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In a comment on CSB's strategic plan for its next 5 years, ASSE urged the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board to include in its strategies increased support for staff as well as Board members' pursuit of volunteer safety and health professional certifications. CSB's plan can be found at http://www.csb.gov/index.cfm?folder=news_releases&page=news&NEWS_ID=307 . CSB is holding an open forum on the strategic plan today in Washington , DC .
AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF SAFETY ENGINEERS
1800 East Oakton Street
Des Plaines , Illinois 60018-2187
847.699.2929
FAX 847.296.3769
www.asse.org
October 5, 2006
Carolyn W. Merritt
Chairman
US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
2175 K Street, NW Suite 650
Washington , DC 20037-1809
RE: FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan
Dear Chairman Merritt:
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has long supported the mission and work of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). From the CSB's inception, our members have understood the agency's unique value in investigating chemical accidents and making recommendations to help ensure that the same accidents do not occur again. ASSE is proud to share what CSB learns with its members. Without a doubt, CSB's work helps ASSE's member safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professionals fulfill their responsibility for preventing death, injury and illness in the workplace.
In general, the draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2007-2012 should be commended. It reflects an apparently honest assessment of CSB's strengths and some weaknesses. If followed, ASSE has little doubt that the CSB can succeed in continuing to address the risks of chemical accidents.
ASSE does have one area of concern, however, and urges you to address the concern in a final draft. In at least two goals, the CSB itself raises a concern about appropriate staffing. Under Goal 2, the draft states, "The CSB has lacked a specialized staff for conducting safety studies." And in Goal 5, it states, "(A) major challenge is to recruit and develop the skills necessary to implement the human capital vision."
To address these concerns, ASSE urges you to add to Key Strategies under both these goals increased support for staff as well as Board members' pursuit of volunteer safety and health professional certifications from organizations like the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). These are both organizations that offer highly respected and widely accepted professional certifications and are both accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and Council of Engineering and Science Specialty Boards (CESB). The requirements for continued certification will offer both staff and Board members the opportunities to continue to develop the skills necessary to fulfill CSB's mission. In addition, professional certification would encourage staff and Board members to be more fully involved in the SH&E profession, giving CSB another means to build relationships with industry and practitioners.
We particularly encourage the Strategic Plan to include Board members in this strategy. While no doubt excellent leaders who each bring unique capabilities to CSB, several current Board members do not come from out of the traditional SH&E profession. Pursuit of safety and health professional certifications would provide a broad understanding of the variety of issues at play in any chemical accident in a workplace and send a signal of commitment CSB's overall mission to the safety and health community.
Thank you for this opportunity to comment. ASSE looks forward to continued cooperation with CSB and looks forward to five more years of success in carrying out CSB's vitally important mission.
Sincerely,
Donald S. Jones, Sr., CSP , PE
President
From OSHA press release -
OSHA Resuming Regular Enforcement Along Most of U.S. Gulf Coast
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will resume regular enforcement of job safety and health standards throughout much of the hurricane-impacted U.S. Gulf Coast.
As of Jan. 25, normal enforcement will be conducted throughout Florida and Alabama , in Mississippi north of Interstate 10, and in Louisiana except in seven parishes in and around New Orleans .
Following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, OSHA exempted a number of counties and parishes in Florida , Alabama , Mississippi and Louisiana from regular enforcement status. This action enabled OSHA staff to provide faster and more flexible responses to hazards facing workers involved in the cleanup and recovery. Thousands of crews and individual workers received job safety and health technical assistance. OSHA limited inspections to cases involving fatalities, catastrophic accidents or complaints.
"We're now able to resume normal operations in several of the impacted areas where recovery-while still ongoing-has progressed more fully than other areas," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan L. Snare. "For the New Orleans area and south of Interstate 10 in Mississippi , we will continue to provide technical assistance to employers and workers by providing advice and information on hazards and the use of personal protective equipment and other safety measures. However, we will continue our traditional enforcement policy in response to employee complaints, major injuries or fatalities."
Worker safety and health information is available by calling 1-866-4-USA-DOL or by visiting the Department of Labor's Web site ( www.dol.gov ) and clicking on the hurricane recovery page, or from OSHA's Web page at www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html .
Under the Alliance ASSE has with OSHA, Mark Hansen - former ASSE President and a dedicated volunteer leader for ASSE on both the business of safety and ergonomic issues - worked with OSHA in helping develop this topics page. It is available at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/topics/businesscase/index.html and references ASSE's own resources developed under the Council on Professional Standards. From OSHA --
OSHA Makes the Business Case for Safety and Health; Agency Unveils New Safety and Health Topics Page
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, Oct. 5
Making the Business Case for Safety and Health, a new Safety and Health Topic, is a product of several Alliances with OSHA, including the American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, National Federation of Independent Business, among others. Information on the page focuses on how a comprehensive safety program can help an employer save money and improve business.
"OSHA continues to seek ways to offer services and programs that assist and guide employers on the responsible path to occupational safety and health," said OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke. "This new Safety and Health Topics page serves as a 'one stop shopping' tool for information on how investing in workplace safety and health can improve a company's productivity and bottom line.
"The Making the Business Case for Safety and Health Topics page contains direct links to resources showing the costs of workplace injuries and illnesses, economic benefits of workplace safety and health and how accounting for employee safety in the design stage of a project can result in fewer injuries and illnesses and increased productivity. The Topics page has a number of additional resources, including success stories, case studies and tools for getting started on improving safety and health in the workplace.
OSHA's Web site includes approximately 200 Safety and Health Topics pages on various workplace issues -- from accident investigation to workplace violence. The subjects of the pages include specific workplace hazards, as well as individual industries, and provide assistance for complying with OSHA standards.-----Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees.
Saw this article in the Chicago Tribune and thought it interesting in light of both workplace safety issues and the immigration issue in the news. The full article is available at http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/...
Immigrants' top cause of death on the job: Homicide
By Stephen Franklin and Darnell Little
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 8, 2006
From CSB press release -
CSB Deploys Investigators to Site of Chemical Fire and Public Evacuation from North Carolina Hazardous Waste Facility
Washington , DC , October 6, 2006 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying an investigation team to begin an assessment of the chemical fire, explosions, and large-scale public evacuation in Apex, North Carolina , site of a hazardous waste facility operated by the Environmental Quality Company.
Media reports indicate that a chemical fire began around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday October 5, 2006, causing a series of additional explosions. An estimated 17,000 residents have been evacuated to shelters and several roads have been closed.
The Environmental Quality Co. is a consolidator and processor of hazardous waste that operates approximately 14 facilities in the U.S. , including a facility in Romulus , Michigan , that experienced a major fire earlier this year.
The CSB team will be led by investigator Robert Hall, P.E., and will be accompanied by CSB Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt and Board Member William B. Wark, an expert in emergency management. Team members will arrive in Apex this evening and begin their investigative work on Saturday.
The investigators will collect information that will assist the Board in deciding whether to conduct a full investigation of the causes of the incident.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in safety management systems, regulations, and industry standards.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov .
From NIOSH --
NIOSH has expanded its Web topic page on information related to the NIOSH response to the World Trade Center terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. The topic page includes a link to a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Web site for information about HHS World Trade Center Health Resources. This site serves as a central resource for responders, volunteers, their families, health care professionals, and others seeking information about health effects resulting from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. The site includes information and addresses for medical monitoring and treatment programs for responders, resources for health professionals who serve the exposed populations, and links to published scientific reports about health effects associated with the WTC exposures. The NIOSH page also includes a draft technical document for standardizing postmortem examinations of individuals dying after environmental exposures at the World Trade Center . The draft document is currently undergoing scientific review and is a work in progress. The NIOSH topic page can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc .
OSHA has released on its web site safety and health guidance to help small businesses comply with OSHA's new hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) requirements for general industry, construction and shipyards. It can be found at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA_small_entity_comp.pdf and a "Fact Sheet: Health Effects of Hexavalent Chromium" is available at http://www.ohsonline.com
From OSHA QuickTakes -
DOL Awards More Than $10 Million in Safety and Health Training Grants
Fifty-seven nonprofit organizations are on tap to share some $10 million in grants for safety and health training and educational programs announced by OSHA, Sept. 29. Grants totaling $6.9 million were awarded under the Targeted Topic Training Grants (e.g., construction and general industry hazards, disaster response and recovery, hexavalent chromium, and workplace emergency planning). Approximately $3.3 million was used to fund renewal grants for recipients of last year's Institutional Competency Building Grants. http://www.osha.gov/pls/...
From OSHA QuickTakes -
VPP Mobile Workforce Demonstration for Construction Accepting ApplicationsThe Mine Safety and Health Research Advisory Committee (MSHRAC) has announced that it will meet 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., October 17, and 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., October 18, 2006, at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe, 1000 Corporate Drive , Canonsburg , PA 15317 , telephone (724) 743-5000. It is open to the public. The meeting will focus on current and planned NIOSH research related to mine disaster prevention and response and impact of the new Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (Miners Act) on the research plans. The agenda will also include an update on the Miners Choice Program and a report from the Associate Director for Mining. For futher info, contact Jeffery L. Kohler, PhD, Executive Secretary, MSHRAC, NIOSH, CDC, 626 Cochrans Mill Road , telephone (412) 386-5301.
From the Kansas City Star at
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/15529682.htm
Posted on Fri, Sep. 15, 2006
EPA plans to close labs, drop scientists and reduce oversightEPA has issued amendments to the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for miscellaneous coating manufacturing. They clarify that coating manufacturing means the production of coatings using operations such as mixing and blending, not reaction or separation processes used in chemical manufacturing. The amendments extend the compliance date for certain coating manufacturing equipment that is also part of a chemical manufacturing process unit. The amendments also clarify that operations by end users that modify a purchased coating prior to application at the purchasing facility are exempt. The effective date is October 4, 2006. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/...
From OSHA QuickTakes -
Dump Trucks Focus of New Safety and Health Information Bulletin
Preventing fatal accidents that can result from the unanticipated release or movement of an elevated truck bed is the subject of OSHA's latest Safety and Health Information Bulletin . The bulletin includes discussion of three case histories in which employees died or were injured due to dump beds being improperly raised and propped for service or maintenance. In addition to construction and general industry requirements, the bulletin provides recommendations to help employers and employees ensure that elevated parts of heavy equipment are suitably supported from unexpected movement.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seeks comments on the economic impact of its regulations on small business, as required by law. NHTSA wants to identify rules that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses and ways to make the regulations easier to read and understand. The focus is on rules that relate to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles, motorcycles, and motor vehicle equipment. Comments are due December 4, 2006. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/...
EPA has issued a direct final rule listing four substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) in the fire suppression and explosion protection sector as acceptable subject to use conditions under EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. Under SNAP, EPA must evaluate substitutes for ODSs and find them acceptable where they do not pose a greater overall risk to human health and the environment than other acceptable substitutes. The rule is effective November 27, 2006, unless EPA receives adverse comment. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/...
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) has revised its regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The regulations contain new provisions to comply with Executive Order 13392, which directs agencies to ensure that its FOIA operations are ``citizen-centered'' and ``results-oriented.'' The regs also have been updated to reflect changes in OSHRC's policies and procedures. This rule is effective on October 27, 2006.
OSHRC also amended its regs implementing the Privacy Act of 1974. These changes are effective September 29, 2006.The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 signed into law March 2006 establishes new requirements for retail sales of over-the-counter (nonprescription) products containing the List I chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine. The three chemicals can be used to manufacture methamphetamine illegally. DEA is promulgating this rule to make its regulations consistent with this law. It establishes daily and 30-day limits on the sales of scheduled listed chemical products to individuals and requires recordkeeping. The effective date is generally September 21, 2006. Comments are due November 27, 2006. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/...
From EPA press release -
( Washington , D.C. - Sept. 28, 2006) Children's Health Month is every October, and this year's theme is: "Promoting Healthy School Environments." EPA programs for schools can help improve the health, productivity and performance of 53 million children and 6 million staff in the nation's 120,000 public and private schools, as well as save energy and money.
In celebration of Children's Health Month, EPA is offering webcasts throughout October to raise awareness about protecting children from environmental risks, such as indoor air pollution, while they are in school.
Beginning Oct. 5, the webcasts will be available for parents, educators, facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, teachers, staff and healthcare practitioners.
"What better place to teach children the importance of a healthy environment than the place they do most of their learning -- at school," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Working with our school partners, EPA is providing our future leaders a healthy, cleaner environment in which to learn and play."
EPA is also releasing its annual Children's Environmental Health Report that highlights the agency's recent efforts to protect the health of children by addressing threats in the environments where they develop, grow and thrive. Improving school environments, addressing indoor and outdoor air quality, and reducing exposures to chemicals and pesticides are a few of the activities described in the report, "Children's Environmental Health: 2006 Report; Environment, Health and a Focus on Children."
The report also highlights the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT), a software program that was developed by the EPA, to ensure a safe and healthy environment in schools. HealthySEAT provides a healthy environment by monitoring all of the school's environmental health and safety issues.
Children are more susceptible to risks, because they are still developing; consume more air, water, and food in proportion to their body weight than adults; and increase their exposures during normal playing and learning activities.
Sign up for one or more of the webcasts and view the 2006 Children's Environmental Health Report: http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/chm.htm
From http://www.ohsonline.com/Stevens/OHSPub.nsf/...
A survey of nearly 700 office workers in the United States , the study revealed that more than half (64 percent) of Americans believe they know the definition of the word ergonomics, however, only 20 percent actually do know the correct definition. Additionally, only 36 percent of younger respondents (18-24) believe they know what the term means versus 74 percent of those between 45 and 54.
Regardless of age and confidence in defining the term, the vast majority could not accurately define ergonomics, according to Steelcase Inc., which conducted the survey. Nineteen percent of respondents believe the phrase "human engineering" is the most accurate definition, while 17 percent believe "health and safety" is the most precise. Additional choices included "maximized productivity" (11 percent), "best in comfort" (10 percent) and "reduced fatigue" (8 percent). Only 20 percent of respondents accurately identified that all of these aspects contribute to the definition of ergonomics, Steelcase stated.
While there is confusion among workers as to the exact meaning of ergonomics, it is clear that they are aware of its importance:
• 77 percent of people think that ergonomics in the workplace is important.
• 81 percent think that it has an effect on productivity, while only seven percent think ergonomics has no effect on productivity.
• About half of all participants (51 percent) feel ergonomics affects productivity to a significant degree, while 29 percent think it affects productivity to a slight degree.
• Age differences also impact how important ergonomics is viewed; those 35 to 44 years old are the most likely to think that incorporating ergonomics in the workplace is important (81 percent).
• Younger respondents (18-24) are the most likely to think ergonomics has no effect on productivity (31 percent).
While most workers seem to understand the need for ergonomics in the workplace, it is unclear if employers feel the same, according to Steelcase. Of workers participating in the study, more than 40 percent feel that their office does not provide sufficient ergonomic options in the workplace.
"Years of research has shown us that providing ergonomically sound furniture is a fundamental first step in providing employees a better physical experience at work, which can subsequently benefit the company in terms of efficiency and productivity," said David Trippany, corporate ergonomist for Steelcase. "This survey reveals that there is discrepancy between the importance workers place on ergonomic solutions and their understanding of the topic. This indicates a clear opportunity for organization and worker education about ergonomics and how ergonomic solutions can benefit people at work and, in turn organizations, by reducing worker injuries and illnesses and potentially increasing individual efficiency levels."
Respondents identified that their computer or keyboard area and their desk chair are in need of the most ergonomic improvement (34 percent). Alternative areas that need improvement are general seating (24 percent), tables in secondary areas (20 percent) and cubicle design (16 percent).
From EPA press release -
Truckers in North Texas will keep more money in their pockets thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership program awarded a $300,000 grant to the North Central Texas Council of Governments to test new pollution reduction technology on local long-haul delivery routes to reduce truck emissions and save on fuel.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments will use the grant to work with transport companies to test the equipment on 30 to 50 trucks.
SmartWay Upgrade Kits package together a variety of fuel and emissions-saving technologies, and typically consist of engine idle reduction technology, low rolling resistance tires, improved aerodynamics and exhaust after-treatment devices. In tests, these kits can reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 15 percent. They also reduce pollution: carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions are cut 10 to15 percent, and when a kit includes an exhaust after-treatment device, particulate matter emissions are reduced by 25 to 90 percent. Information on SmartWay Transport Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
Agriculture Conservation: USDA Should Improve Its Process for Allocating Funds to States for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. GAO-06-969, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-969
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06969high.pdf
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Unprecedented Challenges Exposed the Individuals and Households Program to Fraud and Abuse; Actions Needed to Reduce Such Problems in Future. GAO-06-1013, September 27.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-1013
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d061013high.pdf