Study: Mesothelioma Cases Underreported Worldwide
For every four to five reported cases of mesothelioma worldwide, at least one case goes unreported, according to estimates published Jan. 6 in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). This study is the first to provide a global estimate of unreported mesothelioma cases based on the collective experience of countries with available data on asbestos use and the disease...
Executives Who View Diversity Training as Positive Are More Successful
Managers and executives who find value in diversity training are more committed to their organizations and satisfied with their careers than those who perceive training to be ineffective, suggest researchers from Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute in Management and Technology...
OSHA Will Not Adopt EU’s SDoC System
On Dec. 17, OSHA announced that it will not adopt the European Union’s (EU) Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) and will continue requiring product certification from independent testing companies...
AIHA Unveils Top EHS Public Policy Issues for 2011-2012
The American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) biennial membership survey revealed the most pressing public policy issues within the EHS profession over the next 2 years, with PELs and OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program topping the list...
Arsenic-Polluted Water Impacts Work Arrangements in Bangladesh
New research shows that the arsenic contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh – called the “largest mass poisoning of a population in history” by the World Health Organization and responsible for a host of slow-developing diseases – also impacts work arrangements, which creates an immediate and toxic effect on the struggling nation’s economy...
CSB to Hold Hearing on Regulation of Offshore Oil and Gas Safety Practices
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will hold a public hearing, “Regulatory Approaches to Offshore Oil and Gas Safety,” on Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C., as part of CSB’s ongoing investigation into the April 20 fire and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon that killed 11 workers...
Loss of Lives in New Zealand Mine “a National Tragedy”
Tragedy has struck a second time for families and friends hoping for good news from the Pike River Mine in New Zealand, where 29 miners have been trapped since a blast on Nov. 19. A second explosion on Nov. 24 has led mining and rescue experts on the scene to say it is unlikely that any miners who might have survived the first blast were able to survive the second...
China Miners Rescued; New Zealand Miners Remain Trapped
This week brought good news for the 29 miners in China who were trapped underground Nov. 21 when their mine flooded – all miners were rescued a day later and appear to be in stable condition. But for another 29 miners in New Zealand, the outlook isn’t as bright...
ASSE Members Meet Chinese Officials to Discuss Workplace Safety and Health
Several American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) members and EHS professionals recently met in Beijing and Shanghai with Chinese officials to exchange ideas, best practices and concepts related to occupational safety and health management...
Study: Employees Who Retire Early Often Pressured To Do So
Workers who agreed to take early retirement were likely to not have considered that option if it hadn't been for pressure at the workplace to do so, according to a new study from the University of Haifa in Israel...
Changes in the American Work Force Puts Role of National Labor Relations Act Into Question
As the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, changes in the American workplace and other factors raise the question of how the NLRA will adapt in the future...
MetLife Study Examines Companies’ Global Responses to Employee Health Needs
Customizing cultures of health can reduce costs and improve well-being and productivity among employees despite the challenges of implementing these programs globally, according to a new study by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work, supported and published by MetLife...
AIHA Becomes Signatory of Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work
On Sept. 1, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) signed the Seoul Declaration at the 5th China International Forum in Beijing, China. As a signatory, AIHA supports the declaration in the implementation of core principles and encourages other individuals, organizations and agencies to join the movement in its efforts to promote the health and safety of work environments worldwide...
Fashion Kills: Industrial Manslaughter in the Global Supply Chain
No matter how you cut it, a pair of jeans is not worth a worker’s life...
Safe Work Australia Publishes Reports on Methods to Reduce Nanomaterial Exposure
Safe Work Australia recently released two research reports on engineered nanomaterials and a nanotechnology risk assessment tool in an effort to reduce the risk for nanomaterial exposure and to create a safer working environment...
EU OSHA: Workplace Health Promotion Improves Productivity, Well-Being
As part of its Workplace Health Promotion project, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is sending the following message to employers: workplace health promotion (WHP) leads to better health, reduced absenteeism, enhanced motivation and improved productivity...
Britain’s HSE Warns that Construction Sites Aren’t Child’s Play
The U.K. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sent a message to parents that building sites are not playgrounds. As school holidays are well underway in Britain, HSE encourages parents to warn their children of the dangers of playing on construction sites...
Falls the Leading Cause of Injury Among Older Adults in China
Falls are the most common injury for both urban and rural elderly in China, responsible for more than two-thirds of all injuries in people 65 and older, according to a new study by researchers from China and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy...
Take a Break From Your Office Furniture and Get Healthy
Postural, joint and muscular problems pinpointed to necks, backs, hips and knees are on the increase among workers. These problems could be attributed to poor seating posture, lack of movement in the office and inappropriate or poorly designed office furniture...
EU-OSHA: Safety and Health Spending is an Investment, Not a Cost
In conjunction with the release of the agency’s 2009 annual report, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) Director Jukka Takala stressed that “spending on workplace health and safety should be seen as an investment and not a cost.”...
ASSE 2010: Implementing U.S.-Style Construction Safety and Health Programs in Africa, Asia and Mexico
Understanding culture and communicating effectively are key components in establishing safe construction projects in foreign countries, according to John H. Johnson, CSP, of Black & Veatch. In a June 15 ASSE Safety 2010 session in Baltimore, Johnson addressed the challenges and best practices for implementing construction safety and health programs in parts of the world such as Africa, Asia and Mexico...
Is the Loss of Manufacturing Jobs Creating an Anti-Feminism Backlash?
According to a researcher in Windsor, Ontario, the loss of traditional manufacturing jobs in Canada is fuelling a backlash against feminism...
AIHce 2010: Implementing Information Systems for REACH Compliance
During an American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) session in Denver, Marilyn Jackson, director of environment at IHS, stressed that global companies working to comply with REACH in Europe must focus on communication and information dissemination...
AIHce 2010: Navigating Ergonomics Management Systems
In a roundtable presentation at AIHce 2010 in Denver, several EHS professionals outlined their challenges, successes, best practices and lessons learned in establishing and sustaining ergonomics management systems...
AIHce 2010: The Future of Work and the Aging Work Force
In the May 24 Jeffrey S. Lee Lecture at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) in Denver, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Director John Howard addressed the changing patterns in employment brought on by an aging work force and how those changes might challenge occupational health and safety...
