Massachusetts Passes Law Banning Lacquer Sealers in Wood Floor Finishing
From NIOSH –
Within a 10-month period in 2004-2005, three Vietnamese wood floor sanders died and three others were seriously burned in two Boston-area incidents when the lacquer sealers they were using caught fire. These deaths prompted the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) and the Vietnamese-American Initiative for Development (Viet-AID) to form the Massachusetts Floor Finishing Safety Task Force, which included industry, labor, and community representatives. The Task Force proposed legislation banning use of lacquer sealers for finishing wood floors in Massachusetts. After years of advocacy, the bill was passed this legislative session and signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick on July 19. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health FACE Project and the Office of the Fire Marshall provided technical expertise to the Task Force. For more information, contact MA.FACE@state.ma.us.