The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is pulling back from inspecting small farms due in large part to Congressional pressure. In response to criticism from several Congressional members that such inspections are not needed and costly to small farms, OSHA stated in a recent letter to Congress that it has no interest inspecting farms with less than 10 employees.
Topics: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSH, American Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is nearing the conclusion of its decades long study of the potential health impacts of chemical exposures on former workers of a now-closed IBM plant. Preliminary results were published recently, indicating inconclusive results.
Topics: chemical exposures at IBM, exposure assessments, industrial hygiene services
Topics: fatal construction-related accidents, lack of adequate fall prevention, construction-related fatalities, national safety stand-down
Topics: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), hazardous waste management regulations, solvent-contaminated wipes
Topics: Gas Cylinder Storage Requirements, storage of free standing medical gas cylinders
As a construction safety manager I have more than once run into the issue of a client representative informing me that fall protection would be needed around a trench and/or excavation. However, this is not necessarily true.
Topics: fall protection on the job, protective railing system, OSHA Fall Protection Standard
Last month the EPA released two final Alternatives Assessment Reports for the flame retardants Decabromodiphenly Ether (DecaBDE) and Bisphenol-A (BPA) in thermal paper. These comprehensive assessments were developed with public participation under EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program and profile the environmental and human health hazards for DecaBDE, BPA, and their alternatives.
Topics: EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program, Decabromodiphenly Ether (DecaBDE, Bisphenol-A (BPA), Existing Chemical Management Program, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
Much of the United States has seen consistent record low temperatures this winter. For those who work outside, cold stress is a real hazard. Employers need to educate all employees who work outside of the risks of cold exposure to themselves and fellow workers. Part of this awareness includes the understanding that cold stress presents itself in many different ways as symptoms vary depending on the person.
Topics: OHS tips for winter weather, hazard of cold stress, NIOSH tips for cold exposure
On November 20, the US Department of Labor announced rules to update regulations and decrease burden on businesses. These regulation changes have been put into effect to eliminate rules that have been deemed by the department to be obsolete. A rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration updates and streamlines the standards for the use of mechanical power presses—the remaining 3 rules from the Employment and Training Administration repeal outdated Foreign Labor Certification regulations for the H-2A, F-1 and H-1A programs. The rules complement President Obama's executive order 13610 to modernize the regulatory system and reduce unjustified regulatory burdens.
Topics: standards for the use of mechanical power presses, President Obama's executive order 13610, OSHA Mechanical Press Regulation Changes
There are hundreds of smart phone applications available to the EHS Professional. Luckily, the website www.safetyawakenings.com/apps/ reviews a new application every week. Looking through their archives, they have given favorable reviews to many safety apps. Below are the ones also recommended by our staff:
Topics: EHS Smart Phone Applications, Smartphone Applications for EHS Professionals
