Safety
735 results
Can You Hear OSHA Now? Employers Must Train Employees in Language Employees Understand
In recent months, OSHA has stepped up its efforts to remind employers that employees must be trained in a language they understand. First, on April 14, 2010, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis touched on the issue in an address to the National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety. Then on April 28, […]
Safety Training Thursday – Trenching and Excavating – OSHA Gone Wild
In the last couple of weeks, the video of a trench caving in at the exact moment an OSHA inspector is telling the crew that one of the workers can’t be in the trench has gone viral. The video illustrates at least three important lessons for employees and employers: Trenching and excavating are hazardous activities […]
Benefits of Social Networking to EH&S, OSHA Compliance, Injury & Illness Recordkeeping and MSDS Management
Recent studies on the influences and benefits of social networks suggest that an establishment looking to improve employee health and safety as well as workplace efficiencies would be wise to respect and harness the power of social networks. For all the reasons a hospital or construction company might choose to manage their MSDSs online, the […]
OSHA: Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Entitled to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and Special Training
UPDATE: 6/17/2010 Dr. Michaels discussed cleanup workers on C-Span this morning. Learn more at the ProPublica Blog. Continuing its series of public service blogs related to the Gulf oil spill, VelocityEHS looks at PPE’s and worker training. Workers involved in the oil spill cleanup face a multitude of hazards; consequently, they are entitled to […]
Not Making MSDS Available Burns Employee, Employer and OSHA
In a story by Kelly Holleran, the Southeast Texas Record reported that a Beaumont, Texas man is suing ExxonMobil for not adequately warning him about the significant levels of a caustic substance present in a drain line he was working on. According to the article, the employee was told of “possible caustic residue” in the […]
MSDS information for Oil Spill Dispersants Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 and Safety Info from EPA, CDC, & OSHA
We have noticed a significant number of searches on our database for MSDS information related to Nalco products Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, the two dispersants being used in the oil spill cleanup effort. As a public service, and in an effort to assist the EPA in making MSDS information about these two dispersants more […]
OSHA Proposes Recordkeeping Rule Change
OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule, 29 CFR 1904, has been center stage in the EH&S world as of late. We’ve had the recent implementation of a national emphasis program (NEP) on recordkeeping due to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study that revealed underreporting, and now we have an OSHA proposal on the floor to revise future injury and […]
Crystalline Silica – A Dangerous Dust
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 […]
Are MSDSs Required for Consumer Chemical Products?
Just back from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) show in San Antonio. Great show and thanks to all that stopped by our booth. A number of people at the show asked me if material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are required for consumer products like Windex or Lysol? This is a common question we […]
Working in Extreme Temperatures
Yes, it’s that time of year, when the sweltering heat of summer begins to set in and brings with it a host of additional safety and health concerns for employers and workers across the country. Being able to identify and respond to the warning signs of heat stress can truly become a life or death […]