Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Most employers know the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires them to consider a disabled employee’s request for a reasonable accommodation so she can perform an essential function of her position. In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (whose rulings apply to all New York employers) held an employee’s […]
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued a safety advisory to fire departments concerning fading odorants during natural gas and propane leaks.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and NFPA’s research affiliate, the Fire Protection Research Foundation, to cooperate on issues involving emergency responder personal protective clothing and equipment (PPE), including the development of standards concerning first responder safety, deployment, operations, and […]
On September 10, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued a fact sheet and poster outlining tactics to ensure the safety of firefighters responding to row house fires. The institute recently completed a firefighter fatality investigation of a career lieutenant killed while fighting a row house fire.
In a congressional hearing, a lineup of advocates for worker safety faulted the way the EPA is using its new authority under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to shield workers from the occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and firefighters experience musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at five times the rate of most workers, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said in a summary of research priorities for the public safety sector.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will begin maintaining a firefighters’ cancer registry, trying to determine any links between workplace exposures and subsequent cancers.
According CareerCast’s 2018 annual survey of the most stressful occupations, firefighting ranks second only to working in the military. The survey found support in an October 2017 report by two researchers with the Health Hazard Evaluation Program (HHEP) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), who examined many occupational stresses firefighters experienced […]
Firefighters—whether they are working in burning buildings or burning forests—can experience a dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis or rhabdo. Rhabdo is the breakdown of damaged muscle tissue that releases proteins and electrolytes into the blood. These substances can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability and even death. The condition can occur for many […]