S+H Staff

Washington – NIOSH recently issued a report on lessons learned from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The report found that NIOSH, given its limited resources, should decide what role it will play in future large-scale disaster events and that federal agencies need standardized tools for data collection and information posting.

Washington – NIOSH is proposing to conduct a survey of Latino workers to compare differences in how immigrants and American-born workers view workplace safety.

Washington – The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health is scheduled to meet Feb. 22-23 in Washington to discuss injury and illness prevention programs.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board recently provided updates on safety recommendations from two previous investigations.

Washington – The debate over regulations and their effect on the economy continued during a Feb. 1 House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing that primarily focused on job creation but often veered into the toll that government rules – such as OSHA standards – take on companies.

Washington – More than one-fifth of non-smoking middle school and high school students were exposed to secondhand smoke in vehicles in 2009 – this despite a “significant” decline in exposure in the past decade, according to a study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an informal online poll conducted in January/February 2012, readers reported on complacency among employees in their companies and organizations.

Here’s one solution to the prolonged OSHA standard-setting process: Abolish most standards. Sounds crazy, right? How could OSHA hold employers accountable without standards? Simple: By holding employers accountable to one standard of measurement – whether or not they are keeping a safe workplace for their employees.

A white paper from OSHA presents research in support of injury and illness prevention programs, including a summary of the 34 existing state programs.

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council has released a new video for professional installers to illustrate good safety practices for low-pressure, two-component spray polyurethane foam application.