Industrial Hygiene


Cast Iron Manufacturer Pays $4 Million to Resolve 400+ Violations in 14 States

According to DOJ and EPA, the company, which makes pipes, valves, fittings, fire hydrants, propane and compressed air tanks, and other similar products, emits pollutants such as particulate matter, VOCs, and mercury as a result of its manufacturing processes at various facilities.

OSHA Slams Patio Door Maker

The agency issued a willful violation for the Dallas company's failure to institute an effective hearing conservation program, plus 10 serious violations for failing to protect workers from being struck by flying objects, the unexpected release of energy while servicing and maintaining equipment, and exposure to blood and hazardous chemicals, among other charges.

A new report predicts a global market for service bots will reach $38.42 billion within five years.

Report Predicts Rise of the Machines, Especially in Service Industries

Shortages and the exorbitantly high cost of labor for risky jobs such as mining, skyscraper construction, and rescue operations, among others, present a perfect opportunity for service robots to replace human personnel, says the report, which estimates a global bot market of $38.42 billion by 2015.

Appendix A lists 136 chemicals, including formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, and methyl isocyanate.

OSHA Extends PSM National Emphasis Program

Effective July 8, a new directive extends to Sept. 30 a yearlong NEP. It specifies programmed inspections in three regions and unprogrammed ones in the other seven OSHA regions.

A new safety rule for large-scale egg producers went into effect July 9.

New Egg Safety Rule Goes Into Effect

Implementing the preventive measures will reduce the number of Salmonella Enteritidis infections from eggs by nearly 60 percent, FDA says.

H2S Death in Texas Prompts Fine

$152,100 in penalties were filed against Enbridge G&P (East Texas) LP, along with two alleged willful and five alleged serious violations, in connection with the death of Nalvester Maxie.

OSHA is soliciting applications for $2.75 million in Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grants.

$2.75 Million in Susan Harwood Training Grants Up for Grabs

For fiscal year 2010, the program offers 28 targeted topic areas including crane safety, combustible dust, maritime, oil and gas, and eye safety.

NACCHO Executive Director Robert M. Pestronk said the job losses at local health epartments "make life riskier."

Public Health Spotlight: Job Losses, New Accreditation

The National Association of County & City Health Officials holds its annual meeting next week in Memphis with officials worried about 23,000 jobs lost thus far at local health departments nationwide.



Imperial Sugar has settled litigation stemming from the 2008 explosion at its Georgia plant in which 14 people died.

Imperial Sugar Settles with OSHA, Agrees to Pay $6.05 Million

As part of the settlement, the company agrees that it has corrected all deficiencies at both of its plants or will correct those deficiencies according to a set schedule. Originally, OSHA fined the company $8.8 million following the 2008 explosion that took 14 lives and seriously injured dozens of others at its plant in Port Wentworth, Ga.

Workshop to Investigate Impacts of Indoor Air Contaminants, Lead Paint

The half-day event will focus specifically on damage to building contents that can result from airborne contaminants and the ramifications to contractors of EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule.

Manufacturing Firm Fined $118,750 for Hexavalent Chromium, Other Hazards

The GISHD inspection identified numerous violations of the following MIOSHA standards: hexavalent chromium, dipping and coating operations, asbestos, formaldehyde, and noise. The most serious violations involved employee overexposures to highly hazardous air contaminants.

DOL Doles $27M to Oil Spill States

The funds are being granted to workforce agencies in the four Gulf Coast states experiencing economic hardship as a result of wage decline and job loss in the shrimping, fishing, hospitality, and tourism industries.

EPA Takes Wind Out of Texas' Air Permit Program, Steams Governor

The agency determined the state's 16-year-old plan allows companies to avoid certain federal clean air requirements by lumping emissions from multiple units under a single "cap" rather than setting specific emission limits for individual pollution sources at their plants.

Enzi Calls for NIOSH Accounting of 9/11 Payments

The ranking member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee said he wants to know how $475 million given to medical providers was spent.

The Hazmat Suicides

When you see a person down in a car, not breathing, your first instinct is to get him or her out of there. That instinct can prove deadly if followed, especially by someone who doesn't know how to protect himself.

Strategic Value for the Health & Safety Industry

The IT/MIS model has more to do with configuration management and much less with the job at hand, with little thought given to people in the field.

This photo from the Kleen Energy site is on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board page about its investigation of the explosion.

CSB Wants OSHA, NFPA to Act on Gas Purging

A 4-1 vote Monday night at a public meeting of the board in Portland, Conn., adopted 18 urgent recommendations, including prohibiting the practices that resulted in the explosion at Kleen Energy's plant.

New BOHS Website Debuts

The biggest society of occupational hygienists in Europe now offers a news scroller and more resources online.

Reviewers Needed for Updated Submersible Pump Tests Standard

The revision currently on the drafting board represents a major departure from all previous pump test standards, according to the Hydraulic Institute, because it requires that the submersible pump be guaranteed and tested as a complete unit.

Beef Plant Faces Fines for Repeat Amputation, Serious Ammonia Release Hazards

An inspection found that machine guarding was inadequate for dumpers or packing machines and that, in general, mechanical integrity throughout the plant’s refrigeration system was not sufficient to prevent equipment malfunctions.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars