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OSHA / NIOSH / EPA News |
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January 2010
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OSHA publishes employer-specific occupational
fatalities on Web site. In support of the Obama Administration’s
Open Government Directive launched Dec. 9, OSHA is systematically
publishing employer-specific information about occupational
fatalities on its Web site.
To read more...
Dr. David Michaels confirmed to assume post as
head of OSHA. He was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate
and was sworn in on Dec. 9 as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Before coming to
OSHA, he was a professor and interim chair at the George Washington
University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department
of Environmental and Occupational Health.
To read more...
OSHA announces informal public hearings on hazard communication rule. OSHA will hold three informal public hearings to accept comments and testimony on the proposed rule to align the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
The first hearing will begin March 2 at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium
of the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20210.
To read more... |
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US Department of Labor's OSHA proposes
recordkeeping change to improve illness data
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing to revise its Occupational
Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting (recordkeeping)
regulation by restoring a column on the OSHA Form 300 to better
identify work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The rule
does not change existing requirements for when and under what
circumstances employers must record musculoskeletal disorders on
their injury and illness logs.
Many employers are currently required to keep a record of workplace
injuries and illnesses, including work-related MSDs, on the OSHA
Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). The proposed
rule would require employers to place a check mark in a column for
all MSDs they have recorded.
The proposed requirements are identical to those contained in the
OSHA recordkeeping regulation that was issued in 2001. Prior to
2001, OSHA's injury and illness logs contained a column for
repetitive trauma disorders that included noise and MSDs. In 2001,
OSHA separated noise and MSDs into two separate columns, but the MSD
column was deleted in 2003 before the provision became effective.
OSHA is now proposing to restore the MSD column to the OSHA Form 300
log.
"Restoring the MSD column will improve the ability of workers and
employers to identify and prevent work-related musculoskeletal
disorders by providing simple and easily accessible information,"
said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "It
will also improve the accuracy and completeness of national
work-related injury and illness data."
OSHA schedules informal stakeholder meetings on
combustible dust
WASHINGTON -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
scheduled two informal stakeholder meetings to solicit comments and
suggestions on combustible dust hazards in the workplace. OSHA will
use comments from these meetings in developing a proposed standard
for combustible dust. The meetings are scheduled for Feb. 17, 2010,
9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at the Marriott Perimeter Center, 246
Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, Ga., 30346.
Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780
injured in combustible dust explosions. A Feb. 7, 2008, explosion at
an Imperial Sugar Co. plant in Port Wentworth, Ga., killed 14 people
and resulted in OSHA issuing nearly $8.8 million in penalties. OSHA
is holding the meeting in Atlanta to make it easy for victims'
families and others with relevant information about this deadly
incident to attend.
"Fourteen people were killed in a combustible dust explosion that
was preventable. The deaths need to stop," said Assistant Secretary
of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "Information gathered from these
meetings will help OSHA move ahead on this urgently needed standard
and prevent more deaths from combustible dust explosions."
Combustible dusts are solids ground into fine particles, fibers,
chips, chunks or flakes that can cause a fire or explosion when
suspended in air under certain conditions. Types of dusts include
metal (aluminum and magnesium), wood, plastic or rubber, coal,
flour, sugar and paper, among others.
Those interested in participating must register by submitting a
notice of intent to participate by Feb. 3. Notices can be submitted
electronically by registering at
https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/osha/register-osha-stakeholder.htm.
Submissions can also be faxed to 781-674-2906 and label it
"Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting Registration,"
or mailed to ERG, Inc., 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, Mass.,
02421; Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting
Registration.
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