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Data-Driven Guide to Improving Workplace Safety

Download this e-book to learn how to use the different types of safety data available to you to improve your safety program.




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Safety and health KPIs: ILO releases guidebook on collecting and measuring data

Geneva — A new guidebook from the International Labor Organization is intended to help employers compile data on key performance indicators related to safety and health.




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5-minute breaks can restore concentration: study

Sydney — Need to reset your attention during a complex work task? A five-minute break is all it takes.




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FMCSA extends comment period on proposal to revise safety fitness determinations

Washington — Stakeholders now have until Nov. 29 to comment on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s process for determining whether truck and bus companies are able to operate safely.




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Preventing trench collapses

Workers caught in trench collapses rarely survive because soil can be extremely heavy. A cubic yard of soil can weigh up to 3,000 pounds – roughly the weight of a small motor vehicle, according to OSHA.




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Using aerial lifts safely

Aerial lifts not only make working at height easier, they also can help keep employees safe.




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Demolition work: Keep it safe

Demolition work involves the dismantling, razing, destroying or wrecking of any building or structure. Hazards of this dangerous work, according to OSHA, may include materials hidden within structural members (e.g., lead, asbestos, silica, and other chemicals or heavy metals requiring special material handling), as well as unknown strengths or weaknesses of construction materials, such as post-tensioned concrete.




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Ladder safety: The basics

“Ladders are tools,” the American Ladder Institute says. “Many of the basic safety rules that apply to most tools also apply to the safe use of a ladder.”




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Rising Wildfire Smoke: Will OSHA Join the States Implementing New Worker Protections?

This past summer, the Midwest and much of the East Coast experienced an unprecedented decline in outdoor air quality. Smoke from wildfires in Canada regularly sent air quality ratings well into to the unhealthy range – an Air Quality Index for the smallest particulate matter – PM2.5 – in excess of 151.




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Portable gravity-flow unit

The 90320 16-Gallon Gravit-Eye Portable Gravity-Flow Unit uses gravity to deliver water through dual spray heads. The unit delivers more than 14 gallons of water for 15 minutes, complying with the provisions of ANSI Z358.1 for eyewashes. Gravit-Eye has a rugged plastic tank that is ideal for use when a continuous supply of potable water is not available.

Sellstrom Mfg. Co.




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Freeze or scald protection valves

All Encon showers can be fitted with automatic freeze or scald protection valves for use during temperature extremes. Automatic Freeze Valves open automatically when the internal water temperature reaches 35° F (2° C) and close at 40° F (4.5° C). Automatic Scald Valves open when the internal water temperature reaches 105° F (41° C) and close at 95° F (35° C).

Encon Safety Products




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Emergency eye/face wash

The HALO eye/face wash arms users with the most effective emergency relief available in the industry. Designed with the latest technology in fluid dynamics, HALO covers 85 percent of the user’s face – protection that is more than 20 percent better than any other eye/face wash system on the market. HALO incorporates an exclusive self-draining feature, which eliminates standing water left in the unit between uses and testing.

Bradley Corp.




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Portable emergency eyewash station

The Fendall 2000 delivers 100 percent sterile eyewash solution from a completely sterile delivery system. Features include easy-view side windows to check the sterile solution’s expiration date and an alarm system that sounds when the unit has been activated and when the required 15-minute flush is complete. The Fendall 2000 meets ANSI’s Z358.1-2009 15-minute flush requirement for primary eyewash stations.

Honeywell Safety Products




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Emergency eyewash system

The AXION Advantage system offers a medically superior response for upgrading existing emergency equipment. The AXION MSR design improves existing emergency equipment while maintaining ANSI compliance. With four Advantage kits providing the necessary pieces to convert 80 percent of existing eyewashes and showers, your facility will have the tools to upgrade older Haws products, replace ineffective products and test for continued ANSI compliance.

Haws Corp.




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Trends in ... emergency eyewashes/showers

Do your employees have quick access to properly working emergency eyewashes and showers? To ensure equipment is available when needed, employers should make accessibility a top priority, according to Shannon Harper, ESEW product manager for Houston-based Encon Safety Products.




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Exposure limits: PELs and TLVs

What are the differences between a permissible exposure limit and a threshold limit value?




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Permissible exposure limits

TWA/STEL/PEL/WEEL/IDLH … What does this all mean?




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MSHA extends comment period for proposed rule on proximity detection systems

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would require underground coal mine operators to equip coal-hauling machines and scoops with proximity detection systems.




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OIG to MSHA: Improve oversight of coal mine emergency response plans

Washington – The Mine Safety and Health Administration needs to provide better oversight of coal mine operators’ emergency response plans, according to a recent audit conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.




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MSHA training initiative aimed at less-experienced miners

Arlington, VA – A recent rise in fatalities and injuries among less-experienced coal miners has prompted the Mine Safety and Health Administration to launch a training assistance initiative.




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MSHA kicks off campaign to raise awareness of roof, rib falls

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched its annual campaign intended to promote roof and rib fall hazard awareness among coal miners and mine operators, while also focusing on continuous mining machine operator safety.




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Miner deaths during longwall face recovery spur MSHA safety alert

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert in response to five fatal incidents that occurred when miners situated between a longwall face conveyor and coal face were struck by falling sections of the face or roof.




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Senators to Acosta: MSHA coal dust rule, scheduled for review, is ‘critical’ to miner health

Washington — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is among five Senate Democrats who have expressed opposition to any rollback to the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s respirable coal dust rule, in a letter sent Dec. 22 to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta.




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No changes to coal mine dust regulation forthcoming, MSHA leader tells House subcommittee

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has no immediate plans to change its regulation on respirable dust in coal mines, MSHA administrator David Zatezalo said Feb. 6 during a hearing before the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee.




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NIOSH offering free health screenings for coal miners

Washington — Coal miners soon will have access to a series of free, confidential health screenings through the NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.




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Mine operators should go beyond compliance to protect miners from black lung: report

Washington — A “fundamental shift” is needed in the mining industry’s approach to coal dust exposure to help mitigate a surge in black lung disease among underground coal miners, according a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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MSHA seeks feedback on coal dust rule study; has ‘no intention of rolling back the protections’

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is seeking input on a study of its respirable coal mine dust rule, as outlined in the 2014 regulation, according to a Request for Information published in the July 9 Federal Register.




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Lawmakers question MSHA on ‘unprecedented action’ to remove mine’s POV status

Arlington, VA — Top-ranking Democrats in the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the Workforce Protections Subcommittee are questioning the legality of a Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission decision to remove a Sophia, WV, mine from Mine Safety and Health Administration Pattern of Violations status.




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MSHA extends until 2022 comment period for RFI on coal dust rule study

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is extending to July 2022 the deadline for comment on a Request for Information concerning a retrospective study of the agency’s respirable coal mine dust rule.




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For surface coal miners, the ‘big hazard’ is silica, NIOSH expert says

Washington — Surface coal miners, especially those who work in drilling, may be exposed to higher concentrations of respirable dust or quartz. This puts them at elevated risk of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis – a deadly but preventable disease known as black lung, results of a recent NIOSH study show.




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Researchers to look for link between coal dust nanoparticles, black lung disease

State College, PA — Using a 3D device on a microchip that mimics the behavior of human lungs, researchers from Penn State University will use a $400,000 grant from NIOSH to study the effects of nano-scale coal dust on the lungs of underground miners, the university has announced.




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Research project seeks better dust control in underground mines

Blacksburg, VA — Researchers at Virginia Tech have launched a project aimed at boosting the effectiveness of dust scrubbers in underground mining to enhance dust control and improve miner safety.




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Engulfment incident spurs MSHA safety alert on surge piles

Arlington, VA — Prompted by a recent incident in which a bulldozer operator working on a surge pile of coal was engulfed and trapped in the machine’s cab when the pile collapsed, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert.




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No changes to training requirements for refuge alternatives in coal mines, MSHA says

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has determined that the annual training requirements outlined in its Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines rule supply “an experience sufficient to enable miners to apply their knowledge, other training and available written instruction to effectively use the refuge alternative in an emergency.”




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MSHA: ‘No changes are necessary’ to criteria for certifying coal mine rescue teams

Arlington, VA — Criteria for the certification of coal mine rescue teams will “remain in effect, without changes,” the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Sept. 1, after completing a requisite review under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006.




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Secretary Walsh: OSHA’s forthcoming ETS to cover health care workers

Washington — Health care workers will be the focus of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19, which will be issued June 10, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told the House Education and Labor Committee during a June 9 hearing.




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Bill aimed at reforming program that provides black lung benefits to miners, survivors

Washington — Proposed legislation that would ease access to health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease is advancing in the House.




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Biden signs bill ensuring increases to Black Lung Disability Trust Fund

Washington — A new law permanently restores a recently expired excise tax rate increase on coal production, which will help fund health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease.




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Miner deaths and injuries prompt MSHA alert on hazardous highwalls

Arlington, VA — In response to a number of fatalities and serious injuries involving miners working near highwalls in recent years, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a safety alert on the associated hazards.




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MSHA: Miner deaths decrease overall, but machinery-related fatalities up

Arlington, VA — The “collective effort” of mine industry workers and stakeholders in 2022 contributed to a 21.6% decrease in worker deaths over the previous year, Mine Safety and Health Administration head Chris Williamson said during a recent conference call.




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NIOSH releases software for coal mine rescue assessment

Washington — A new software training module from NIOSH is intended to assist mine operators, miners and industry stakeholders with emergency decision-making during coal mine rescues.




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ASSA ABLOY Shares Important Considerations for Door Security Solutions in the Built Environment

As we look ahead to the coming year, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the learning moments of 2017 ― the areas where the security industry learned, grew and shifted thinking to better provide products and solutions for buildings of all types, across all industries.




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ASSA ABLOY Reaches New Sustainability Milestone




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Do Lighting and Security Go Together?<BR>Brighten Your Bottom Line with Lighting Control

Customers never have to come home to a dark house when the lighting is turned on by this wireless controller.Widely perceived as a residential crime deterrent, lighting is a natural




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Wireless Technology Helps Israel Nature & Parks Authority Monitor and Protect Vultures

The Israel Nature & Parks Authority (INPA) is using PowerG™ technology from Visonic Ltd., Tel-Aviv, Israel, a developer and manufacturer of wireless home security and safety systems and components, to enable research that will help protect the griffon vulture population in Israel.




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System Sensor Devices Are Part of Connecticut’s Largest Green Residential Development

360 State Street, New Haven, Conn. — the state’s greenest and largest residential development — is the first new major residential construction in New Haven in more than 15 years. 




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Siemens Earns LEED Certification at Maryland Branch Office

The Siemens Building Technologies Division’s Beltsville, Md. branch office was recently awarded LEED® for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EB: OM) certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).




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LEED-Certified Cooper Union Uses ASSA ABLOY Door Solution

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art’s academic facility at 41 Cooper Square in New York, attained LEED Platinum certification. ASSA ABLOY supplied door and hardware products.




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Lutron’s Washington, D.C. Experience Center Awarded LEED® Certification

Energy-saving light control manufacturer Lutron Electronics announced that its Washington, D.C. Commercial Experience Center was awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high-performing buildings.




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Nest Cams Bring Nature to People Around the World

Approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, the National Audubon Society’s Starr Ranch Sanctuary rolls across 4,000 acres. SoCal’s sprawling development is not far from the sanctuary borders, reminding everyone of the critical need to balance development with open spaces.