Study Finds Quarter Trillion Cost in 2007 Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
The Milbank Quarterly, a journal of population health and health policy, has published a study by J. Paul Leigh of UC-Davis estimating the national costs of occupational injury and illness among US civilians in 2007. The abstract can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2011.00648.x/full. The findings are summarized as follows – “The number of fatal and nonfatal [...]
Read MoreRAND California Study Indicates What Makes an I2P2 Standard Work
A RAND Corporation study conducted by John Mendeloff and others for the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation provided an evaluation of the effectiveness of California’s I2P2 standard. The preliminary draft of the report can be found at https://www.dir.ca.gov/chswc/Reports/2012/IIPPEvaluation.pdf While the report did not find significant results in better fatality data in [...]
Read MoreOSHA Issues I2P2 White Paper Ahead of Proposal First Look
As the Small Business Administration begins the process of engaging what will be a panel of small businesses in a review of a proposed OSHA injury and illness prevention program (I2P2) standard through the SBREFA process that all OSHA rulemaking must undergo (http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/825), the OSH trade press is reporting that OSHA will release the first [...]
Read MoreASSE Stands Against Reported California Effort to Corner PEL Work for CIHs
On behalf of its nearly 3,000 members in California, ASSE sent a letter to the sponsor of state legislation that has been reported will be used by the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) to ensure that only CIHs would be able to supervise or direct the monitoring of control methods for PELs in California workplaces. In response to the letter, the bill’s [...]
Read MoreASSE Nominates Gary Lopez to ACCSH
ASSE nominated Gary Lopez to OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). Gary is a widely respected Professional Member of ASSE with strong experience in managing workplace safety and health risks in the construction industry. He is a founding member of the committee that oversaw and continues to manage the development of the ANSI/AIHA Z10-2005, [...]
Read MoreOSHA Releases Fall 2011 Reg Agenda January 2012
On January 20, the Department of Labor announced its Fall 2011 regulatory agenda. The agenda itself can be found at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=UNIFIED_AGENDA&p_toc_level=0. The Department’s Statement of Regulatory Priorities explaining the agenda in the context of its overall Good Jobs for Everyone initiative as well as its Plan/Prevent/Protect Compliance Strategy (http://www.dol.gov/regulations/2010RegNarrative.htm) can be found at http://www.dol.gov/asp/regs/Fall2011RegAgenda.pdf. Two [...]
Read MoreFour Final Rules on MSHA Reg Agenda
As with OSHA, the Department of Labor’s Statement of Regulatory Priorities explaining the agenda in the context of its overall Good Jobs for Everyone initiative as well as its Plan/Prevent/Protect Compliance Strategy (http://www.dol.gov/regulations/2010RegNarrative.htm) can be found at http://www.dol.gov/asp/regs/Fall2011RegAgenda.pdf. MSHA’s rule list can be found at http://www.msha.gov/regsinf1.htm. In the final rule stage are rules to Lowering [...]
Read MoreStudy Finds 2007 Costs of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses $250 Billion
The Milbank Quarterly, a journal of population health and health policy, has published a study by J. Paul Leigh of UC-Davis estimating the national costs of occupational injury and illness among US civilians in 2007. The abstract can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2011.00648.x/full. The findings are summarized as follows – “The number of fatal and nonfatal [...]
Read MoreOSHA Analyzes the Costs of Falls in Construction
From OSHA QuickTakes – A new OSHA PowerPoint presentation shows the heavy financial cost resulting from falls in construction. OSHA analyzed workers’ compensation data for injuries resulting from falls from elevations suffered by roofers and carpenters. The data, which covers 2005-2007, comes from 38 states, which comprises approximately 1/3 of total workers’ compensation benefits. OSHA’s [...]
Read MoreDuke Study Finds Obesity Increases Workers Comp Costs
From the study, which can be found at http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/10044 “Gaining too much weight can be as bad for an employer’s bottom line as it is for a person’s waistline. A Duke University Medical Center analysis found that obese workers filed twice the number of workers’ compensation claims, had seven times higher medical costs from those [...]
Read MoreOSHA Reminds Employers to Post Injury and Illness Summaries Beginning Feb. 1
From OSHA QuickTakes – Beginning Feb. 1, employers who are required to keep the OSHA Form 300 Injury and Illness log must post a summary of the log. Employers must post OSHA’s Form 300A from Feb. 1 to April 30, 2012 in a common area wherever notices to workers are usually posted. The summary must [...]
Read MoreOSHA Updates Directive for Fed Worker Targeted Inspection Program
From OSHA QuickTakes – OSHA recently updated its Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program (FEDTARG) directive for fiscal year 2012. FEDTARG directs programmed inspections of federal agency establishments that experienced high numbers of lost time injuries during FY 2011. The directive outlines the procedures for carrying out programmed inspections at some of the most hazardous federal [...]
Read MoreMSHA Announces Third Phase of Rules to Live By
From MSHA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today (January 31) launched the third phase of an outreach and enforcement program designed to strengthen efforts to prevent mining fatalities. “Rules to Live By III: Preventing Common Mining Deaths” will focus on 14 safety standards that were chosen because violations related [...]
Read MoreMSHA Announces 2011 Fatality Data
From MSHA – 01/05/2012 MSHA releases preliminary fatality data for 2011 ARLINGTON, Va. — Preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration released today reveal that 37 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines in 2011. There were 21 coal mining and 16 metal/nonmetal mining fatalities last year, [...]
Read MoreNational Academies Lays Out Research Strategy for Nano Risks
The National Academy of Sciences has issued a report A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials stating that, because not enough is known about the potential risks nanomaterils pose to health and the environment, those risks need to be studied further. The report lays out a strategic approach for developing [...]
Read MoreIts Inspector General Says EPA Must Manage Nano Risks Better
From the summary at http://www.epa.gov/oig/reports/2012/20121229-12-P-0162_glance.pdf . “We found that EPA does not currently have sufficient information or processes to effectively manage the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. EPA has the statutory authority to regulate nanomaterials but currently lacks the environmental and human health exposure and toxicological data to do so effectively. The Agency [...]
Read MoreOSHA Posts Summary Report of Stakeholder Meeting on Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss
ASSE was represented at this meeting by Tom Cecich, VP for the Council on Professional Affairs – From OSHA QuickTakes – OSHA held an informal stakeholder meeting Nov. 3, 2011, on preventing occupational hearing loss to provide a public forum and gather information on the best practices for noise reduction in the workplace. The meeting [...]
Read MoreFeds Issue Memo on Engaging in Voluntary Consensus Standards Activities
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) have issued a memorandum clarifying principles for federal engagement in voluntary consensus standards activities to address national priorities. Sent to the leadership of U.S. federal executive departments and agencies, the [...]
Read MoreNew NIOSH Dust Monitor is Commercialized
The NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research in Pittsburgh has developed a new personal dust monitor that recently was commercialized as the Personal Dust Monitor 3600 (PDM). NIOSH believes the monitor will modernize how coal dust exposure in the mining industry is monitored. It has the ability to provide real-time, continuous coal dust [...]
Read MoreNew OSHA Training Videos in English and Spanish on Respirator Use
From OSHA QuickTakes – OSHA has posted a series of 17 videos to help workers learn about the proper use of respirators on the job. These short videos, nine in English and eight in Spanish, provide valuable information to workers in general industry and construction. Topics include OSHA’s Respiratory Standard, respirator use, training, fit-testing and [...]
Read MoreTales from DC: US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council on GHS
From Adele Abrams, Esq., ASSE’s Federal Representative – On January 31, 2012, I represented ASSE at a meeting of the US/Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) at the US Department of Commerce. This was a day-long meeting covering various areas affected by the Global Harmonization Standard (GHS) that was developed through a United Nations project starting [...]
Read MoreCSB Calls for National Fire Code for Hazardous Waste Handling in Ohio Investigation
From CSB – December 26, 2011 Investigation Details: EQ Hazardous Waste Plant Explosions and Fire; Veolia Environmental Services Flammable Vapor Explosion and Fire Today as many people enjoy a holiday season spent with friends and family, I would like to call attention to a recent tragedy that occurred late last week in eastern Ohio. On [...]
Read MoreEnvironmental Group Uses Health Costs to Argue Against Coal in Kentucky
The Kentucky Environmental Foundation has issued a report using health research to make an argument against the use of coal in Kentucky. The report is available at The Health Impact Assessment on Coal and Clean Energy Options in Kentucky.
Read MoreCSB Video on TN Hoeganaes Incidents that Killed 5
From CSB – Washington DC, January 5, 2012 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new safety video depicting three accidents involving combustible iron dust at the Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin, Tennessee. The video, entitled “Iron in the Fire,” features three computer animations showing how fine metal particles were lofted and ignited in two [...]
Read MoreNew OSHA Spanish Translations of Intro to OSHA for Outreach Training Program
From OSHA’s Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs – OSHA has issued Spanish translations of the “Introduction to OSHA” component of its Outreach Training Program curriculum. This two-hour training component emphasizes workers’ rights and is required content in every 10- and 30-hour OSHA Construction, General Industry, and Maritime Outreach Training Program class. The “Introduction to [...]
Read MoreEU Parliament Approves Review of Strategy for Safety and Health at Work
From the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – The Parliament’s report highlights the need to protect women, young people, ageing and migrant workers in Europe’s workplaces. MSDs and work related stress are pointed out as main areas of concern for European enterprises in relation to OSH. The report says it is important to [...]
Read MoreEU-OSHA Offers Guide on Incentives
From the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – This Guide on Economic Incentives Schemes is intended to serve as a practical and user-friendly guide to help incentive providers to create or optimise their own economic incentive schemes. Incentives schemes should not only reward past results of good OSH management (such as low [...]
Read MoreEPA on Penalties for On-Highway Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines
EPA is taking final action to make nonconformance penalties (NCPs) available to manufacturers of heavy heavy-duty diesel engines in model years 2012 and 2013 for emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX). In general, the availability of NCPs allows a manufacturer of heavy-duty engines (HDEs) whose engines fail to conform to specified applicable emission standards, but [...]
Read MorePHMS Publishes Random Drug Testing Rate
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has given notice of its minimum annual percentage rate for random drug testing for covered employees, which will remain at 25 percent during calendar year 2012. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-18/html/2012-740.htm
Read MorePHMSA on National Registry of Pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas Operators
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a notice advising owners and operators of pipeline facilities of PHMSA’s plan regarding the implementation of the national registry of pipeline and liquefied natural gas operators. The national pipeline operator registry became effective on January 1, 2012. It is primarily applicable to operators that file electronic [...]
Read MoreOSH Responsibilities Switch from DoE to TOSHA at Some Oak Ridge Facilities
An Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy has been signed to transfer employee safety and health authority from the Department of Energy (DOE) to the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) at two existing building complexes and three other parcels of land at the [...]
Read MoreEPA Issues National Mercury Pollution Standards for Power Plants
From EPA – December 21, 2011 Historic ‘mercury and air toxics standards’ meet 20-year old requirement to cut dangerous smokestack emissions WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic [...]
Read MoreEPA Releases Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities
From EPA – January 11, 2012 2010 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities Now Available First release of data through the national GHG reporting program WASHINGTON – For the first time, comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) data reported directly from large facilities and suppliers across the country are now easily accessible to the public through [...]
Read MoreGAO Stuff
Hardrock Mining: BLM Needs to Revise Its Systems for Assessing the Adequacy of Financial Assurances. GAO-12-189R, December 12 (8 pages) http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-189R Chemical Assessments: Challenges Remain with EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System Program. GAO-12-42, December 9. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-42 Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586626.pdf
Read MoreASSE Supports NTSB Call for Ban on Use of Portable Electronic Devices While Driving
The following press release carried ASSE’s message supporting the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) call for a nationwide ban on driver use of portable electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. NTSB’s press release can be found at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/111213.html AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS SUPPORT NTSB’S CALL FOR BAN ON USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES [...]
Read MoreASSE Nominates Ron Sokol for NACOSH
In a letter letter to Assistant Secretary for OSHA David Michaels, ASSE nominated Ron Sokol, CSP, for NACOSH. Among is various accomplishments, Ron serves as the President and CEO of the Safety Council of Texas City (SCTC), which provides safety and health services to the petrochemical industry, and is a member of ASSE’s Government Affairs [...]
Read MoreASSE and OSHA Meet to Discuss Risk Management Issues
On November 21, 2011, an ASSE delegation consisting of President Terrie Norris, Jim Newberry, Thad Nosal, Manager of Gov’t Affairs and Policy Dave Heidorn and ASSE’s Federal Representative Adele Abrams met at OSHA headquarters with OSHA staff members that included Assistant Secretary David Michaels, Glenn Shor of the California Division of Workers’ Compensation who is [...]
Read MoreOSH Agencies in FY 2012 Funding Bill
As indicated in this news release from the House Appropriations Committee Chairman at http://appropriations.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=272984, Congress on December 16 passed into law the Conference Report on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2012. The following outlines funding for the current year, FY 2012, and replaces the continuing resolutions that had provided funding for the year. [...]
Read MoreCorporate Culture Cited as Root Cause of Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster: 369 citations, $10.8 Million in Civil Penalties
From Department of Labor – The 20-month investigation into the worst coal mining disaster in 40 years came to an end this week. In back-to-back meetings with family members and the public, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration Joseph Main, Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith and MSHA Administrator [...]
Read MoreSecretary Solis on Upper Big Branch Agreement
From the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/msha/MSHA20111738.htm 12/6/2011 – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement in response to the agreement announced today among the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, the U.S. Department of Justice, Alpha Natural Resources Inc. and Alpha Appalachia Holdings Inc., formerly known [...]
Read MoreCongress Passes Bipartisan Pipeline Safety Bill
As this information from a Congressman at http://shuster.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=241 and a Senator at http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3ab185f7-3754-4373-b5ef-91e013061d20 indicate, Congress can agree on something and that’s a pipeline safety bill. The summary of the bill from Thomas can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdJdKp:@@@D&summ2=m&|/home/LgislativeData.php indicates, the bill puts the following measures into law – Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act [...]
Read MoreTales from DC: December 14-15 NACOSH Meeting
From the Law Offices of Adele Abarms, ASSE’s Federal Representative – On behalf of ASSE I attended the 2-day meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) on December 14-15, 2011, held at the Department of Labor Perkins Building. Dr.John Howard, Director of NIOSH, began the first day with an update [...]
Read MoreTales from DC: December 15 ACCSH Meeting
From the Law Offices of Adele Abrams, ASSE’s Federal Representative – OSHA held a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) from Dec.13-16, 2011, in Washington, D.C. The Law Office represented ASSE at the portion held on Dec. 15th. The agenda included an update on OSHA’s construction enforcement and outreach efforts, [...]
Read MoreNational Academy Calls for System Safety Approach in Offshore Drilling
The following is a press release from the National Academies of Science from http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=13273 Dec. 14, 2011 Industry, Regulators Should Take ‘System Safety’ Approach to Offshore Drilling in Aftermath of Deepwater Horizon Accident, Says New Report WASHINGTON — To reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, [...]
Read MoreDC Circuit Court Upholds OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy
From OSHA QuickTakes – The D.C. Circuit upheld OSHA’s multi-employer citation policy, in a Dec. 14 decision against Summit Contractors Inc. OSHA cited the company for providing electrical equipment without ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to its subcontractors in violation of section 1926.404(b)(1)(ii) of OSHA’s Electrical Wiring Design and Protection standard. OSHA’s multi-employer citation policy [...]
Read MoreOSHA Launches NEP on Chemical Facilities
From OSHA – OSHA issued a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) for chemical facilities to protect workers from catastrophic releases of highly hazardous chemicals. The new NEP replaces OSHA’s 2009 pilot Chemical Emphasis Program that covered several OSHA regions around the country. The program (http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_09-06.pdf) establishes policies and procedures for inspecting workplaces that are covered by OSHA’s [...]
Read MoreOSHA Publishes Direct Final Rule on Acetylene Standard
From OSHA QuickTakes – OSHA published a revision to its Acetylene Standard in the December 5, 2011, Federal Register that replaces a reference to an outdated consensus standard with an updated reference that reflects current industry practices in the acetylene industry. The reference was originally updated in 2009 based on recommendations by the Compressed Gas [...]
Read MoreFMCSA and PHMSA Issues Final Rule on Restricting Use of Cellular Phones
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have published a final rule amending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to restrict the use of hand-held mobile telephones by drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). This rulemaking will improve safety on [...]
Read MoreOSHA Advances NAOSH Week
ASSE greatly appreciates all that OSHA through its alliance program has done to support NAOSH Week. This message is sent to OSHA’s alliance partners by the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances within the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs – As many of you may know from your Alliance Implementation Team meetings, through the [...]
Read MoreOSHA Seeks Nominations to ACCSH
OSHA has invited interested persons to submit nominations for membership on ACCSH. Three new employer representatives, three new employee representatives, one new representative of state safety and health agencies, and one new public representative will be appointed. Nominations are due January 23, 2012. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-23/html/2011-30194.htm
Read MoreNew Findings Show Construction Workers Face Higher Occupational Risks
From NIOSH eNews – Dr. Sue Dong of CPWR—the Center for Construction Research and Training— recently presented new research findings at the American Public Health Association conference, showing that construction workers have a significantly higher lifetime risk of premature death due to occupational injury (1/200 chance of dying from a work-related injury over a 45-year [...]
Read MoreEnzi Raises Concern Over Delay in Naming BLS Commissioner
From Senator Enzi’s office – November 29, 2011 Enzi Concerned with Delayed Nominations for Labor Agency Questions Labor Sec. Solis and White House Chief Daley on Lack of BLS Nominee WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent letters today to Department [...]
Read MoreNail Gun Safety Website Launched
From NIOSH eNews – Dr. Hester Lipscomb of Duke University in conjunction with CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training—launched a new website http://www.nailgunfacts.org/ on December 2. The website provides video interviews with workers, and information on how nail guns work and how to prevent nail gun injuries. It also provides access to nail gun [...]
Read MoreDepartment of Labor Settles Litigation on Illinois Grain Bin Deaths
From Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20111702.htm. The U.S. Department of Labor has reached an agreement with Haasbach LLC in Mount Carroll, resolving 25 citations issued by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and child labor civil money penalties assessed by its Wage and Hour Division. The resolution follows the deaths of Wyatt Whitebread, 14, [...]
Read MoreOSHA Proposes Revoking Variances for Cylindrical Steel Tank Construction
OSHA states that, between 1975 and 1977, it granted permanent variances to 24 companies engaged in the construction of cylindrical steel tanks. The variances specified several conditions that served as an alternative means of compliance to the falling-object-protection and fall-protection requirements of the standard on general requirements for scaffolds in effect during this period. In [...]
Read MoreOSHA Seeks Comment on Handling Retaliation Complaints under Sarbanes-Oxley
By interim final rule, OSHA is amending regulations governing employee protection (retaliation or whistleblower’) claims under section 806 of the Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Act of 2002, Title VIII of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which was amended by sections 922 and 929A of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of [...]
Read MoreOSHA Announces Safe Workplaces Photo Contest Winners
From OSHA at http://www.osha.gov/osha40/photo-winners.html OSHA is pleased to announce the winners of our Picture It! Safe Workplaces for Everyone photo contest. Thank you to all who submitted their images of workplace safety and health. Please visit the DOL Flickr page to see additional contest submissions. In celebration of our 40th anniversary, OSHA held the Picture [...]
Read MoreEPA Makes Formerly Confidential Chemical Info Available
From EPA – November 28, 2011 WASHINGTON – As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to enhance the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s chemicals management program and increase transparency, the agency is making available to the public hundreds of studies on chemicals that had been treated as confidential business information (CBI). The move is [...]
Read MorePublic Hearings for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and CAFE Standards
EPA and NHTSA have announcing public hearings for their joint proposed rules “2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards,” published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2011. The agencies will also accept comment on NHTSA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), available on NHTSA’s Web [...]
Read MorePHMSA Issues Notice of Changes to Pipeline Safety Regulations
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to make miscellaneous changes to the pipeline safety regulations. The proposed changes would correct errors, address inconsistencies, and respond to rulemaking petitions. The requirements in several subject matter areas would be affected, including the performance of post-construction inspections; leak surveys [...]
Read MoreEPA Proposed Rule on Mineral Wool Production and Wool Fiberglass Manufacturing Emissions
EPA has proposed amendments to the national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants for mineral wool production and wool fiberglass manufacturing to address the results of the residual risk and technology review that the EPA is required to conduct by the Clean Air Act. The proposed Mineral Wool Production amendments include emissions limits for carbonyl [...]
Read MorePHMSA Rulemaking on Use of Excess Flow Valves in Gas Distribution Systems
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in response to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made a safety recommendation to PHMSA that excess flow valves be installed in all new and renewed gas service lines, regardless of a customer’s classification, when the operating [...]
Read MoreEPA Final Rule on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Surface Coating and Wood Furniture Manufacturing Emissions
EPA has published a final rule finalizing the residual risk and technology review conducted for the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (Surface Coating) and Wood Furniture Manufacturing Operations. The final rule became effective November 21, 2011. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-21/html/2011-29457.htm
Read MoreEPA Final Rule on Primary Lead Processing Emissions
EPA has published a final rule concerning the residual risk and technology review conducted for the Primary Lead Processing source category regulated under national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP). It includes revisions of the rule’s title and applicability provision, revisions to the stack emission limits for lead, work practice standards to minimize fugitive [...]
Read MoreEPA Approves Alternatives to Hydrofluorocarbons in Freezers
From EPA – December 14, 2011 First time that hydrocarbon substitutes will be widely used in the U.S. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added three hydrocarbons as acceptable alternatives in household and small commercial refrigerators and freezers through EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. EPA took action after requests from [...]
Read MoreGAO Stuff
Environmental Protection Agency: Actions Needed to Improve Planning, Coordination, and Leadership of EPA Laboratories, by Dave C. Trimble, director, Natural Resources and Environment, before the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. GAO-12-236T, November 17. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-236T
Read MoreASSE Commends NIOSH for NAOSHW Report
In a letter to Director John Howard, ASSE commended NIOSH for the publication of its National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce report (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oshworkforce/), the first look at occupational safety and health workforce issues since the Institute of Medicine’s Safe Work in the 21st Century (http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070260) study in 2000. The report addresses how SH&E professionals are educated and trained, the means [...]
Read MoreNIOSH on the NAOSHW Report
From NIOSH – National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce Released A national survey and assessment of the occupational safety and health workforce has been completed by Westat under contract with NIOSH. This effort was guided by a multidisciplinary advisory task force of occupational safety and health professional and practitioners. A key finding [...]
Read MoreTales from DC: OSHA Stakeholders Meeting on Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss
On November 3, Tom Cecich, VP for CoPA, represented ASSE at OSHA’s “Conversation with Stakeholders: Preventing Hearing Loss” held in response to the Agency’s withdrawal of its economic feasibility interpretation concerning employers’ responsibility to provide engineering controls. The four questions below about hearing protections in general provided the structure for the moderator-led discussion. In general, [...]
Read MoreEfforts to Ensure Qualified Fed OSH Professionals Advance
A too often overlooked issue in occupational safety and health are the qualifications of those responsible for managing safety, health and environmental risks on a worksite. For federal workplaces, Nancy McWilliams, CSP, ARM, a federal safety and health professional and former ASSE President, reported a significant advancement in efforts to ensure the federal government hires [...]
Read MoreASSE Announces Approval of PtD Voluntary Consensus Standard
From NIOSH – The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSE Z590.3 standard, “Prevention through Design: Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Risks in Design and Redesign Processes.” This new standard provides guidance on including prevention through design concepts within an occupational safety and health management system, [...]
Read MoreASSE Website Hosts NIOSH PtD Conference Presentations
From NIOSH – Prevention through Design—a new way of doing business: a report on the National Initiative on August 22 – 24, 2011 at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC. ASSE was a sponsor of the event. The conference agenda, biographical sketches of the speakers, and speaker presentation materials are available on this ASSE [...]
Read MoreHoward Outlines PtD Efforts
If you have not seen it, NIOSH Director John Howard in the October e-NEWS outlined the various efforts NIOSH and others are undertaking to champion safety through its Prevention through Design (PtD) initiative, including ASSE’s new voluntary consensus standard. Note the recognition of Donna Heidel at the end, which is well deserved from the view [...]
Read MoreFACOSH to Meet December 1
From OSHA – WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold a meeting of the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH) Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, in Washington, D.C. The Secretary of Labor recently renewed the council’s charter for another two years. FACOSH advises the Secretary of Labor on matters relating [...]
Read MoreOSHA and NIOSH Collaborate on New Nail Gun Safety Resource
From OSHA and NIOSH – NIOSH and OSHA are pleased to announce the release of Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors. While nail guns may boost productivity, they also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. This new publication is intended to provide a resource for residential home builders and construction [...]
Read MoreCSB Finds Explosions at Oil and Gas Production Sites Put the Public at Risk
From CSB – Hattiesburg, MS, October 27, 2011 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new study of explosions at oil and gas production sites across the U.S., identifying 26 incidents since 1983 that killed 44 members of the public and injured 25 others under the age of 25, and is calling [...]
Read MoreTales from DC: House Hearing on Ensuring a Responsible Reg Environment
From the Office of Adele Abrams, Esq., ASSE’s Federal Representative – On October 5, 2011, the Congressional Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on OSHA’s efficiency towards protecting American workers entitled “Workplace Safety: Ensuring a Responsible Regulatory Environment”. Justin Winter attended on behalf of [...]
Read MoreOSHA Announces 2011 Top Ten Citations
From OSHA – OSHA announced the top ten most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites by federal OSHA during FY 2011. The Scaffolding and Fall Protection standards in Construction were the top two most cited, maintaining their positions from FY 2010. OSHA publicizes this list to alert employers about these frequently cited standards so [...]
Read MoreNTSB Recommends FMCSA Ban Use of Cell Phones in Trucks
In a Highway Accident Report for a March 2010 truck-tractor semitrailer median crossover collision with a 15-passenger van in Munfordville, KY, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended the following to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – “Prohibit the use of both handheld and hands-free cellular telephones by all commercial driver’s license holders [...]
Read MoreOSHA Modifies Guidance on Use of Particular Shock Absorbing Lanyard
OSHA’s memo explaining the modified guidance can be found at http://www.osha.gov/doc/interpretations/I20110822.html. Please read the entire guidance, but OSHA said in the first two paragraphs the following – “On January 14, 2009, OSHA issued a letter of interpretation regarding the use of a particular shock absorbing lanyard to satisfy the requirements found in §1926.453(b)(2)(v). The Directorate [...]
Read MoreOSHA Offers New Publication on Trench Collapses
From OSHA QuickTakes – OSHA has three new guidance products to educate employers and workers about the hazards in trenching operations. Unprotected trenches are among the deadliest hazards in the construction industry and the loss of life is devastating: since 2003, more than 200 workers have died in trench cave-ins, and hundreds more have [...]
Read MoreNew OSHA Resources from Office of Cooperative Programs
OSHA has issued the following new or updated Web pages and publications containing compliance assistance resources: Web Pages: § Marine Hanging Staging section of Shipyard Employment eTool (Oct. 2011) § Seasonal Flu Web page (Oct. 2011) Publications: § Aerial Lifts QuickCard – English and Spanish (OSHA Publication 3267) (revised Oct. 2011) § Aerial Lift Fall [...]
Read MoreEPA and National Archive Hold Student Multimedia Contest
From EPA – WASHINGTON – The National Archives in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the launch of a student multimedia contest, “Document Your Environment”. Drawing inspiration from a collection of environmental photos from the 1970s, this contest invites students ages 13 to 18, college and graduate students to create any type [...]
Read MoreEPA Webinar to Help Industry on TSCA Chemical Data Reporting
From EPA – EPA will host a webinar to assist industry with the reporting process for the 2012 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM EST. The webinar is intended for industry stakeholders who will be reporting in response to the CDR requirements. The webinar will [...]
Read MoreEPA Seeks Comment on Disposing Coal Combustion Residuals
EPA invites comment on additional information it obtained in conjunction with the proposed rule: Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System: Identification and Listing of Special Wastes; Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals From Electric Utilities that was published in the Federal Register on June 21, 2010 (75 FR 35127). This information is generally categorized as: Chemical [...]
Read MoreHawaii State Plan No Longer Covering Military Installations
OSHA has approved a change to Hawaii’s occupational safety and health state plan to exclude coverage of private sector employers and employees at all military installations. The state of Hawaii, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, requested in a November 15, 2010 memorandum which was reiterated in a February 22, 2011, letter from the Governor, [...]
Read MoreMichigan OSHA Stops Covering Indian Tribes
OSHA has approved a change to the state of Michigan’s occupational safety and health state plan to exclude coverage of establishments on Indian reservations which are owned or operated by employers who are enrolled members of Indian tribes. Under the terms of a September 28, 2004 addendum to the September 24, 1973 Operational Status Agreement [...]
Read MoreOSHA Updates Grain Handling Topics Page
From the Office of Cooperative Programs – As part of our efforts to keep OSHA’s cooperative program participants informed of the agency’s activities, I wanted to let you know that OSHA has updated its Grain Handling Safety and Health Topics Page with new statistics and updated information on preventing grain dust explosions. The Web page includes information [...]
Read MoreOSHA Offers New Construction Safety Videos
From the Office of Cooperative Programs – OSHA has issued 12 educational videos about hazards in the construction industry. Each video presents a worksite incident based on actual accidents that resulted in worker injury or death, followed by a summary of corrective actions for preventing these types of accidents. The videos, available in English and [...]
Read MoreNext Meeting of UN Subcommittee of Experts on GHS
From Mary Frances Lowe, EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs – Because of your past interest in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), I am writing to inform you of upcoming meetings of the UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the GHS and associated working groups (December 7-9, 2011), and the UN [...]
Read MoreGulf Coast Task Force Releases Ecosystem Restoration Strategy for Review
From EPA, October 5 – Agenda outlines blueprint for reversing decline of Gulf Coast ecosystem WASHINGTON – The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, chaired by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, today released for public review and feedback its comprehensive preliminary strategy for long term ecosystem restoration. The strategy, which will be [...]
Read MoreGAO Stuff
EPA Health Risk Assessments: Oversight and Sustained Management Key to Overcoming Challenges, GAO-12-148T, October 6 (12 pages) http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-148T Climate Monitoring: NOAA Can Improve Management of the U.S. Historical Climatology Network. GAO-11-800, August 31. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-800 Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11800high.pdf Environmental Protection Agency: Management Challenges and Budget Observations, GAO-12-149T, October 12 (12 pages) http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-149T Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12149thigh.pdf Yucca [...]
Read MoreASSE Says Latest BLS Workplace Fatalities Report Should Be a Call to Action
In response to BLS data BLS data showing little change in workplace fatalities between 2009 and 2010, ASSE President Terrrie Norris issued the call to action below, pointing out the variety of efforts ASSE is undertaking to take a new and different approach to improving worker safety and health. The press release statement can be found [...]
Read MoreASSE Urges OIRA to Let OSHA Silica Rulemaking Move Forward So All Stakeholders Can Be Heard
In a letter to Cass Sunstein, Administrator of the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the White House, ASSE urged his office to do everything possible to advance OSHA rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica so that ASSE’s members can play a meaningful part in seeing that OSHA promulgates an [...]
Read MoreASSE Comments on Proposed OSHA Reporting Changes
In a comment for the record, ASSE said it could not support proposed changes to OSHA’s fatality and hospitalization reporting rules from the current requirement that employers report within 8 hours fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of 3 or more employees to 1 or more employees and to add the requirements that amputations be reported within 24 hours. ASSE said it does not believe, given OSHA’s resources and the practical difficulties employers face [...]
Read MoreCSP Recognized in California Standards
The Certified Safety Professional is being recognized in California’s OSH standards. According to an ASSE member familiar with the issue, “The issue was raised by an ASSE member CSP…It merely defined CSP as one certified by the BCSP, not the National Speakers Association, who also issues CSP designations to Certified Speaking Professionals.” See the inclusion [...]
Read MoreOSHA Issues New Whistleblower Investigations Manual
From OSHA – September 21, 2011 WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a new edition of its Whistleblower Investigations Manual, one of a series of measures to improve OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program that were announced in August. The new edition of the manual contains updates to case handling procedures, [...]
Read More