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Air purifying respirators are useless if you use the wrong cartridge, wear that a respirator doesnÆt fit properly, donÆt have adequate oxygen, or if the respirator is spent.á Do you know how to select the appropriate respirator and use it properly?á If you are unsure, check the links below:
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Tips to Protect Workers in Cold Environments
With the onset of cold weather, OSHA is reminding employers and workers to take necessary precautions, such as those listed on OSHA's Cold Stress Card, to prevent and treat cold-related health problems. Workers in construction, commercial fishing, maritime and agriculture are among those who need to take precautions.Prolonged exposure to freezing or cold temperatures may cause serious health problems such as trench foot, frostbite and hypothermia. In extreme cases, including cold water immersion, exposure can lead to death. Danger signs include uncontrolled shivering, slurred speech, clumsy movements, fatigue and confused behavior. If these signs are observed, call for emergency help.Available in English and Spanish, this laminated fold-up card is free to employers, workers and the public. Tips include:
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- áááááááá How to Protect Workers
- áááááááá Recognize the environmental and workplace conditions that may be dangerous.
- áááááááá Learn the signs and symptoms of cold-induced illnesses and injuries and what to do to help workers.
- áááááááá Train workers about cold-induced illnesses and injuries.
- áááááááá Encourage workers to wear proper clothing for cold, wet and windy conditions, including layers that can be adjusted to changing conditions.
- áááááááá Be sure workers in extreme conditions take a frequent short break in warm dry shelters to allow their bodies to warm up.
- áááááááá Try to schedule work for the warmest part of the day.
- áááááááá Avoid exhaustion or fatigue because energy is needed to keep muscles warm.
- áááááááá Use the buddy system - work in pairs so that one worker can recognize danger signs.
- áááááááá Drink warm, sweet beverages (sugar water, sports-type drinks) and avoid drinks with caffeine (coffee, tea, sodas or hot chocolate) or alcohol.
- áááááááá Eat warm, high-calorie foods such as hot pasta dishes.
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Remember, workers face increased risks when they take certain medications, are in poor physical condition or suffer from illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease.
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OSHA and Safety Council of Northwest Ohio Form Alliance to Raise Job Safety and Health Awareness
OSHA and the Safety Council of Northwest Ohio (SCNWO) signed an alliance to provide safety and health information to employers and employees and share best practices to prevent exposure to workplace hazards."This cooperative effort is designed to help foster a culture of prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses," said Jule Jones, OSHA area director in Toledo. "Joining with the Safety Council of Northwest Ohio in this effort will lead to safer workplaces."During the two-year alliance, OSHA and SCNWO will work together to provide members with information and guidance to help them protect workers' safety and health and increase access to information and training resources. The alliance will develop training and education programs on prevention of accidents, accident investigation and analysis, emergency preparedness, job safety, transportation safety, first aid, ergonomics and other topics.At conferences and public forums, OSHA and SCNWO will share information regarding best practices and forge innovative solutions to improve workplace safety and health. Information will be distributed at seminars, meetings or workshops to raise awareness and demonstrate commitment to alleviating workplace hazards.The alliance will also promote and encourage participation in OSHA's cooperative programs. These include compliance assistance, safety and health consultation programs, the Voluntary Protection Programs and the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
Drilling Specialties Co. Achieves OSHA Star Recognition
Drilling Specialties Co., Conroe Plant, a Division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP, has earned membership in OSHAÆs prestigious "Star" Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).á A recognition ceremony to honor its excellent work was held at the company's local facility in Conroe."Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.'s effective safety and health management has resulted in OSHA's VPP Star award at 17 separate locations," said OSHA Regional Administrator John Miles in Dallas. "Their outstanding efforts exemplify the practical value of a partnership with OSHA in preventing workplace injuries and illnesses."Drilling Specialties in Conroe manufactures a variety of proprietary drilling, cement and well completion fluid additives. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. employs about 5,300 workers worldwide and is one of the top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, piping and proprietary plastics.OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and promote effective workplace safety and health management. About 1,400 work sites representing more than 280 industries throughout the U.S have earned OSHA's highest recognition as participants in the VPP. Typically, participants achieve injury and illness rates more than 50 percent below their industry's average.
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New OSHA Alliance Seeks to Enhance Safety and Health for Granite State's Plumbers and Pipefitters
Enhancing safe and healthful working conditions for plumbers and pipefitters in New Hampshire is the goal of a new alliance among OSHA, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Consultation Program (NH-DES-CP) and Local 131 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industries of the U.S. & Canada."This alliance seeks to equip workers with the most valuable tool of all, the knowledge to identify, understand and prevent workplace hazards before they injure workers," said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA's New Hampshire area director.Under the alliance, the three partners will work together to share best practices and technical knowledge, especially in the area of construction safety and health. The alliance will provide Local 131 members with information, training and guidance to help reduce such construction-related hazards as falls, electrocutions, struck-by and caught-between injuries.They will also provide opportunities for Local 131 members with expertise in specific skills to develop or improve safety and health programs, to participate in stakeholder and other forums, and to have input in the development of workplace safety programs and guidelines. The parties will also seek joint opportunities to develop and distribute or share safety information with employers and workers in a variety of venues.Signatories are Ohar; Steven Beyer, consultation project manager, NH-DES-CP; and David Pelletier, business manager, Local 131. A photo of the signing will be e-mailed upon request. Please e-mail Ted Fitzgerald at fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov.For more information about this and other alliances in New Hampshire, call OSHA's Concord area office at (603) 225-1629.
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OSHA Cites Eldorado Stone for Safety and Health Violations
OSHA has cited Eldorado Stone LLC, Pueblo, Colo., for 25 alleged serious, willful and repeat violations following an inspection of the architectural stone manufacturer. Proposed penalties total $137,500.The OSHA inspection began June 15 in response to a complaint from the Pueblo Human Relations Commission. It resulted in 22 serious citations with proposed penalties of $63,000; one willful citation with a penalty of $49,500; and two repeat citations totaling $25,000 in proposed penalties. Eldorado Stone has a local workforce of approximately 200 employees."Employers must take necessary precautions to protect employees from workplace hazards," said John Healy, OSHA area office director in Englewood, Colo. "This significant penalty demonstrates OSHA's commitment to assure compliance with job safety and health standards."Alleged serious violations addressed hazards associated with: lack of emergency stops on conveyors; inadequate housekeeping; improper ladders; inadequate training on lock-out/tag-out procedures to render machinery inoperable during maintenance and repair; lack of an eyewash station where corrosive chemicals were used; unsafe stacking of materials; inadequate forklift training; use of unsafe forklifts; inadequate machine guarding; projecting shaft ends; unguarded belts and pulleys; storage of oxygen cylinders adjacent to acetylene cylinders; unsafe electrical equipment, and employee overexposure to respirable dust and silica. Serious violations occur when there is probability of death or serious physical harm and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.Failure to implement a hearing conservation program was cited as a willful violation and inadequate guardrails and an unguarded chain and sprocket resulted in repeat citations. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. Repeat violations are those for which an employer has been previously cited for the same or a substantially similar condition and the citation has become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Air Pollution, High-Fat Diet Cause Atherosclerosis in Laboratory Mice
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Test results with laboratory mice show a direct cause-and-effect link between exposure to fine particle air pollution and the development of atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. Mice that were fed a high-fat diet and exposed to air with fine particles had 1.5 times more plaque production than mice fed the same diet and exposed to clean filtered air.
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Plaque, a fatty deposit on the inner lining of the blood vessels, can predispose individuals to conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. The fine particle exposure also led to increased inflammation of the artery walls and reduced function of the artery wall's inner lining.
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NIEHS and the EPA provided funding to researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York University School of Medicine for the two-year study. The study results were published in the December 21, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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The study showed that the combination of fine particle pollution and high-fat diet can promote the development of atherosclerosis, and may explain why people who live in highly polluted areas have a higher risk of heart disease. The findings are also important because the fine particle concentrations used in the study were well within the range of concentrations found in the air around major metropolitan areas.
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The researchers did not observe significant differences in plaque production and artery wall inflammation in fine particle-exposed mice given the normal diet. However, among mice given clean air, those on the high-fat diet had greater plaque production and artery wall inflammation than those given the normal diet. These results suggest that both diet and fine particle pollution contributed to the development of atherosclerosis in the mice.
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"This is one of the first studies to demonstrate measurable changes in plaque production and artery inflammation following exposure to fine particle matter," said NIEHS Director David A. Schwartz, M.D. "These findings have important implications for the long-term impact of fine particle air pollution on urban populations."
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Fine particle pollution consists of microscopic particles of dust and soot less than 2.5 microns in diameter - about thirty times smaller than the width of a human hair. These tiny particles primarily come from motor vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions, and other operations that involve the burning of fossil fuels. Fine particles can travel deep into the respiratory tract, reducing lung function and worsening conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.
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To evaluate the effects of fine particle exposure on cardiovascular health, the researchers used mice that were genetically programmed to develop atherosclerosis at a higher-than-normal rate. Half of the mice were placed on a regular diet, while the remaining half received chow with a high fat and calorie content. Mice from both groups were then exposed to either concentrated air particles or clean, filtered air for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a total of 6 months.
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Following the exposures, the researchers measured plaque concentration in the aorta, the largest artery in the body. They found that among mice fed the high-fat diet, those exposed to fine particles had plaque concentrations more than 1.5 times higher than those exposed to clean air. "These results suggest that the fine particle exposure is actually accelerating the development of atherosclerosis in the high-fat group," said Sanjay Rajagopalan, M.D., a vascular medicine specialist and cardiologist with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and senior author of the study.
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Further comparison of the high-fat groups showed that the artery walls of the mice exposed to fine particle pollution were significantly more inflamed than their clean-air counterparts. "We noted a significant increase in the number of inflammatory cells and enzymes in the arteries of the mice exposed to air particles," said Rajagopalan.
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In addition, the fine particles had a measurable effect on the ability of the arteries to dilate, an important indicator of artery wall function. "We found that the constrictive effect of certain stress hormones was increased in the arteries of the particle-exposed mice, while the ability of the arteries to dilate was impaired," said Rajagopalan. "This suggests the artery function had been compromised."
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According to Rajagopalan, the effects on plaque production and artery wall inflammation were obtained with relatively low exposure concentrations. "The average particle exposure over the course of the study was 15 micrograms per cubic meter, which is typical of the particle concentrations that urban area residents would be exposed to, and well below the federal air quality standard of 65 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period," he said.
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