Hazardous Materials Managers News

MSHA has announced it will publish a pattern of violations final rule that aims to strengthen safety in the most dangerous U.S. mines. The agency reports the final rule "will ensure that mine operators monitor and address the most hazardous safety problems in their mines." In addition, it strengthens the agency’s ability to respond to dangerous mines and improve the safety and health for miners.

The World Health Organization has approved a new
international convention that will reduce the harmful health effects of
mercury, a chemical known to travel long distances in the
atmosphere and accumulate in fish ecosystems. Mercury is significantly detrimental to
human health and may cause permanent damage
to the nervous system, particularly the developing nervous system. Infants, children and

Many employers now recognize that safety management not only prevents accidents, but also improves business, says OSHA Chief David Michaels in an interview with Bloomberg BNA. "In fact, well-managed, profitable companies manage for safety,” he adds.

Despite this promising news, there are still many companies who don’t give priority to safety and health. “There are many, many other employers who

Geoffrey Peckham’s article, “Applied Semiotics: Communicating Silica Hazards Using New Best Practice Safety Sign Standards,” from the latest issue of the Construction Practice Specialty’s publication Blueprints, explains how industry-wide use of ANSI Z535.2-2011 principles can provide the construction industry with a standardized means to communicate silica hazards.Many common construction

During the winter months, when outdoor temperatures are cooler, the reduction in relative humidity due to heating the air to a comfortable working temperature is much greater than during the summer. Therefore, the trend is for static problems to become much more of a problem during the winter, especially in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Alan P. McCartney’s article, “Static

ASSE’s revised A10.32-2012 standard is available. Revisions to ANSI/ASSE A10.32, Personal Fall Protection for Use in Construction and Demolition Operations provide guidelines for all protection equipment, establish performance criteria for such equipment in construction and demolition, and provide recommendations for use and inspection. A10 Committee Chair Richard King says, "The revisions will

OSHA and MSHA have issued a hazard alert on workplace exposure to diesel engine exhaust particulate matter for construction and mining workers, and for those who work close to diesel engine-powered machinery. Short-term exposure can cause headaches, dizziness and irritation to eyes, nose and throat. Long-term exposure can increase risk of heart and lung diseases, as well as lung cancer.

To

A new study has found flu shots show no increased risk of pregnancy loss. In fact, it suggests that influenza during pregnancy has an increased risk of miscarriages and still births. Scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) tested Norwegian pregnant women following the H1N1 influenza pandemic that took place between

CSB will hold a webcast on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, of its public meeting concerning the final report into the fatal 2011 explosion and fire that occurred at a facility used by Donaldson Enterprises near Honolulu, HI. According the the agency, the explosion and fire took place during the disposal of professional grade fireworks that had been illegally labeled for consumer use.

CSB Chair Rafael

To help facility owners and managers better control their water usage, EPA has released an online guide titled WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities. The guide features seven case studies about facilities who have demonstrated water savings, as well as tips and resources to help reduce water use, meet energy requirements, and reduce operating

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing that electric and hybrid vehicles must meet minimum sound standards to ensure pedestrian safety. According to NHTSA, the sounds would need to be detectable under various street noises and other background sounds when the vehicle is traveling under 18 mph.

"Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design

In his article, “A Hero at Work,” from the latest issue of the Management Practice Specialty’s publication The Compass, Mitch McCrimmon asserts that heroes can be their own worst enemy in the workplace. While heroes might excel at devising solutions or might enjoy the attention this brings, they often fail to foster dialogue, collaboration and joint ownership of decisions.McCrimmon believes the

Workplace injury statistics show that the most common type of forklift-related injury is pedestrians being struck by a forklift, according to an article on InjuryFree.com. This can result in very serious and sometimes fatal injuries. Since forklift certification is not renewed annually, it’s easy for drivers to get overly complacent behind the wheel and forget the safety guidelines. For a

The latest issue of the Journal of Safety, Health & Environmental Research (JSHER) has been published (z-mag; PDF).This issue includes:

An editorial by Qingsheng Wang on fire and process safety
QSPR Studies Using Genetic Function Approximation to Predict the Chemical Reactivity of Noncyclic Hydrazines by Carlos A. Espindola-Calderon, Suhani J. Patel, Ammar Alkhawaldeh, Yuan Lu and M. Sam Mannan

ASTM International has launched its Leadership Connection initiative to help promote the professional development opportunities resulting from involvement in standards development activities. The Leadership Connection site provides resources such as:

reference articles outlining strategies for succeeding as a standards professional;
best practices guidance for technical committee officers on

ASSE’s Safety Issues in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector virtual symposium is scheduled for Jan. 9-10, 2013. Interested participants can still register online. The 2-day event, sponsored by Cintas, will be presented in ASSE’s webinar platform, with opportunities to network and earn 1.6 CEUs, as well as receive supplement learning materials, which include two prerecorded sessions concerning the oil

Two new proposed food safety rules from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focus on foodborne illness prevention and product safety. According to FDA, one rule would require food producers who are planning that the food be sold in the U.S., to develop a formal plan for preventing the food products from causing foodborne illness. The second proposed rule suggests "enforceable safety

International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 2011 Survey of Management System Standards Certification is available for download through its website. ISO’s Rob Steele says that the survey results show increases in certification for information security, energy management, environmental management, and within the areas of food safety, medical devices and automotive. Steele adds, "The

January 2013 is National Radon Action Month and agencies are urging the public to test their houses, regardless of geographic location or foundation type, as EPA reports that radon problems have been detected in almost every county in the U.S. In addition, CDC reports that radon gas causes more than 20,000 deaths in the U.S. per year. Visit the National Radon Action Month website to learn how you

NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration are reminding the public that home fires tend to happen more during the winter months than any other season because of an increase in heating fires and cooking. The agencies provide helpful tips and resources to help "put a freeze on winter fires." Resources include a family heating safety checklist, a community outreach kit and public service announcements

A health information technology safety plan released by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is open for public comment until Feb. 4, 2013. The Health IT Patient Safety Action and Surveillance Plan outlines the agency’s commitment to patient safety and how health information technology can help eliminate medical errors, protect patients, improve care quality and increase efficiency within

ASSE Foundation is happy to announce its Next Generation Board, a collaboration between the Foundation Board of Trustees and young ASSE members looking to support the profession while advancing their own careers. The Foundation is seeking members between the ages of 23 and 35 who are currently in the workforce and have at least 2 years of work experience in occupational health and safety (

E-fact 47, EU-OSHA’s online informative sheet on health promotion in the road transport sector, is now available online in 24 languages. According to EU-OSHA, there are many migrant workers in this sector, so translated information sheets are essential to provide important information on worker safety and health. The sheet discusses being healthy at work, at home and in between the two.

The International Council on
Mining and Metals (ICMM) has published the presentations from the ICMM2012 Health and Safety Conference, held last fall in Santiago, Chile. More
than 300 SH&E experts, and mining and metals executives attended the
conference, which featured 60 speakers discussing topics such as leadership,
worker health programs, community health management, safety in operations and

OSHA has scheduled a few informal meetings to gather comments on preventing fatalities and injuries from vehicle backovers. OSHA says the purpose of these meetings is to collect information from various industries on such incidents and determine how or if backovers can be prevented by new technology or additional methods. Meetings will be held on Jan. 8-9, 2013, in Washington, D.C., and Feb. 5,

The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA) has partnered with University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to offer the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Excellence in Safety Certificate Program at UAB. The online program allows full-time workers in the safety field to learn the fundamentals of safety best practices and earn the specialized certificate. The program will be

As hybrid and electric vehicles become more prevalent, emergency responders need to be aware of the proper procedures for responding to crashes and emergency situations that involve vehicles equipped with high voltage electrical systems. SAE International has published a standard to address this concern. The standard, J2990-Hybrid and EV First and Second Responder Recommended Practice, recommends

OSHA has announced that enforcement of tits residential roofing fall prevention standard has been delayed until March 16, 2013. The agency reports the 3-month extension will give officials more time to educate employers on compliance with the new rule. OSHA also reports these officials will keep inspecting residential construction sites that are using the 2010 compliance directive.

If you live or work in an urban area, you’ve probably seen a bike lane. In six major U.S. cities, the standard bike lane, with its white paint outline, is getting a makeover, thanks to the Green Lane Project, a program launched by the Bikes Belong Foundation. The improved space, called a "green lane," adds physical separation between moving cars and bikes, such as a curb, parked cars or plastic

The U.K. Ladder Association’s Idiots on Ladders campaign has a winner. Selected by the public via Facebook, the photo (right) shows a worker reaching up to the top of a chimney with a gaping fall directly below him. "Not only could the fall have killed him, but one commenter pointed out that his ladder still did not reach high enough to keep him from stretching upwards," the association

Safety 2013, ASSE’s premier professional development conference and exposition, is open for registration. Scheduled for June 24-27, in Las Vegas, NV, this year’s event features 245 sessions covering 25 topic tracks, roundtable discussions, the Executive Summit Panel, an exposition with more than 350 exhibitors and much more. Visit the site for early registration and for more information.

In a joint letter to Senator Tom Harkin, ASSE, AIHA and National Safety Council expressed the urgency for continued support in the funding of OSHA and NIOSH to prevent worker injuries and illnesses. The agencies expressed concern that if funds are reduced, efforts to protect workers will be jeopardized. A recent press release states that the funding will help prevent proposed efforts to eliminate

The safest fleet vehicles have written policies that restrict the use of mobile devices and check mobile phone records after all collisions regardless of severity, according to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety 2012 fleet safety benchmark study. The study Strength in Numbers, which involved a collective fleet of 521,000 vehicles and 9.8 billion miles traveled, also found

As cleanup efforts for Hurricane Sandy are still underway, OSHA has issued a fact sheet that provides guidance as to what PPE to use in what hazardous situation. The "Hurricane Sandy Cleanup PPE Matrix" lists potential hazards that workers may encounter and also provides the appropriate PPE workers should wear to best protect themselves. "All PPE has limitations and is the control method of last

A proposed policy from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would allow OSHA to enforce occupational safety and health standards that are currently not covered by FAA oversight. "Under this proposal, flight attendants would, for the first time, be able to report workplace injury and illness complaints to OSHA for response and investigation," says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Winter is looming which means icy roads, snowfall and more commuters. Motorists should take extra precaution when driving by slowing down when roads are icy or snowy, allowing extra travel time and keeping distance from other vehicles. Follow these tips to stay safe on the road this winter season:

Pack a winter travel safety kit. Kit should include an ice scraper and brush, a tow rope, cat

Construction injuries and fatalities cost California residents $2.9 billion from 2008-10, a new Public Citizen report states. “The Price of Inaction: A Comprehensive Look at the Costs of Injuries and Fatalities in California’s Construction Industry” reports that in the 3-year time frame, there were 50,700 ccupational injuries and illnesses in the construction industry and 168 deaths.

In the midst of holiday season, families may find their refrigerators and kitchens packed full with food,   some fresh and some leftover. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urges the public to be aware of food safety and offers tips to help prevent food-borne illnesses. The FDA website lists helpful tips for refrigerator strategies, keeping food at the proper temperature, types of

Recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research shows that seat belt use in the U.S. reached 86% in 2012. The agency reports this is an all-time high, which has been increasing since 1994. NHTSA also reports that the southern region has shown the most dramatic increases in seat belt use, rising to 85% in 2012 from 80% in 2011. In addition, the agency says that seat belt use

As part of its Clean Cities initiative, U.S. Department of Energy has added 20 projects to help U.S. cities improve fuel efficiency of vehicles, which may help communities reduce fuel costs and protect the environment. The projects include transforming community infrastructures, providing safety training for fleet operators and helping fleets incorporate petroleum reduction strategies into