Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
You come to your well site one morning and find a 20-year old worker dead on the well pad. He had been gauging a crude oil tank. That’s the stuff of nightmares for all safety managers at oil and gas (O&G) sites. This particular nightmare came true for one safety manager and serves as an […]
In a new report recently issued by the Obama Administration, it states that “every American is vulnerable to the health impacts associated with climate change.” Yesterday we reviewed findings in the report that apply specifically to U.S. workers. Today we will consider what safety managers can do to help safeguard their workers from the heat-related effects […]
Nanoscale applications are rapidly moving from the research lab to industrial and commercial settings. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), examples of workplaces that may use nanoscale materials (nanomaterials) include chemical or pharmaceutical laboratories or plants, manufacturing facilities, medical offices or hospitals, and construction sites. Yesterday we explored nanomaterials hazards and ways […]
Yesterday we reviewed the status of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed reporting requirements for nanomaterials and the Agency’s recent approval of a pesticide containing nanosilver. Today we will look at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) recent research concerning how nanomaterials affect worker safety and health.
As EHS professionals, we have heard a lot of talk about nanomaterials and their possible effects on the environment. But what about worker safety? Today we will review the status of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed reporting requirements for nanomaterials and the Agency’s recent approval of a pesticide containing nanosilver. Tomorrow we will […]
It’s time for environment, health, and safety managers to start tracking another chemical. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added 1-bromopropane (1-BP) to the list of chemicals required to be reported in toxic release inventory (TRI) reports. In addition, the Agency recently released a draft risk assessment for 1-BP. On top of that, the […]
Employers have long been concerned about how smoking affects the workplace in terms of overall health and healthcare costs, the synergistic effects of smoking and workplace exposures, and fire safety. Recently, those concerns have been expanded to include vaping—which, as it turns out, is not really any safer for workers than cigarette smoking. And, just […]
In an effort reminiscent of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) very successful “Safety Stand-Down” program to prevent falls in construction, the agency has launched a program to protect workers in the oil and gas (O&G) industry. It’s called “Step Up for Safety,” and OSHA and its partners are encouraging employers to conduct “Step […]
In February, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) partnered with the National Service, Transmission, Exploration, and Production Safety (STEPS) Network and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to promote “Step Up for Safety” in the upstream oil and gas (O&G) industry. Employers are encouraged to take time out to conduct site […]
Who knew that when you are ordering your morning latte, you are possibly putting your barista and others at risk? Well, that’s a conclusion that can be drawn from a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) report that claims workers at coffee processing facilities risk lung disease due to exposure to airborne […]