Hazardous Materials Managers News

"Fatal Fashion," a report from Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), describes the fires that ravaged garment plants in Pakistan and Bangladesh. “Hundreds of workers were killed in horrendous circumstances, and many others were severely injured,” the groups say. “Substandard buildings, poor emergency procedures, blocked fire exits,

A study published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that mobile device use while driving is more common among drivers in the U.S. compared to drivers in Europe. European countries included Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the U.K. Drivers aged 18 to 64 were surveyed and the overall results show that about one in three drivers in the U.S. read or

President Obama has nominated Thomas E. Perez to be the next secretary of labor. If confirmed, he would replace Hilda Solis who resigned in January. Perez currently is a U.S. assistant attorney general heading the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

In making the nomination, Obama said Perez is proof that "you can make it if you try." "Like so many Americans, Tom knows what it’s like to

     The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) encourages parents, grandparents and caregivers to learn the dangers of poisonings and how to keep children safe.

“About half of all poison exposures reported to poison centers involve children younger than 6, most often occurring when parents are busy preparing meals, caring for other children, or completing everyday

DOT’s booklet, A Parent’s Guide to Playing It Safe With Kids & Cars, provides information about current vehicle safety features, car seats and how to keep kids safe in and around vehicles. The booklet includes a list of vehicle makes and models and their safety features, along with illustrations of safety features. A guideline for choosing a proper car seat, an evaluation of car seat features

The Conference Board is hosting a webcast, “Journey
to World-Class Safety,” April 24, at 3:00 p.m. EST, sponsored by that
group’s Chief EH&S Officers’ Council. Based on a survey conducted last fall
with follow-up input from council members, the webcast will provide relevant
information on how top-tier EHS programs are managed, and how to identify
challenges to reaching and staying in the top tier

In his article “Total Performance Safety” from the latest issue of the Mining Practice Specialty’s publication Inside Global Mining, Randy DeVaul maintains that safety programs that begin with great intentions often turn into a paper-tracking nightmare or the documentation becomes the ends to the means.

To ensure that a product or service is delivered on time and that employees do their assigned

NTSB has issued a series of general aviation safety alerts
that address the most frequent types of general aviation incidents. According
to the agency, each year, about 475 pilots and passengers are killed and
hundreds more are seriously injured in general aviation incidents in the U.S., putting
general aviation on NTSB’s
most wanted list.

The agency says that in many of the 1,500 incidents

Access Industry Forum (AIF) has added five videos to its Video Toolbox Talks (VTT) series, focusing on work at height equipment. You can view the short 10-minute VTTs here. The videos include an online test to ensure that viewers have understood their content–and as a “pass” can be printed when they are successfully completed. Topics covered are planning an emergency rescue using mobile

The Occupational Health
Internship Program (OHIP) is a NIOSH-funded national summer internship
program designed to help students learn more about the occupational safety and
health (OSH) field. Through this field-based learning experience, students work
with labor unions and community-based organizations on OSH issues. Interns have
the opportunity to interview and observe workers to better

U.S. Department of Labor celebrated its 100th anniversary on March 4, 2013. To commemorate the milestone, it’s produced a website that provides various information and a historical timeline of the past 100 years. The historical information includes a centennial video, archived resources, news articles and images. The site also includes a section on present information, which includes current

During the Industrial Revolution, the Cuyahoga River in northeast Ohio became a dumping ground for waste materials and debris created by factories, steel mills and other businesses located along its banks. Over the years, the river also became polluted with oils and industrial byproducts until it eventually caught fire in 1969.According to Mark J. Kovasity, author of “The Cuyahoga River Fire”

Michael English, 12, Bel Air, GA.  NAOSH 2013  "Safety on the Job" Poster Contest Winner

Winners of the 11th annual ASSE “Safety on the Job” Poster Contest have been selected. Winning posters were chosen based on how well each child expressed express safety on the job. The five first-place winners are:

• Age 5-6 group: Bo Brooks, 5, Rome, GA;
• Age 7-8 group: Celine Vo, 8, Riverdale

ANSI has announced its Call for Nominations for its 2013 Leadership and Service Awards. The awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to voluntary consensus standardization and conformity assessment programs. Also, the agency is looking for nominees who have demonstrated a commitment to their industry, nation and enhancement of the global standards system.

Nominations

Seventy percent of agricultural fatalities are machine-related, according to the Canada Safety Council. The National Farm Safety Week, March 14-20, aims to raise awareness, provide recommendations and encourage all farming families, workers, and visitors to recognize the need for safety around vehicles and machinery on the farm.

Statistics show that Agriculture is the fourth most

A special meeting for the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) has been scheduled for March 18, 2013. OSHA reports, "ACCSH will consider a proposed rule to update OSHA’s standard on accident prevention signs and tags in construction." In addition, the committee will consider proposed amendments to OSHA’s cranes and derricks standards. The meeting will be open to the public

A report from Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) shows a dramatic increase in deaths of teen drivers for the first half of 2012, based on preliminary data. During that period, deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers increased by 19% from 202 to 240.

According to the report, deaths of 16-year-old drivers increased from 86 to 107 (24%), while the number for 17-year-old drivers went

EPA has released its 2012 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) information. The agency reports that the CDR information covers more than 7,600 chemicals. In addition to evaluating chemical exposure information, "The CDR data also highlight the clear need for Toxic Substances Control Act reform," says former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "Updating this critical law will ensure that EPA has access to

ASSE’s Prevention Through Design (PTD) Virtual Symposium is scheduled for Feb. 20-21, 2013. The virtual event has many learning objectives, all which aim to provide the knowledge for participants to start using PTD within their own organization. Learning objectives include identifying methods for aligning a risk assessment process to a PTD process; how to avoid common mistakes within a PTD

A study by Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS) reveals gaps and a lack of transparency in occupational health and safety (OHS) sustainability reporting among organizations rated highly for sustainability performance. The study, “Current Practices in Occupational Health and Safety Sustainability Reporting,” also raises concerns about ranking methodology, as some corporations

Crown Mats and Matting, now celebrating its 70th year of manufacturing mats in the U.S., would like to share its “Ten Terms Everyone Should Know about Mats.”

These terms refer to different types of mats used in commercial facilities and, according to Business Development Head JoAnne Boston, are often misunderstood by both cleaning professionals and facility managers.

1.    High-Performance:

Entries for ASSE’s 11th Annual Safety-on-the-Job kids’ poster contest are due today.

Children ages 5 to 14 are invited to submit their poster that best represents the importance of staying safe at work. Prizes are awarded for first through fourth place in each age group; first-place posters will be featured on the official NAOSH Week 2013 poster and on ASSE’s website.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) released a technical evaluation report on piping samples taken from the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California, where a hydrocarbon release and massive fire occurred on August 6, 2012.

                                                
The report, performed by

National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is calling on the Obama Administration to push through the long-delayed standard on occupational exposure to crystalline silica. The rule has been languishing in the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for two years.“American workers cannot afford to wait for the federal government to enact this

Predictive Solutions Corporation, an Industrial Scientific company, has released a new white paper entitled, “Nate Silver, Billy Beane, and Alex Trebek: Making the Case for Predictive Analytics in Workplace Safety,” as a resource for those looking to learn how leading safety professionals are making the case to employ predictive models in their workplace safety program.

The paper discloses

BCSP is accepting nominations for its 2013 Awards of Excellence, which will be presented during Safety 2013 in Las Vegas, NV. The awards recognize CHSTs, OHSTs and CSPs who are at the top of their profession and best represent leadership, expertise and a commitment to advancing the SH&E profession. Nominations are due Feb. 28, 2013.

ANSI’s 2013 Student Paper Competition is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and critical thinking skills concerning standards. This year’s theme is "Standards and Emerging Technology Decisions: What Role Do Standards Play in Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity?" Students should provide specific examples of how standards have been or could have been effectively used

In his article, “Safety & Small Business,” from the latest issue of the Management Practice Specialty’s online technical publication The Compass, Herb Maxey maintains that most small business owners want to have a safe workplace but do not know how nor do they feel that they have the time or resources to develop a legal and comprehensive safety program.

He says that before safety professionals

What was your favorite Professional Safety article that was published in 2012? Vote in the Professional Safety Readers’ Choice poll and voice your opinion.

It’s a chance for you to be the judge. Results will be announced in March 2013, so vote today.

Doors are more dangerous than you might think. According to 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, in the private sector, 120 door accidents occurred that required amputations; 410 were categorized as multiple traumatic injuries and disorders; 870 door collisions caused soreness and pain, including 100 that resulted in back injuries; and 1,250 other types of injuries occurred.

Tommy D. Raye’s

ASSE has published eight new textbooks for college and university students. Edited by Joel M. Haight, Ph.D., P.E., these peer-reviewed texts were written by SH&E professionals and intended as primary texts for core SH&E undergraduate courses.

Developed from The Safety Professional’s Handbook, Second Edition, the textbooks were developed based on a survey of the publication’s authors who are

According to OSHA, each year workers die from carbon monoxide poisoning. OSHA is reminding employers that they need to protect workers from the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure. The agency’s Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet provides tips and resources to help employers take precautions. To reduce risk, employers should install an effective ventilation system, try to not use fuel-burning equipment in

Eight leaders of national and multinational organizations,
representing a range of industries, have been recognized for their dedication
to safety excellence by National Safety Council (NSC). CEOs Who “Get It” is
NSC’s annual recognition of business leaders who demonstrate world-class
safety. According to NSC, each of these leaders understand that safety is not
only the right thing to do, but

A new Canadian standard has been released that is designed
to help companies and employees improve workplace psychological health and
safety. The voluntary standard, “Psychological Health and Safety in the
Workplace – Prevention, Promotion and Guidance to Staged Implementation,”
focuses on promoting employees’ psychological health and preventing
psychological harm due to workplace factors. The

OSHA has made revisions to its standard 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories. The agency says the changes highlight significant developments in laboratory practices. Key revisions include guidance for designing a hygiene plan for laboratories using hazardous chemicals. This addresses hazards of working alone in laboratories; guidelines for working safely

A recent post on NPR’s Planet Money: The Economy Explained blog features an infographic on the deadliest jobs in America. The post also presents some interesting facts and stats about those occupations. Be sure to give it a look.

Results from a recent survey show new trends and shifting
attitudes among mining executives. The study identified worker safety and
managing capital projects as the highest priorities of today’s mining
executives, followed closely by maximizing production effectiveness.

Ventyx, an ABB company,
completed its annual Mining Executive Insights
survey in late 2012. According to the firm, the survey

With the dangers of the current flu season, Kimberly-Clark Professional is
reminding people of precautions they can take in addition to vaccinations to
protect themselves against getting sick.

Kelly Arehart, global innovation manager for The Healthy Workplace Project,
Kimberly-Clark Professional, offers these flu-prevention tips:

Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Viruses on

ASTM
Standards for Accident and Disaster Control, a compilation from ASTM
International, is now available on CD-ROM. The compilation includes 185
standards for accident and emergency management from ASTM Committees E54 on
Homeland Security; F12 on Security Systems; F32 on Search and Rescue; and F30
on Emergency Medical Services. Topics include:

management and operations;
decontamination;

ASSE’s India Chapter continues to grow since its launch nearly a year ago. Click here to read an interview with ASSE President Rick Pollock and ASSE members Jitu Patel, R. Bharadwaj, R. Karuppasamy and M. Vijay Kumar from the latest issue of World Focus, the International Practice Specialty’s online publication. These members were all involved in the India Chapter’s development and launch. Read