 “The majority of chemical substances in commerce have no established occupational exposure limits (OELs). In the absence of established OELs, employers and workers often lack the necessary guidance on the extent to which occupational exposures should be controlled. A strategy to control occupational exposures that may have value when there are no relevant OELs is known as control banding (CB). CB is a qualitative strategy for assessing and managing hazards associated with chemical exposures in the workplace. The question about the utility of the CB strategy for workplaces in the United States has been raised, warranting a critical review of its concepts and applications. This report is the result of a review of the published literature and related proceedings on CB.
In summary, this review and analysis have led to recognition of the following key messages:
- Control banding is a potentially valuable tool for risk management of source chemical agents and other occupational hazards.
- Despite limitations, in the absence of OELs, CB may be a useful strategy for assessing and controling occupational hazards as part of a comprehensive safety and health program.
- CB is not meant to be a substitute for OELs.
- The use of CB does not alleviate the need for environmental monitoring and industrial hygiene expertise.
- CB strategies may be useful for providing hazard control guidance to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs); larger businesses may find CB strategies of greatest utility for prioritizing hazards and for hazard communication.
Additional development, evaluation, and discussion are required before widespread implementation of CB in the United States can be recommended. This document is intended to set the stage for that discussion. At this time, the existing toolkits for CB may not be appropriate for the United States and will need modification before being applied. Critical is the need for a dynamic system that incorporates changing factors over time for both control implementation and managerial oversight. It is recommended that a taskforce of safety and health professionals, labor and management, and government representatives be established to advance the research and development needs for CB in the United States.”
To download a copy of this document, click here (Control Banding (8))
Source: CDC.gov
Question #1: Why are the definitions for combustible liquids and flammable liquids different under OSHA’s construction and general industry standards?
Answer #1:
The terms “combustible liquids” and “flammable liquids” are defined in the construction standard at 29 CFR 1926 and in the general industry standard at 29 CFR 1910 as follows:
|
Construction |
General Industry |
| Combustible liquids |
§1926.155(c) |
§1910.106(a)(18) |
|
“[A]ny liquid having a flash point at or above 140 °F. (60 °C.) and below 200 °F. (93.4 °C.).” |
“[A]ny liquid having a flashpoint at or above 100 °F. (37.8 °C.).” |
| Flammable liquids |
§1926.155(h) |
§1910.106(a)(19) |
|
“[A]ny liquid having a flash point below 140 °F. and having a vapor pressure not exceeding 40 pounds per square inch (absolute) at 100 °F.” |
“[A]ny liquid having a flashpoint below 100 °F. (37.8 °C.), except any mixture having components with flashpoints of 100 °F. (37.8 °C.) or higher, the total of which make up 99 percent or more of the total volume of the mixture.” |
The definitions in the two standards are different because the definitions were adopted from different sources. The definitions in the general industry standard originated in a national consensus standard, NFPA 30-1969, while the definitions in the construction standard were adopted from established federal standards under the Construction Safety Act. Because the two sources defined the terms differently, the construction standard and the general industry standard are not consistent.
Question #2: Are there any plans to make the definitions consistent?
Continue reading Difference Between Combustible and Flammable Liquids
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 NIOSH released a guide, Occupational Exposure Sampling Strategy Manual (1977), that describes statistical analyses for occupational exposure results in a clear and concise manner. Included are discussions and examples on:
- Confidence Limits (CL’s)
- CL’s and Compliance / Non-compliance Classifications
- Statistics and Classifications for: full period sampling, partial period sampling, consecutive sampling, grab sampling, comparison to ceiling standards, and more.
If you are looking for a (free) guide that details “real world” occupational exposure statistical analyses, download NIOSH’s guide HERE (NIOSH Occupational Exposure Sampling Strategy Manual (76)).
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 This guidance document (A Guide to Developing A Hazardous Materials Training Program – link at the bottom of this post) explains the training requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations, identifies those employees who must be trained, and provides a tool to help hazmat employers determine what type of training and training environment may be best for their employees.
Hazardous materials transportation is a process that involves people performing functions related to handling, packaging, storing, moving, loading and unloading of hazardous materials, and responding to emergency situations while such materials are in transportation. It includes employees responsible for the safe transportation hazmat. The process also incorporates functions to design, manufacture, fabricate, inspect, mark, maintain, recondition, repair, or test a package, container or packaging component used in transporting hazardous materials. With such a complex process, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has identified human error as a contributing cause for most hazmat transportation incidents.
Continue reading Guide to Developing a Hazardous Materials Training Program
 OSHA invites interested parties to participate in a Web Chat on June 28, 2010 at 1 pm ET on the workplace hazards of combustible dust. OSHA plans to use the information gathered in response to this Web Chat in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust.
Participants are requested to provide their name, affiliation, and e-mail address so OSHA can respond to comments or seek clarification.
Participants can access the Web Chat at http://www.dol.gov/dol/chat.htm. The Web Blog will remain accessible for additional feedback through July 7, 2010.
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 The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) announced that they continue dialogue regarding the proposed strategic alliance announced in May 2009 to develop occupational exposure guidelines. With the originally proposed alliance, AIHA would be an industrial hygiene member professional organization, and ACGIH would be a non-member scientific organization. This would most effectively leverage our efforts and resources to protect worker health, while ensuring that all professionals have an opportunity to be involved in supporting and developing the science and practice of industrial hygiene.
Late last year, ACGIH introduced an alternative alliance approach in which ACGIH receives funding from each of several professional occupational health and safety associations whose members have an interest and stake in the development and use of occupational exposure guidelines. More recently AIHA participated in ACGIH®’s direct discussions with key professional associations to gauge interest. These discussions are expected to continue over the next few months.
Source: Thomasnet, AIHA, ACGIH
Below are the average salaries for occupational health and safety professionals (industrial hygienists, certified safety professionals, and environmental, health, and safety managers) in the US. The salaries are based upon the average salaries for nationwide job postings and are a good representation of the salaries available. Please note that the salaries can have a significant range and depend upon industry, experience and position.
Industrial Hygienist Salary
Continue reading Average Salaries: Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, EHS Manager
Want to determine the Minimum Sample Volume needed to ensure you collect enough of a sample volume so that the results are capable of being less than the Exposure Limit? Want to know how long you need to sample at a given flow rate?
If so, use OHShub.com’s Minimum Sample Volume and Required Sampling Time calculator and take the guess-work out of the equation.
Input the:
- Laboratory Limit of Quantitation (LOQ)
- Exposure Limit
- Desired Fraction of the Exposure Limit (essentially a safety factor for sampling)
- Sampling Rate
And the results will give you the Minimum Sample Volume and Required Sampling Time.
Note: Ensure that you have the right units and all of the units are consistent. Units such as parts per million (ppm) for Exposure Limits may need to be converted to mg/m3.
Download the Calculator HERE: (Calculator: MSV & RST (150))
 The American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) is the “must attend” event for thousands of industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety professionals. Spend the day virtually at AIHce and gain:
- New perspectives and up-to-date research via phone
- Guided presentations and abstracts over the web
- Opportunities to interact via question and answer sessions
- Educational experiences, in short, manageable time frames through out the day.
- Cost effective training opportunities for individuals, large groups or even local sections
- “Attend” some of the most fascinating and thought provoking technical sessions at AIHce 2010. Learn via a unique, trend-setting conference experience from the convenience of your home or office. Relax, access and absorb useable information and knowledge you can apply in your own practice!
Get 100% of the same great AIHce experience, certification maintenance points and practical information – with more flexibility and zero travel costs. Hear and see the same Technical Sessions you’d see in Denver! Plus, you’ll be automatically subscribed to the AIHce Virtual Tech Session (AIHA) Community further extending your interactive virtual networking opportunities. Your one-day AIHce Virtual Tech Session registration includes: Continue reading Attend AIHce 2010 Tech Sessions… Virtually
 Scott Schneider, director of safety for the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America and chairman of the work group that developed the New ANSI A10.47 Standard, provided a detailed overview, via a webinar, about this new standard on “Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction”. This comprehensive standard, effective February 24, 2010, covers practices including Flagger Safety, Runover/Backover Prevention, Equipment Operator Safety, Illumination, Personal Protective Equipment, and more.
To view a copy of the webinar, click HERE.
A copy of the standard is available on the ANSI Website for $69.00.
Source: WorkZoneSafety.org
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