Manufacturing

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.

As new technologies bring robots side by side with human workers, what are the implications for occupational safety?

Washington — Ototoxicants – chemicals that can cause hearing loss and balance issues when inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin – are found in certain pesticides, solvents and medications, and the risk of their adverse effects increases when workers are exposed to elevated noise levels, OSHA cautions in a Safety and Health Information Bulletin published March 8.

Boston — Workers frequently exposed to diesel exhaust may face a higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the risk may increase with length of exposure, a preliminary study from Harvard University suggests.

Washington — States that have made “significant” safety improvements in recent years by incorporating Chemical Safety Board recommendations are highlighted in the agency’s inaugural Safety Spotlight publication.

Washington — NIOSH has published its National Occupational Research Agenda for Manufacturing, intended to spotlight the industry’s most important occupational safety and health research needs for the next decade.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service has denied a National Chicken Council petition seeking unrestricted line speeds in poultry-processing plants.

Washington — Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is among four lawmakers calling for Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta to address their concerns over OSHA’s responses to a Government Accountability Office report, issued in November, on the health and safety of meat and poultry industry workers.

Philadelphia — Seeking to gain insights on how an injury to one part of the body potentially can lead to other injuries, University of Pennsylvania and Haverford College researchers have developed a mathematical model for all human muscles and bones.