Manufacturing

Washington — Chemical Safety Board Chair Vanessa A. Sutherland has submitted her resignation and will be stepping down in June, the agency announced May 21.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is reiterating its call for OSHA to enact a comprehensive general industry standard for combustible dust – a potential hazard the board calls a “critical issue in industrial safety.”

Washington — OSHA will extend the compliance date for its beryllium standard for general industry and change certain ancillary provisions in the final rule, according to a settlement agreement between the agency and four petitioners.

Washington — Chemical facility owners and operators should assess their preventive maintenance programs routinely and seek out assistance from industry groups, the Chemical Safety Board and the Chlorine Institute advise in a joint statement released Feb. 20.

Washington — A more vigorous process safety management system approach likely would have helped identify, evaluate and control the hazards that led to a hot work-related explosion that killed three workers and injured seven others last year in DeRidder, LA.

The use of nanomaterials in manufacturing has exploded in this century. As research into safe exposure limits continues, how are employers handling their responsibility to protect employees who work with these valuable but potentially hazardous materials?

Cincinnati — Workers exposed to loud noise on the job are at increased risk for hypertension and high cholesterol – key risk factors for heart disease – according to a recent study from NIOSH.

Muncie, IN – Worry over losing their jobs to automation may affect workers’ physical and mental health, according to a recent study from researchers at Ball State University and Villanova University.

Washington — NIOSH has released four guidance documents intended to “provide options” for employers to better protect workers exposed to nanomaterials.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its revised respirator descriptions for pesticide labels and is seeking public comment.