Industrial Hygiene


Registration Opens for OH&S Virtual Event 2010

This April 7, 2010, all-day event will allow attendees to access product information and whitepapers, chat in real time with exhibitors, seek and share advice with other attendees, and learn about important industry developments taking place this year.

Breaking germ-carrying habits

Old Habits Die Hard—It's Time to Form New Ones!

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that proper hand washing is the single most important action each of us can perform to help stop the spread of diseases.

This personal confined space gas monitor from RKI Instruments Inc., the GX-2009, weighs only 4.6 ounces.

Confined Space Considerations for the Small Employer

A common failure of these programs is doing nothing, because it is easy to put this topic off during a tough economy.

Manhole Covers Plant Cited for Combustible Dust, Electrical Hazards

Agency inspectors found that combustible particulate solids, which were generated during trimming and repair operations, were not collected into an adequately designed dust collection system, were allowed to accumulate on machinery and surfaces, and were not adequately cleaned up to prevent such buildup.

Congressman Markey

Climate Change Summit on Tap in Boston

Speakers including Congressman Edward Markey (pictured), EPA's Gina McCarthy, the National Grid's Thomas King, and others will discuss the future of the low-carbon economy in an all-day event Feb. 12 at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

OSHA to Hold Informal Meetings on Proposed Combustible Dust Standard

The agency is conducting the two meetings in Atlanta to make it easier for families of those who perished in the 2008 Imperial Sugar Co. explosion in Port Wentworth, Ga., to attend.

Fire Log Manufacturer Feels OSHA's Heat After Worker's Burning

"OSHA determined that this company is fully aware of the deficiencies it has in its safety program and what needs to be changed to provide safe work conditions for employees but hasn't acted to correct those deficiencies," said Roberto Sanchez, director of the agency's area office in Birmingham, Ala.

Electrocution Hazards Propel Fines Against NY Helicopter Plant

OSHA agents found workers were exposed to dangers from the company's failure to first de-energize live electrical parts before having employees work on them, resulting in the issuance of a willful citation.



Maintenance Worker's Death Leads to 128 Citations

"The significant fines of $683,000 cannot replace this worker's life or bring peace to the family, but they will go a long way in letting this employer know disregarding worker safety and health will not be tolerated," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.

HHA webinar

SGS Hosts Free Global Webinar on Detecting Hot Hydrogen Attack

Attendees will be presented with the different inspection methods for parent material as well as for welds and heat affected zones, along with advice on what to do if damage caused by HHA is found.

Fish Oil Producer Caught Failing to Report Sulfuric Acid Storage

In addition to paying a $13,166 penalty, the company agreed to provide more than $8,800 for training and equipment to the City of Hoquiam (Wash.) Fire Department to improve the department's capabilities in responding to hazardous materials emergencies.

ConocoPhillips Earns Kudos from OSHA

"This facility is not only the first oil and gas field operations for ConocoPhillips that has exceeded OSHA's VPP minimum standards, but the company has not had an OSHA recordable injury since 2005," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas, Texas.

U.S. Files Major Settlements with Portland Cement, Container Glass Plants

"[T]hese settlements call for tough new controls and innovative technologies to cut down on harmful air emissions that threaten the health of millions of Americans," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

ConAgra Slim Jim Plant Wreckage

CSB Public Meeting to Explore Fatal Blast at Slim Jim Plant

"This was a serious accident which claimed the lives of four workers, injured scores of others, and resulted in hundreds of job losses," said CSB Chairman John Bresland. "The goal of the CSB investigation is to recommend measures that will help prevent other devastating accidents during gas purging operations."

CITGO Facing $236K Fine Following 'Catastrophic' Chemical Release

The refinery "did not ensure adequate maintenance and oversight of its process safety equipment, exposing workers to the release of toxic chemicals and posing a danger to not only the company's employees but to the community, as well," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas.

OSHA Booklet Outlines Hexavalent Chromium Standards, Dangers

Requirements for exposure limits, exposure monitoring and determination, protective work clothing and equipment, medical surveillance, communication of hexavalent chromium hazards, and recordkeeping are described.

Women's Health Provider Settles Hazwaste Violations

The company offers in vitro diagnostic kits, and analyte-specific, general purpose, and research-use-only reagents for nucleic acid analysis. EPA said the company failed to obtain a hazardous waste storage license, among other things.

Needlesticks are one cause of Hepatitis C infections.

Hepatitis Awareness Campaign Recommended

An IOM committee's report outlines a national strategy for preventing and controlling Hepatitis B and C, calling them "important public health problems" and noting 5.3 million Americans have the diseases in chronic form. They are more common in this country than HIV/AIDS, but awareness is low.

3 Confined Space Deaths Lead to Fines

"Unfortunately, this incident was a classic example of a multiple-fatality event where would-be rescuers are themselves overcome in their attempt to save the initial victim," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

10 Vehicle Emissions Testers Indicted for 'Clean Scanning' Scam

The number of falsified emissions reports varied by defendant, with some defendants having falsified approximately 250 records, while others falsified more than double that number, for anywhere from $10 to $100 over and above the usual emissions testing fee, DOJ said.

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