Monday, March 7, 2011
Reference for federal campus fire safety reporting
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Right-to-Know App Identifies Toxic Neighbors
This application was designed by Abt Associates for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Feb 24, 2011
If you’ve ever wondered how close your home or office is to a chemical facility and if the toxins it is releasing might impact your health, answers can be as close as your smartphone. A pioneering mobile application known as My Right-to-Know (myRTK), designed and developed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by Abt Associates, can enable you to easily access this information. All you need is a Web-enabled mobile device.
The MyRTK application, engineered by the Bethesda firm launches with a map or list of facilities in close proximity to the mobile device, or near an address identified by the user. An easy-to-comprehend, graphically rich interface is used to simplify fairly complex information, including the facilities' locations, relative size, chemical releases and their possible health effects, and a record of compliance with U.S. environmental laws. The Google-serviced maps are complemented with street and satellite views.
The application includes suggestions of what mobile users might do next, such as report a potential violation from their device using a link to EPA's enforcement office.
MyRTK can be viewed at http://myrtk.epa.gov/info/. (More...)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
On second thought, noise is what it always was
It seems like I just wrote about this topic... because I did, last week. Yesterday, OSHA announced that, upon further consideration, they will not be changing their interpretation of the occupational noise control standard.
Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said "...it is clear from the concerns raised about this proposal that addressing this problem requires much more public outreach and many more resources than we had originally anticipated." One could surmise that given the current landscape of Capitol Hill that this proposal will not be returning soon.
Text of news release is here.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
"feasible engineering and administrative noise controls"
The National Hearing Conservation Association has published a defense of the proposed changes, rebutting some of the arguments that are being put forward by business groups. The NHCA points out the shortcomings in the current policy:
This policy – established over 25 years ago in the absence of rulemaking or public input – does not require employers to implement feasible engineering and administrative noise controls until workers’ eight-hour average exposures reach 100 dBA or greater, which is ten times more intense than the current Permissible Exposure Limit of 90 dBA. The current policy has made noise the only regulated health hazard in which OSHA has failed to acknowledge the primacy of engineering controls, and has resulted in a substantial increase in risk of hearing loss for some American workers. The alternative exposure reduction method currently allowed by OSHA for eight hour average exposures between 90 and 100 dBA is the use of earplugs or earmuffs, which have been demonstrated to provide insufficient protection for many workers, if they are used at all.
Links:
Does this make the breakroom a safer place?
I must be falling down on the job -- I had no idea that saccharin had been de-listed from the hazardous waste list. Now that it's off the list, I won't have to report those diet soda spills to the feds anymore...
The following is an update from EPA's Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center:
On December 17, 2010, EPA published a final rule to remove saccharin and its salts from the CERCLA list of hazardous substances and the RCRA list of hazardous wastes. EPA's listing of saccharin as a hazardous waste under RCRA was the sole basis for its listing as a hazardous substance under CERCLA; therefore, since EPA has removed saccharin's listing as a hazardous waste, there is no longer reason for it to be listed as a hazardous substance under CERCLA. Persons in charge of vessels or facilities from which saccharin or its salts are released will no longer be required to immediately notify the National Response Center of the release under CERCLA Section 103 and will not be subject to the liability provisions under CERCLA Section 107.
More information on this final rule is available at the following URL:
www.epa.gov/waste/hazard/wastetypes/wasteid/saccharin
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
FDA Safety Notification: Risk of Eye and Skin Injuries from High-powered, Hand-held Lasers Used for Pointing or Entertainment
Date Issued: Dec. 16, 2010
Audience: Consumers
Product: Hand-held laser pointers that emit 5 milliwatts (mW) output power or higher.
Purpose: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers about the risk of eye and skin injuries from high-powered laser pointers.
Summary of Problem and Scope:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers about the risk of eye and skin injuries from exposure to high-powered laser pointers. FDA regulations limit the energy output of hand-held laser pointers to 5 milliwatts (mW). (More.....)
Audience: Consumers
Product: Hand-held laser pointers that emit 5 milliwatts (mW) output power or higher.
Purpose: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers about the risk of eye and skin injuries from high-powered laser pointers.
Summary of Problem and Scope:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers about the risk of eye and skin injuries from exposure to high-powered laser pointers. FDA regulations limit the energy output of hand-held laser pointers to 5 milliwatts (mW). (More.....)
Monday, January 3, 2011
OSHA Issues $787,000 in Penalties Against Wisconsin Firm
From Environmental Protection Online
The citation includes 14 alleged willful and one serious violation against WRR Environmental Services Co. of Eau Claire in connection with a June 29 explosion and fire at its plant, OSHA announced Tuesday.
Dec 15, 2010
OSHA issued $787,000 in proposed penalties Tuesday against a hazardous waste management and solvent recycling company, WRR Environmental Services Co. of Eau Claire, Wis. There were 14 willful and one serious citation filed for allegedly failing to implement measures to prevent chemical fires and explosions at its plant in Eau Claire, where an OSHA investigation took place after a June 29 explosion and fire in a solvent sludge feed tank.
The tank's roof blew off, and a nearby tank also exploded. "Employees had been working in the area of the solvent sludge feed tank immediately prior to the explosion. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries," OSHA stated in its news release.
"Even after WRR Environmental Services experienced a devastating fire that destroyed the facility in 2007, the company still failed to implement an adequate program to ensure safe operating conditions," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels.
OSHA said this investigation was part of its new Severe Violators Enforcement Program.
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