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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published permissible exposure limits (PELs) for about 500 chemicals—and most of those PELs have not been updated since 1971. In the intervening four 4 decades, the number of chemicals used in the United States has exploded and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control […]
Are overexertion and falls sidelining your employees? If so, you’re in good company. Get the latest here on the top injury causes and the astounding costs involved. According to research conducted by insurance giant Liberty Mutual Insurance®, overexertion continues to be the leading cause of disabling injury in the workplace. Injuries in this category, which […]
Are high levels of work/family conflict costing you money? Studies have shown that when workers’ family lives butt heads with their work lives, their job performance, health behaviors, safety behaviors, and even their family members’ health can suffer. Companies that reduce work/family conflict see significant cost savings and health benefits among their workers. But, what […]
Sometimes, a worker’s job interferes with family commitments—and vice versa. Employees whose family obligations conflict with work requirements suffer increased stress, sleep disturbances, and health effects (such as increased blood pressure, drinking, and smoking). Workers who have caregiving responsibilities for children, aging parents, or other family members sometimes cannot meet the traditional expectations that apply […]
Each year in the United States, about 4,500 workers die from work-related injuries, and more than 50,000 die from work-related illnesses. More than 3 million suffer nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses; 2.8 million are treated in the emergency department; and 140,000 are hospitalized. The price tag to employers reaches $250 billion each year. Although employers […]
While the U.S. Congress does its annual dance about reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) took a look at some chemical programs alive and well in other countries. Was this an attempt to nudge Congress into action? Might a reformed TSCA look like any of these programs? Let’s take […]
Yesterday we discussed the relationship between labeling under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) labeling requirements. Today we will offer some placarding tips for shipments of DOT-regulated hazardous materials. Quick Review Placards, like labels, are used to graphically communicate a cargo’s hazard. Generally, […]
What’s the relationship between labeling under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) labeling requirements? Which label must you use? Can you use both? Today we will help answer these questions, and tomorrow we will offer some placarding tips for shipments of DOT-regulated hazardous […]
Did you miss BLR’s webinar on TSCA’s CDR reporting? No need to fret, BLR has you covered with this exclusive wrap-up.
As late as 2014, workers who died during tank gauging and other activities that involved opening the thieves’ hatch on oilfield tanks were recorded as resulting from “natural causes.” As a result, surviving family members were not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. A recent court case out of Colorado could change that. Jim Freemyer, a […]