ic

OSHA proposed heat rule ready for publication

Washington — OSHA has released a draft of its proposed rule on heat illness prevention.




ic

More research needed on leading indicators: report

Toronto – Leading indicators can be used to help prevent an incident, but little research exists on which ones are actually effective, concludes a new report from the Institute for Work & Health.




ic

FMCSA pulls carrier safety data from public website

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration no longer will publicly display most information involving motor carriers’ safety performances.




ic

BCSP to require CSP applicants to have bachelor’s degree

Indianapolis — Beginning July 2, anyone seeking the Certified Safety Professional designation must have a bachelor’s degree, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals announced April 2.




ic

‘2020 Economic Impact of the Safety Equipment Industry’: ISEA launches web tool

Arlington, VA — A new online tool provides a look at the economic and safety impacts of the safety equipment industry last year in the United States.




ic

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.”




ic

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.




ic

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.




ic

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.




ic

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.




ic

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. 




ic

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).




ic

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.




ic

Honeywell Pro-Watch Kit Deployed to Protect Federal Justice Complex in Mexico

Honeywell, Melville, N.Y.,announced that the Pro-Watch Integration Kit has been successfully deployed to protect the largest complex of the federal justice system in Mexico.




ic

Seattle Mariners Hit It 'Out of the Park' with Panasonic HIT® Double Solar Panels

Panasonic in partnership with the Seattle Mariners announced the installation of a solar panel system comprised of 168 Panasonic HIT® Double solar panels at Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners' home ballpark.




ic

Largest concentration of buildings on one campus to ever receive LEED Platinum certification

The Johnson Controls headquarters campus at Glendale, Wisconsin has the largest concentration of buildings on one campus to ever receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification.




ic

The Tallest LEED Certified Green Office Building in the United States

The tallest LEED certified green office building in the United States, the Comcast Center in Philadelphia, has more than 2,500 openings equipped with door and hardware products from ASSA ABLOY Group companies.




ic

Multi-Purpose Notification and Communications System Protects Workers and the Environment

When a large aerospace manufacturer acquired gas detectors to protect against hazardous leaks, it decided to leverage its Metis Secure Emergency Notification and Communications System.




ic

COVID-19 pandemic: Illinois publishes guidelines for temp workers

Springfield, IL — New guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health is intended to help staffing agencies and employers protect temporary workers from exposure to COVID-19.




ic

Shift workers more likely to have metabolic, sleep issues: study

Madison, WI – Shift workers may be more likely to be overweight, have sleep problems, and develop diabetes or other metabolic disorders, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.




ic

Despite opposition, medical resident work hours to increase

Chicago – Medical residents and fellows, including first-year residents, will be allowed to work for up to 28 consecutive hours without sleep as part of revised requirements recently approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.




ic

‘Time-restricted eating’ boosts health of firefighters and other shift workers: study

San Diego — Eating within set times while not skipping meals can reduce the cardiovascular health risks of firefighters and other shift workers, results of a recent study show.




ic

Unpredictable schedules adversely affect worker well-being: report

Lansing, MI — Service sector workers with irregular schedules often experience greater levels of stress and exhaustion, according to a recent report.




ic

Gene increases risk of developing Parkinson’s from pesticide exposure: study

Los Angeles – Pesticide exposure may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, and individual risk varies based on a person’s genetic makeup, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles.




ic

EPA proposes ‘commonsense’ changes to protect farmworkers from pesticides

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 20 proposed new safety measures intended to protect farmworkers from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure.




ic

Government undercounts agriculture injuries, study says

Sacramento, CA – Federal agency statistics vastly undercount the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the agricultural industry, according to a new study from the University of California Davis School of Medicine.




ic

New Mexico partners with Mexican Consulate to help Spanish-speaking workers

Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Occupational Health & Safety Bureau has teamed up with the Consulate of Mexico to provide the state’s Spanish-speaking employees with workplace safety training.




ic

EPA program targets pesticide drift

Washington – A new voluntary program from the Environmental Protection Agency aims to protect agricultural workers from pesticide drift.




ic

Worker safety bulletin aimed at preventing ‘Green Tobacco Sickness’

Washington – OSHA and NIOSH have published recommended practices to help tobacco workers and employers avoid a potentially deadly combination of illnesses.




ic

Pesticide exposure mainly affects agriculture workers: study

Cincinnati – Rates of occupational injury and illness from pesticides are much higher among agricultural workers than workers in other industries, according to NIOSH research.




ic

EPA issues second extension for comments on ‘restricted use’ pesticide rule

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency once again has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would create stronger standards for workers who handle “restricted use” pesticides.




ic

EPA launches online ‘dashboard’ on ag worker pesticide exposure

Washington – A new resource from the Environmental Protection Agency aims to help regulators and the public learn more about pesticide exposure incidents among agricultural workers.




ic

Farmworker advocates ask EPA for immediate ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos

Washington – United Farm Workers and several community health groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately suspend widespread use of chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide already acknowledged to pose poisoning risks to workers.




ic

New hazard alert targets confined space dangers of pesticide spray tanks

Olympia, WA — Pesticide spray tanks are considered confined spaces if they’re big enough to enter (through a manhole cover or access port) and occupy, and require a permit for full or partial entry, emphasizes a new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health.




ic

Three states sue EPA over delay on enhanced pesticide safety training

Albany, NY — Attorneys general from New York, California and Maryland have filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to indefinitely delay a requirement for employers to provide enhanced training intended to protect farmworkers, pesticide handlers and their families from exposure to pesticides.




ic

EPA to publish enhanced pesticide safety training materials, ending delay

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency on June 14 announced its intent to publish a Federal Register notice establishing the availability of expanded pesticide safety training materials, in accordance with 2015 revisions to the federal Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.




ic

Pesticide safety training materials: EPA announcement of availability will reduce worker injury, illness risk, OIG says

Washington — By publishing the availability of expanded pesticide safety training materials after previously resisting the move, the Environmental Protection Agency will reduce risks of injury and illness among employers, farmworkers, pesticide handlers and their families, the EPA Office of Inspector General asserts in an audit report released Aug. 30.




ic

Fear of employer retaliation leads immigrant seafarers to delay, avoid medical care: study

Houston — Filipino seafarers often delay or completely avoid medical care – despite their rights to it under maritime law – for fear of retaliation from employers, including potentially losing their jobs, results of a recent study show.




ic

Study of stone countertop workers ‘raises the alarm’ on silicosis risk

San Francisco — A recent study of stone fabricators in California who have been diagnosed with silicosis shows that virtually all of them were immigrant, Latino men.




ic

CSB to host public meeting on Chevron refinery report

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is scheduled to host a public meeting on April 19 in Richmond, CA, to present interim findings and safety recommendations from the investigation of the hydrocarbon release and fire at a Chevron refinery.




ic

CSB recommends stricter regulations for California refineries

Washington – California should strengthen its process safety management regulations for refineries, the Chemical Safety Board stated in a final report on a fire at a Chevron refinery in 2012.




ic

OSHA delays enforcement of new PSM policy; lawmakers call for formal rulemaking

Washington – OSHA will delay enforcing a new interpretation of its Process Safety Management Standard, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to call for the agency to withdraw that interpretation.




ic

California bill on cosmetic-label ingredient listings aimed at protecting salon workers

Sacramento, CA – California could become the first state to require professional cosmetics manufacturers to list ingredients – including hazardous chemicals – on their product labels.




ic

Many customer service workers turn to ‘retail therapy’ to cope with rude callers: study

East Lansing, MI – Do you find shopping therapeutic after a tense day at work? It may be rooted to your occupation. Service workers who are verbally abused by customers are more likely to indulge in stress-related shopping sprees, according to a recent study from Michigan State University.




ic

NIOSH issues research agendas for wholesale and retail trade sector, traumatic injury prevention

Washington — NIOSH has published its National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade, as well as its NORA for Traumatic Injury Prevention – both intended to spotlight the research, information and actions most needed to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.




ic

Receipt-handling may boost cashiers’ exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals: study

Toronto — Handling receipts may boost cashiers’ exposure to bisphenol A and bisphenol S – two chemicals with possible links to cancer and other adverse health effects – results of a recent study from Canadian advocacy group Environmental Defense shows.




ic

COVID-19 pandemic: Retail workers focus of new OSHA alert

Washington — In an effort to protect retail employees from exposure to COVID-19, OSHA has issued a safety alert.




ic

COVID-19 pandemic: OSHA issues guidance for retail pharmacy workers

Washington — To help protect retail pharmacy workers from exposure to COVID-19, OSHA has issued a safety alert.




ic

COVID-19 pandemic: OSHA issues guidance for stockroom, loading dock workers

Washington — A new OSHA safety alert lists measures employers should take to protect stockroom and loading dock workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.




ic

COVID-19 pandemic: CDC releases guidance for nail salon workers

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published guidance to help nail salon employers protect their workers from exposure to COVID-19.