Hazards

Arlington, VA – The overall permissible level of respirable dust in coal mines has been lowered to 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air from 2.0 as part of the third – and final – phase of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s rule on limiting miner exposure to coal mine dust.

Washington – In an effort to encourage the development of technology to combat work-related hearing loss, OSHA, NIOSH, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have partnered on a new competition.

Olympia, WA – Workers are spending more time on computers and, as a result, the percentage of office workers with musculoskeletal issues is increasing, according to an ergonomics evaluation study conducted by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Bethesda, MD – A study of radiologists shows that those who finished medical school after 1940 do not have a higher risk of radiation-related death, according to researchers from the National Cancer Institute.

San Francisco – Fifty-two percent of employers have updated or implemented a “zero tolerance” workplace violence prevention policy in response to mass shootings at U.S. workplaces in recent years, according to the results of a survey conducted by labor law firm Littler Mendelson.

Washington – A number of labor unions are calling on OSHA to create a standard aimed at preventing workplace violence in the health care and social services industries.

Washington – Two new fact sheets from OSHA provide information intended to protect workers from combustible dust explosion hazards and agricultural emergencies.

Washington – On any given day, Republic Services sends about 15,000 trucks onto busy roads and residential streets for garbage pickup and recycling.

Toronto – Women report pain and other symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders in the neck and upper limbs about twice as often as men, who are more likely to have lower-back injuries, according to research from McGill University in Montreal.

Should an individual in an indoor work setting use the same preventive measures for heat stress as someone working in an outdoor setting?