The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is joining other U.S. public health organizations in urging everyone to take their health into their hands by observing National Handwashing Awareness Week, Dec. 7-13.
An MMWR case study and post on the NIOSH Science blog by two men in the NIOSH Education and Information Division cite potential occupational hazards associated with 1-bromopropane (1-BP), which is used in dry cleaning and as a substitute for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons.
The agency clarifies that a cylinder that contains 20.9 percent oxygen and 79.1 percent nitrogen, which is essentially compressed air, presents no greater oxidation hazard than that of the atmospheric air already present in the workplace and would therefore not be considered an oxygen cylinder or an oxidizing compressed gas for the purposes of 29 CFR 1910.101.
GE, Air Liquide, and Eli Lilly are among the eight newcomers to sign on to the campaign organized by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The campaign aim to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses by focusing on risk assessment.
To help raise awareness regarding the seriousness of influenza and the importance of annual vaccination throughout the influenza season the Department of Health and Human Services, National Influenza Vaccine Summit, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners are conducting activities during the third annual National Influenza Vaccination Week, starting today and running through Dec. 14, 2008.
"Current economic conditions and recent legal challenges put the continuation of ACGIH®'s core mission and value at risk, namely the continued development" of both the key exposure guidelines from ACGIH, the Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety said in its announcement.
"Employees who were removing asbestos-containing materials at this site lacked basic safeguards that must be in place before performing such work," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
The U. S. metalcasting industry can point to a proud record on using renewable energy sources, focusing on environmental issues and steadily improving safety, according to a white paper developed by the American Foundry Society (AFS).
Board-certified toxicologist Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., will take over in January at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
But 17 percent of workers in the first-ever National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance survey said their employers do nothing to shield them from loud noise on the job, and 22 percent said nothing is done to dampen vibration of equipment or vehicles to which they are exposed.
Larry wakes up in the middle of the night with a prickly, tingling sensation in his hand. At first, he thinks nothing of it; maybe he slept in a bad position and his hand “went to sleep.”
Lindsay E. Booher, CIH, CSP, the association's president, notes the appointment "could be one of the most important appointments of the new administration."
Today carries more significance than Black Friday shopping, it is also is the first day to enjoy Thanksgiving Day leftovers. But first a word of caution. Whether you plan to enjoy a cold turkey sandwich or a slice of pumpkin pie be sure to take appropriate steps to keep foodborne bacteria at bay.
OSHA's next action on the rule, which several groups urged the agency to write back in 1999 and 2001, is the March 2009 completion of a peer review of health effects and risk assessment.
"OSHA relies on this committee to provide a real-world perspective to our work," said Thomas M. Stohler, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA.
Sediment-laden storm water was repeatedly observed discharging from the construction site to nearby Chaffins Brook, which is ranked as a "Class A" waterway by Massachusetts.
"Because exposure to high levels of nitrates causes a wide range of illnesses and environmental damage, communities need to know when these chemicals have been released," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems Division director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
Today is Public Health Thank You Day, a day to thank friends and colleagues working in public health for all they do.
While LEED and healthy building design were initially focused on commercial environments, there has been rapid growth extending to educational, healthcare and residential environments.
According to DOE studies, nearly 25 percent of industrial electricity demand comes from industrial motor systems, and energy savings of 20 percent or more are possible with systems optimization.