015.

Obliterative bronchiolitis, an irreversible form of lung disease in which the smallest airways in the lung (the bronchioles) become scarred and constricted, blocking the movement of air, was previously identified in flavoring manufacturing workers and microwave popcorn workers who were occupationally exposed to diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) or butter flavorings containing diacetyl. Now, NIOSH research finds that workers at coffee processing facilities may also be at risk.

An increasing number of jobs once performed by humans are now performed by robots. Most incidents of injury occur during activities such as maintenance, programming, and adjustments of robots. To avoid such incidents, employers should consider the following fundamental areas for safety improvements.