Free Webinar: Indoor Air Quality – Separating Fact From Fiction

webinar

“Indoor Air Quality: Separating Fact from Fiction”, presented by Scott Lawson, covers issues relating to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) including common complaints, contaminants and sources, the anatomy of an effective IAQ assessment, and IAQ standards.

The presentation begins with the overall comparison of IAQ issues and their origins. Many IAQ complaints emanate from either real or perceived symptoms and often have little to do with the quality of the indoor environment, never mind air quality. Many companies deal poorly with the investigation of these complaints that, in many cases, only exacerbate the situation, leading to “ghost chasing” scenarios that are very expensive and do little to help evaluate the real problems so that real solutions can be recommended.

The core of the discussion will be regarding a meaningful evaluation of the indoor environment, based largely on occupant input, which has a much greater chance of a successful investigation with satisfying outcomes for both building managers and occupants alike.

Other issues that will be discussed include ways IAQ issues surface; the types of IAQ contaminants, such as mold; mold recognition and sampling styles; how to control IAQ problems; the components of an effective IAQ survey; and more.

Learning Outcomes for this Webinar:

* An understanding of IAQ contaminants and the sources of these contaminants
* Using occupant driven perceptions about the occupied space to determine sampling strategies
* An understanding of how to control/prevent IAQ problems from occurring.
* A comprehension of the systematic approach to identifying and addressing IAQ problems once they occur.
* Exposure to real-life examples that tie all the above learning objectives together

This presentation will begin on October 29, 2009 at 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

Natural Hazard Mortality in the United States

Standard Mortality Rates by County

Standard Mortality Rates by County

Two University of South Carolina geographers have produced a map of natural-hazard mortality in the United States.

The map, featured in the International Journal of Health Geographics, gives a county-level representation of the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes or extreme weather.

Dr. Susan Cutter, a Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography, and Kevin Borden, a doctoral candidate in geography, used nationwide data dating back to 1970 to create the map.

“Using this as a tool to identify areas with higher-than-average deaths can justify allocation of resources to these areas with the goal of reducing loss of life,” said Cutter.

(more…)

Safety & Social Media? CPSC Joins the Movement

(from the CPSC)

web_201In keeping with its commitment to protect the lives of children and families, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is launching “CPSC 2.0,” a comprehensive social networking initiative that will make lifesaving and other safety information more accessible to consumers. Utilizing a variety of technologies and social media sites, CPSC will rapidly expand its reach to millions of consumers.

“Through social media, CPSC can directly reach millions of the moms, dads and others who need our safety information the most,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.

Today’s launch coincides with CPSC’s Furniture and TV Tip-over Education Campaign. By educating parents and caregivers about the dangers of unstable furniture through dramatic video, blogging and podcasting, CPSC hopes to raise the public’s awareness of tip-over dangers in the home.

Future CPSC 2.0 content will address other safety issues in and around the home in engaging, consumer-friendly ways.

Chairman Tenenbaum added, “Safety can often be achieved through education, and we plan to use every available technology to keep Americans informed.”

Consumers can find CPSC on its “OnSafety” blog, which has messages, articles, videos, podcasts and other information. The site also has a ‘Recall Widget’ tool that anyone can easily add to their Web site. CPSC will also have an official presence on a YouTube channel, a Twitter page, and a FlickR page.

High Visibility Apparel When Working Near Vehicular Traffic

safety_vest_high_visibility

From OSHA’s Interpretations:

Question: Construction employees working on highway/road construction work zones often risk being struck by traffic. Do the OSHA standards require high-visibility apparel for these construction workers?

Answer: Road and construction traffic poses an obvious and well-recognized hazard to highway/road construction work zone employees. OSHA standards require such employees to wear high visibility garments in two specific circumstances: when they work as flaggers 1 and when they are exposed to public vehicular traffic in the vicinity of excavations2. However, other construction workers in highway/road construction work zones are also exposed to the danger of being struck by the vehicles operating near them. for such workers, section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, 29 U.S.C. §654(a)(1), also known as the General Duty Clause, requires similar protection3.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) recent issuance of a final rule (Worker Visibility, 23 CFR Part 634)4 demonstrates the need for all workers who are exposed either to public traffic or to construction vehicles and equipment to wear high-visibility apparel5. Section 634.3 of the Worker Visibility Rule states:

All workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel.

The purpose of this requirement, as stated in section 634.1, is “to decrease the likelihood of worker fatalities or injuries caused by motor vehicles and construction vehicles and equipment….” In the preamble to the Worker Visibility rule (Volume 71 of the Federal Register, page 67792), the FHWA stated:

High visibility is one of the most prominent needs for workers who must perfonn tasks near moving vehicles or equipment. The need to be seen by those who drive or operate vehicles or equipment is recognized as a critical issue for worker safety. The sooner a worker in or near the path of travel is seen, the more time the operator has to avoid an accident. The FHWA recognized this fact and included language in the 2000 Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to address this issue.

The FHWA’s rationale underlying the rule well illustrates that the industry recognizes that construction workers in highway/road construction work zones need protection against the hazard posed by moving traffic. The FHWA’s recent mandatory standard for workers on federal-aid highways shows that struck-by hazards in highway/road construction work zones are well recognized by the construction industry. Furthermore, the standard indicates that a feasible means of addressing that hazard is the wearing of high-visibility apparel. Accordingly, high-visibility apparel is required under the General Duty Clause to protect employees exposed to the danger of being struck by public and construction traffic while working in highway/road construction work zones. Typically, workers in a highway/road work zone are exposed to that hazard most of the time.

Richard E. Fairfax, Acting Director
Directorate of Construction

(footnotes after the break) (more…)

Combustible Dust: Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

combustible_dust

Washburn Mill

“OSHA is requesting comments, including data and other information, on issues related to the hazards of combustible dust in the workplace. For the purposes of this notice, the term “combustible dust” includes all combustible particulate solids of any size, shape, or chemical composition that could present a fire or deflagration hazard when suspended in air or other oxidizing medium. OSHA plans to use the information received in response to this notice in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust.”

OSHA is seeking comments until January 19, 2010.

The notice provides some comments on historical combustible dust explosions in grain handling facilities, textile mills, electrical generating facilities, etc. and the rates at which OSHA has noted the occurrences.

Findings from OSHA’s studies from 1980-2008 indicate the following:

  • Many industry and safety professionals lack awareness of combustible dust hazards.
  • The widely recognized standards of good engineering practice in the NFPA’s voluntary consensus standards were not being followed in many facilities.
  • State and local fire codes were ineffective as a viable mechanism to reduce dust explosion risks in general industry nationwide.
  • OSHA’s focus has been on enforcement activities in response to combustible dust incidents.
  • The only comprehensive OSHA standard that specifically addresses combustible dust hazards (the 1987 Grain handling facilities standard) has effectively reduced the risk and consequences of grain-dust explosions, and incorporates many of the same principles that can be found in the NFPA standards.

During the National Emphasis Program, the three most frequently referenced consensus standards were as follows, in descending order of frequency:

  • NFPA 654, Standard for Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids
  • NFPA 664, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities
  • NFPA 61, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities

OSHA has preliminarily concluded that national consensus standards alone, even when adopted by State or local governments, are insufficient to adequately protect workers from these hazards.

To Read More, Go HERE: 

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Common Mistakes: Sampling with Sorbent Tube in Horizontal Position

Hiking: The Path of Least Resistance

Hiking: The Path of Least Resistance

Like hikers, electricity in a circuit, and water flowing downhill, airborne vapors also take the path of least resistance.  Therefore, it is important to maintain proper orientation with a sorbent tube while air sampling.  If the sorbent tube is placed in a horizontal position, “channeling” may occur due to the sorbent falling away from the walls of the glass sorbent tube.  As the vapors take the path of least resistance (i.e. through the “channel”), the effectiveness of the adsorption by the sorbent bed will be decreased because of the effective surface area being diminished.  The sorbent tube should be maintained in a vertical position (or as close as possible) to avoid the “channeling” effect.

OSHA Requests Comments on Change in HAZCOM Standard

osha-logoOSHA is proposing to modify its existing Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to conform with the United Nations’ (UN) Globally  Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). OSHA has made a preliminary determination that the proposed modifications will improve the quality and consistency of information provided to employers and employees regarding chemical hazards and associated protective measures. The Agency anticipates this improved information will enhance the effectiveness of the HCS in ensuring that employees are apprised of the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed, and in reducing the incidence of chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries.

The proposed modifications to the standard include revised criteria for classification of chemical hazards; revised labeling provisions
that include requirements for use of standardized signal words, pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements; a
specified format for safety data sheets; and related revisions to definitions of terms used in the standard, requirements for employee
training on labels and safety data sheets. OSHA is also proposing to modify provisions of a number of other standards, including standards for flammable and combustible liquids, process safety management, and most substance-specific health standards, to ensure consistency with the modified HCS requirements.

For more information on sending comments pertaining to the changes, visit HERE

EPA Publishes Guidelines for Methamphetamine Lab Cleanup

epa_methDownload HERE:

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From the EPA’s Website

The Voluntary Guidelines for Methamphetamine Laboratory Cleanup provide guidance for individuals responsible for methamphetamine (meth) lab cleanup. The Guidelines are based on an extensive review of the best available science and practices and addresses general cleanup activities, identifies best practices for specific items or materials, discusses sampling procedures, and provides additional technical resources.

Guidelines Questions and Answers:

Why is EPA publishing these voluntary guidelines?

The Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007 required EPA to develop guidelines for remediating former methamphetamine labs. This document provides those guidelines for States and local agencies to improve “our national understanding of identifying the point at which former methamphetamine laboratories become clean enough to inhabit again.” The legislation also required that EPA periodically update the guidelines, as appropriate, to reflect the best available knowledge and research.

Who should use these guidelines?

The guidelines are geared towards state and local government personnel charged with remediating or otherwise addressing former methamphetamine (meth) labs. This document helps disseminate the best available knowledge and research on meth lab remediation and will also prove useful to cleanup contractors and could be a resource for homeowners.

Does this document create new regulations for meth lab cleanup?

EPA prepared this document based on best current practices to provide voluntary cleanup guidelines to state and local governments, cleanup contractors, industrial hygienists, policy makers and others involved in meth lab remediation. It does not set requirements, but rather suggests a way of approaching meth lab remediation. Those using this document should also consult their appropriate municipal, county or state guidance documents, regulations and statutes. This document is not meant to supersede municipal, county or state guidance documents, regulations or statutes (however this document may be useful as they develop and/or review and revise their own guidelines).

Revised ANSI Training Standard for Health, Safety and Environmental

Purchase the ANSI Z490.1-2009 standard HEREansi-training-standard

The charter of the American National Standards Committee Z490 on Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training was accredited by the American National Standards Institute on April 1, 1998. This Standard grew out of the recognized need for improvement in safety, health, and environmental training. Quality training is required to ensure that workers and safety, health, and environmental professionals have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to protect themselves and others in the workplace.

Safety, health, and environmental training is an important element of an effective overall safety, health, and environmental program.

Historically, safety, health, and environmental training has been specifically addressed by only a few regulations with limited scope, such as asbestos, hazard communication, and storm water management. The regulations usually specify the technical topics to be covered in a training course, but do not stipulate how to adequately design, develop, deliver, and evaluate training.

This Standard covers all facets of training, including training development, delivery, evaluation, and management of training and training programs. Thus, the criteria were developed by combining accepted practices in the training industry with those in the safety, health, and environmental industries. The Standard is intended to apply to a broad range of training and training programs.

Industry employers may use this Standard to assess the services of external training providers or to audit or improve their own corporate training programs. Training providers may use the Standard to assess and improve their training services. This Standard may also be used as a basis for development and management of training and training programs, with the annexes and references providing additional information and detail.

A copy of the Table of Contents is provided below.

ansi-z490-toc

AIHA Addresses the Stimulus Program and Occupational Health and Safety

aihaSource: AIHA

“AIHA commends the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on its recent decision to implement a multi-tiered enforcement program to ensure worker protection on projects related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Early in the year, the Obama Administration proposed creating more than one million new construction and manufacturing jobs.

In response, the AIHA urged both President Obama and Labor Secretary Solis to ensure that the new jobs created by the stimulus package had adequate workplace protections for these workers. One specific issue AIHA stressed was the need for additional OSHA personnel to work solely on the new job creation projects.

Secretary Solis has announced that OSHA will strengthen enforcement by hiring an additional 36 inspectors to provide guidance training and outreach to employers and workers and by launching a new effort to collect information about injuries and illnesses in the construction industry.”

Read the

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from AIHA pertaining to occupational health and safety and the stimulus.

Free Process Safety Management Training

gtriThe Georgia Tech Research Institute is offering FREE one day and one week course regarding the creation of an effective Process Safety Management (PSM) program in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.119. The training is being offered under the Susan Harwood Program grant from OSHA.

Course Highlights include:

  • Who is covered by the standard
  • Review of the standard
  • How to comply with the standard
  • Access to references and how to utilize them to ensure compliance

Course Topics include:

  • PSM history
  • Hazards of processes
  • Toxicity information
  • Technology and equipment of the process (block diagrams & P&ID’s)
  • Mechanical integrity
  • Training
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Incident Investigation
  • and much more!

The courses are being held in Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Raleigh, Savannah and Gulfport (MS).

Additional information can be found HERE or by downloading the

  ExcavationsPPT.ppt (3.4 MiB, 2,957 hits)

.