The tragedy of the January 2, 2006, Sago mine explosion in Tallmansville, West Virginia, reinforces the importance of recognizing the potential hazards in underground coal mining, and the need for systematic safety and health vigilance. A new NIOSH Web topic page provides information on methane, carbon monoxide, and other hazards in coal mining, and a portal to additional NIOSH information on mine safety and mine rescue.
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The Human Side of Mining
Featured are results of recently completed and on-going mine safety and health research conducted at the NIOSH Pittsburgh and Spokane Research Laboratories which focus on the human side of mining -- the miner.
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Drill Dust Collection System May Reduce Silica Dust Exposure
Researchers from the NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory have demonstrated the benefits of having a tight shroud enclosure for the drill dust collection system. This result stems from investigations into ways of improving the effectiveness of dust collection on surface mine drills. Workers exposed to airborne respirable crystalline silica dust can develop serious or fatal respiratory diseases, such as silicosis.
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Greshow Recycling to Pay $26,000 in Fines Following Worker's Death
Gershow Recycling Company has agreed to correct all hazards, pay $26,000 in fines and take additional steps to protect workers after being cited by OSHA for serious and repeat safety hazards following a fatal accident at its Medford, N.Y., recycling facility.On June 23, an employee at the Medford facility was fatally burned when hydraulic fluid ignited while other employees used a torch to repair a bent hydraulic line on a payloader. OSHA's investigation found that the flammable hydraulic fluid had not been bled from the line prior to the use of the torch, creating a fire hazard.The inspection, expanded when OSHA learned of an earlier accident at the plant involving a forklift, also identified several other hazards. These included defective forklifts; untrained employees operating forklifts in an unsafe manner; obstructed exit access; unsecured LP gas containers; unguarded moving machine parts; electrical hazards; and not providing employees with hazard communication training. These violations, together with the fire hazard, resulted in nine serious citations against Gershow Recycling.The company was also cited for three repeat violations for deficiencies in connection with fall protection, confined space safety and lockout/tagout procedures that render machinery inoperable during maintenance and repair. OSHA had cited Gershow Recycling in January 2004 for similar hazards at the company's Brooklyn recycling facility.Under the settlement, the company has agreed to implement additional safety and health measures at its facilities in Medford, Lindenhurst, New Hyde Park and Brooklyn, N.Y. These include hiring a full-time safety director who will be responsible for developing an effective company-wide safety and health program; conducting quarterly self-inspections to address various hazards; and submitting illness and injury logs to OSHA for review on a quarterly basis for the next year."This agreement commits the company not only to correct the hazards found in this inspection, but also to identify and effectively address hazards at all its workplaces," said Patricia Jones, OSHA's Long Island area director. "The goal is a safer work environment company-wide."
NOCO Energy Faces $90,500 in OSHA Fines for Asbestos Hazards
An Akron, N.Y., heating contractor's alleged failure to protect employees against asbestos hazards has resulted in a total of $90,500 in OSHA fines.NOCO Energy Corp. was cited for 18 serious violations of OSHA standards governing work with, or around, asbestos and the proper selection and use of respirators. The citations and fines resulted from an OSHA inspection of a worksite at Huxley Drive in Cheektowaga, N.Y, which found employees had dismantled and removed a furnace contaminated with asbestos-containing materials (ACM) without adequate respiratory and asbestos protection."Worker inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious lung diseases, including asbestosis," said Art Dube, OSHA's Buffalo area director. "Asbestos-containing material is often present in older furnaces and venting. Any contractor performing this type of work must first monitor the work area to determine the presence and level of asbestos, then implement any required safeguards."OSHA's inspection revealed that the company had not: monitored asbestos levels to determine which protections were needed; established a regulated work area; supplied personal protective clothing; ventilated the work area; established a decontamination area; used HEPA vacuums and wet methods to remove the ACM; properly disposed of the ACM; and trained employees in work with ACM. In addition, the work was not overseen by a competent person, one with both the knowledge to identify asbestos hazards and the authority to correct them.The company also failed to ensure proper selection and use of respirators by workers. When respirators were used, NOCO did not perform fit-testing or required medical evaluations to determine if workers could wear respirators; did not train employees in respirator use, and failed to implement a respiratory protection program.
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ACS Added to OSHA and Chemical Reactivity Hazards Management Alliance
ACS will be included in the group, which consists of the EPA; American Chemistry Council; Center for Chemical Process Safety; Chlorine Institute Inc.; Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center; National Association of Chemical Distributors; and Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association."Through the addition of this very important chemical safety stakeholder, we can further reinforce the foundation of a culture of prevention in the chemical industry," said Snare.Added Dr. William F. Carroll, ACS immediate past president: "ACS is pleased to contribute its expertise in identifying and managing chemical reactivity hazards to this important workplace safety initiative."Alliance members are working with OSHA to provide expertise in delivering training on chemical reactivity hazards at conferences, meetings, and through OSHA's Training Institute Education Centers. OSHA and Alliance members are developing and disseminating information through both print and electronic media, including electronic assistance tools and each organization's Web sites. Finally, Alliance participants continue to speak, exhibit and appear at various conferences hosted by each organization, and convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions or stakeholder meetings on chemical reactivity hazards to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace, or provide input on safety and health issues.ACS is a self-governed individual membership organization with more than 158,000 members in all fields of chemistry, including chemists, chemical engineers and allied professionals.
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OSHAÆs Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals Standard: WhatÆs Covered?
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This standard contains requirements for the safe management of hazards associated with processes using, storing, manufacturing, handling, or moving highly hazardous chemicals onsite. It emphasizes the management of hazards through an established comprehensive program that integrates technologies, procedures, and management practices.
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CSTE and NIOSH Release Occupational Surveillance Data
á The report defines 19 occupational health indicators (OHI), specific measures of a work-related disease or injury or factors associated with occupational health in a specified population. The indicators allow for assessing and monitoring overall health and provide a baseline from which comparisons and trends over time can be tracked. OHIs are intended to increase the consistency and availability of occupational disease and injury surveillance data at the state and federal levels. The set of OHIs are part of a larger national process of public health indicator development including injury, environmental, chronic disease and the ôLeading Health Indicatorsö of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 project.
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NIOSH and Beryllium Producer Hold Annual Stakeholder Meeting
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On November 3 and 4, 2005, NIOSH and Brush Wellman Inc. (BWI), the major U.S. producer of beryllium and beryllium-containing products, held their annual stakeholder communications meeting in Morgantown, WV. The meeting served as a communication forum among workforce representatives from all company levels, company health and safety staff, and NIOSH researchers.
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Workers highlighted research-driven changes put into practice at the facility over the past 20 years, described the beryllium management program and its implementation at another facility, and posed questions to NIOSH researchers as ideas for future research. NIOSH researchers presented a review of the program progress and updates on ongoing industrial hygiene, genetic, and epidemiologic research studies. Upon their return to the plant, the workers shared the meeting information with coworkers and their families.
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In 1998, NIOSH and BWI signed a Memorandum of Understanding that outlined a plan to conduct beryllium-related occupational safety and health research, with the ultimate goal of preventing beryllium disease.
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Barley Products Allowed to Claim Reduced Heart Disease Risk
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Whole-grain barley and barley-containing productsáare now allowed to carry a claim that they may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
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FDA Proposes to Get the Lead Out of Candy
á FDA says the action will further lower exposure of children to small traces of lead present in some candies.
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Washington Revises Laboratory Chemical Regulations
The Department has rewritten the requirements relating to using hazardous chemicals in laboratories, reorganizing for clarity and removing outdated terminology and unnecessary requirements.á This rule is being repealed from Chapter 296-62 WAC, and placed into its own chapter, Chapter 296-828 WAC.á In addition, the Department corrected references throughout its standards. The amended rule becomes effective April 1, 2006.
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Safety News Links
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