Category: Personnel Safety

Office safety and ergonomics

Four Steps for Improving Workplace Ergonomics

It’s no secret that ergonomics programs often struggle to make an impact. All too often, they start off with a flurry of training and assessments and then fizzle out when people realize that there’s more talking about ergonomics than implementing ergonomics improvements. The ergonomics program starts to feel like more cost than benefit to management, […]

Ear plugs, hearing protection

Oil and Gas, Mining Workers Vulnerable to Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is prevalent in workers in the mining and oil and gas extraction sectors, researchers have found. At least 25% of workers in many industries and as much as 30% of workers in others had hearing loss, according to a recently published report.

Cleaning products, chemicals

What’s the Best Way to Figure Out Whether a Chemical Is Classified as ‘Hazardous’?

Experts at Enviro.BLR.com® were recently asked the best way to determine what chemicals are considered “hazardous” when creating a hazard communication plan. Would you know which chemicals would be classified as such, specifically when it comes to cleaning supplies? Read on to learn more about the question and how it was answered by the experts.

Silica dust at construction site

OSHA Wants Your Input on Silica Standards

OSHA is requesting information about possible revisions to three of its standards for respirable crystalline silica exposure. The agency’s request for information (RFI) appeared in the August 15 Federal Register (FR) (84 FR 41667).

Valley fever risk

Are Heat Stress and Valley Fever on the Rise?

Concerns are growing about two occupational health issues: the increased incidence of heat stress and valley fever, a fungal lung infection caused by exposure to dust storms and excavated soil. Cases of valley fever may be spreading beyond the southwestern United States. Some federal agencies and nongovernmental groups claim the rise in heat-related illness and […]

Fall protection, PPE

OSHA Will Not Reconsider Arizona State Plan Over Fall Protection Conflicts

OSHA will no longer pursue reconsideration of Arizona’s occupational safety and health program, the agency announced in a July 26 Federal Register (FR) notice (84 FR 35989). OSHA had proposed pulling its approval of the state program over a state fall protection statute that failed to align with federal standards.

Electrician working safely near power lines on hot summer day

Summer Hazard Warnings from OSHA’s Region 7 Office

Employers should be extra vigilant in controlling the workplace safety and health hazards that peak during the summer months, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 7 office in Kansas City, Missouri, urged.