Industry Trends

Exactly thirty years ago, the deadliest industrial accident of all time took place. On December 3, 1984, a leak in a pesticide plant caused the release of 40 tons of methyl isocyanate into the air in the city of Bhopal, India. About 4,000 people were killed outright, and another 15,000 passed away in the weeks […]

Here are 5 stories, with 5 lessons, that illustrate why chemicals in the workplace, no matter the size of the company or the number of employees, are serious business. As demonstrated below, how chemicals are used, stored, labeled, and disposed of, and how employees are trained on chemical hazards, affects workers, customers, and in some […]

Guest Post by Tom Reddon Today’s forklifts are a mere throwback to the days of old when forklifts from your grandpa’s time featured the bare essentials. The future of forklifts is here, and it means increased productivity on a whole new scale for businesses and warehouses. The Past The forklift came about due to the […]

This second post in a series on the NAEM Report, “Planning for a Sustainable Future,” focuses on the growing challenge of enforcing supply chain compliance in a tangled and constantly fluctuating regulatory environment. Supply chain compliance is an ever-evolving global issue. Unless all materials right down to chemical makeup or raw minerals are sourced locally, […]

State of Washington Updates HazCom Program The State of Washington officially joined the GHS bandwagon on April 15, 2013. State OSHA plans must have standards that are at least on par with Federal OSHA guidelines. To that end, Washington is amending its state Hazard Communication laws. The phase in period for Washington is as follows: […]

By Kerri Maurina One trend gaining a lot of buzz in the office environment is the use of exercise balls as chairs. Advocates say you can improve posture and stability and burn more calories through this method of seating. But before you rush off to your local sporting goods store to pick up a ball, […]

If you haven’t noticed, OSHA has been following through on its commitment to do more to update, create and modify guidance provisions, at least in the way of providing new guidance documentation.  The agency has released two new guidance publications in recent months, both happen to address dust-particle dangers. The latest document, Controlling Silica Exposures […]

On a recent post at NAEM’s GreenTie blog, Alex Pollock asked for our thoughts on the “demise of the Industrial Hygiene profession as we know it.” He noted changes in staffing, reliance on “EHS generalists” and changes to the profession over the past 20+ years. It is my experience that the changes within the IH […]