Industrial Hygiene News
Q&A with Future Leader in EHS Runner Up Mary Ellen L. Hicks
She's an exemplary EHS graduate student at the University of Michigan. She's looking forward to starting her career as an industrial hygienist in May. She even runs marathons. She's Mary Ellen L. Hicks, the 2011 Future Leaders in EHS runner up. In this special Q&A, EHS Today asked Hicks eight questions about her studies, her experience and her views on EHS ...
At-Home Safety: January Is National Radon Action Month
You can't see it. You can't smell it. But it can still kill you. Every year in the United States, about 21,000 people die from radon-related lung cancer. To combat this silent threat, EPA is promoting January as National Radon Action Month to raise awareness and educate communities about radon risks and mitigation...
AIHA Launches New Consumer Web Site
Industrial hygiene is not related to dental hygiene, or personal hygiene, but if you ask the average person what it is, those might be the answers you receive. In an effort to educate the general public about the practice of industrial hygiene and its importance in the workplace, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) recently launched a new consumer-focused Web site, allowing the general public to access resources and information about industrial hygiene and related fields....
Miami, Fla., Contractor Cited by OSHA following Carbon Monoxide Incident
General contractor Trans Florida Development Corp. of Miami has been cited by OSHA for one willful health and one serious safety violation following an incident that occurred in June at a work site at Ocean Drive and First Street, where workers were installing a new drain system. A worker using a powered saw to cut a hole in a storm drain box was overexposed to carbon monoxide from the saw and had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. OSHA’s proposed penalties total $66,990...
Jeffrey R. Walls Named 2011 Future Leader in EHS
A judging panel of representatives from EHS Today, PureSafety and EHS Today's editorial board sifted through a stack of scholarship applications submitted by a host of bright, ambitious students pursuing degrees in EHS-related fields. Many qualified students tossed their hats into the ring, but in the end, one winner emerged to claim the prize: Jeffrey R. Walls....
AIHA to GAO: Let Us Help You With OSHA Investigations
In a Sept. 30 letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) President Elizabeth L. Pullen, CIH, offers AIHA’s expertise and assistance as GAO considers investigations to assess OSHA’s effectiveness...
Web Exclusive Feature: 5 Essential Baghouse Maintenance Safety Precautions
Regular maintenance is required to keep your baghouse dust collector operating efficiently. But just like any other maintenance involving industrial equipment and machinery, baghouse maintenance can pose hazards for personnel. Workers who regularly change out filter bags or perform inspections, repairs and other routine procedures must follow the correct safety procedures to remain safe...
NIOSH Seeks Comment on Diacetyl Document
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) seeks public comment on a draft document concerning occupational exposure limits and control recommendations for the food flavorings diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione...
Best Practices for Use of Portable Gas Monitors in Confined Spaces
In the confined work spaces found in chemical plants, paper mills, refineries, underground mines and utility passageways, the air may be contaminated with toxic or combustible gases or suffer from a lack of oxygen. Regulations call for the monitoring of these environments...
Occupational Asthma in the U.S. Workplace
Occupational asthma is an issue in some workplaces, but there are things employers can do to improve indoor air quality...
Public Citizen: OSHA Must Take Swift Action on Beryllium Exposure Limit
The nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen regards OSHA’s slow progress on addressing occupational exposure to beryllium as “unacceptable” and calls for swifter action to protect workers from this health hazard...
NHCA Offers New Guidelines to Determine Hearing Loss Recordability
New guidelines from the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) may help companies with decisions surrounding work-related hearing loss recordability and documentation...
At-Home Safety: Check Your Home for Mold and Breathe Easy
Flooding can cause more than devastating water damage to homes – it also leads to the creeping (and dangerous) problem of mold...
Managing Compliance: Spotlight on MSDS and Labels
The world of chemical regulatory compliance is growing in complexity. For organizations evaluating, producing, storing, using or transporting products that contain regulated materials, accessing and understanding the information necessary to maintain the highest levels of compliance is no small or simple task...
Researcher: States Must Be Empowered to Address Emerging Nanotechnology Issues
Ephraim Massawe, Ph.D., told EHS Today that state agencies and programs must be empowered with better information and resources to address emerging nanotechnology issues and to protect workers, the public and the environment from possible nanomaterial exposures and hazards...
Another Explosion at Metal Powder Plant in Tennessee Seriously Injures Workers
Emergency crews are on the scene after a third serious incident at the Hoeganaes Corp. in Gallatin, Tenn. An explosion was reported at the plant at approximately 6:30 am this morning, with reports that five workers were injured. Three of the workers are listed in critical condition at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center burn unit in Nashville...
AMD Industries Faces $1.2 Million in OSHA Fines for Asbestos Exposure
Cicero, Ill.-based AMD Industries Inc. faces more than $1.2 million in proposed OSHA fines after allegedly exposing unprotected and untrained workers to asbestos...
Report Slams Massey Energy for Its Role in Upper Big Branch Mine Explosion
An independent investigative panel has released a report calling the fatal Upper Big Branch Mine explosion a “predictable result for a company that ignored basic safety standards and put too much faith in its own mythology.”...
AIHce: Managing Nanotechnology Risk with Limited Data
A roundtable discussion at AIHce in Portland, Oregon, on May 18 focused on the challenges industrial hygienists and safety professionals face in assessing the risks of nanomaterials with limited data...
AIHce: David Michaels Looks Ahead to OSHA’s 41st Year and Beyond
OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels offered a lively and informative overview of OSHA at 40 and beyond during a keynote address on May 18 at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in Portland, Ore...
AIHce: The Industrial Hygienist’s Role in Green Chemistry and Chemical Reform
Keynote speaker Michael P. Wilson, Ph.D., told attendees at the May 17 AIHce opening session that while they might be unsure how green chemistry relates to their profession, it is nonetheless “immediately applicable to the practice of industrial hygiene” by encouraging safer engineering, design and chemistry...
AIHce: Green Construction and Safety Don’t Always Go Hand in Hand
Does green construction equal safer construction? According to experts who participated in a roundtable discussion at AIHce in Portland, Oregon, May 17 – not necessarily...
AIHce: The Power (and Pitfalls) of Fear Surrounding Nuclear Incidents
On May 16, a radiation expert told attendees at the 2011 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) that fears surrounding radiation, especially in light of Japan’s recent crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, largely are blown out of proportion and can do more harm than good...
AIHce: What You Don’t Know Can Kill You!
There is one poisoning every 14 seconds in the United States. The largest percentage of these poisonings are from cleaning products, says Tony Uliano, and independent EHS consultant and adjunct professor at Portland State University School of Public Health in Portland, Ore. Uliano shared a brief overview of consumer product toxicology at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in Portland on May 16...
AIHce: Fulwiler, Brown, Others Honored by AIHA for Outstanding Contributions to Inudstrial Hygiene
EHS Today contributors Richard Fulwiler and Garrett Brown were among those honored by the American Industrial Hygiene Association at the opening session of the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in Portland, Ore., on May 16...
