The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is currently evaluating its policies and regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure workers are safe when using new chemicals. EPA identified several instances where the agency could align its approach more with statutory requirements and Biden administration executive orders for making determinations and […]
A company has signed a settlement agreement – including a $225,000 payment – with OSHA after a worker suffered partial amputation of his leg. Red River Commodities, a North Dakota seed production company, signed the agreement after an investigation into how an employee’s leg was caught in an operating grain bin auger on Aug. 20, 2020. OSHA […]
Boeing’s Mesa facility is where the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter is assembled and tested. The Apache’s environmental control system (ECS) is meant to keep the aircraft’s cabin and electronics cool, but its four exhaust outlets run fast and are very loud, with high pitched noise levels ranging from 84 to 104 dBA while work is […]
With the extreme cold and number of power outages across the nation, now is a good time to remind workers about the dangers of using fuel-burning generators without sufficient ventilation. Every year, workers die from CO poisoning, usually while using fuel-burning equipment, tools, compressors and pumps, gas-powered forklifts and other devices in buildings or semi-enclosed […]
OSHA issued a proposed rule on Feb. 5 updating the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the seventh revision of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The proposed rule is meant to increase worker protections and reduce chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries by improving information provided on labels and in […]
Safety professionals know about procedures – you eat, breathe and probably dream about them – but as English poet Geoffrey Chaucer once said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” In other words, a person can get so caught up in procedures that they overlook an important component or aspect of that procedure, which could eventually lead to trouble. […]
An OSHA citation against Walmart involving a warehouse employee struck by falling product was vacated by the Occupational Safety and Health Commission because of a misinterpretation of the definition of “tier.” The citation – which was for failing to safely block product stacked in tiers – was initially upheld by an administrative law judge, but […]
Just one week before the holiday, the CDC recommended the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is with the people in your household. In case you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, we’re also highlighting a cooking safety hazard, courtesy of William Shatner. More than one million COVID-19 cases were reported in the […]
A meter reader who claimed a job-related dog bite caused severe “dog phobia” had a “bark bigger than her bite,” according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Linda Jordan was working when a dog viciously bit her right forearm, which she said was so traumatic she fainted at the sight of dogs […]
