States, EPA Enforce Fluorescent Recycling Laws

Eponline.com
Numerous states are holding corporate and institutional violators of fluorescent lamp handling requirements accountable for their actions.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments for taking these violations seriously. While EPA and other agencies recommend that all mercury-containing lamps be recycled, requirements vary state to state, and some residents may not be aware of bans on the disposal of such products that have been enacted in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, with an incinerator ban in Florida. (More......)

Safety and Buildings Division - Fire Department Contacts

- Excel spreadsheet, June 24, 2009, alphabetical by fire department name

- Excel spreadsheet, June 24, 2009, numerical by fire department ID number

- Lead inspector and education officer alphabetical by fire department name, June 24, 2009
- County Code Number

(More.....)

ANSI Safety, health, and environmental training standard

On the topic of somewhat recently released standards, here's one on safety, health and environmental training from ASSE:

ANSI Z490.1-2009
Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training

• This standard establishes criteria for safety, health, and environmental training programs, including development, delivery, evaluation and program management. The purpose of this standard is to provide accepted practices for safety, health, and environmental training. This standard is recommended for voluntary application by providers of safety, health, and environmental training, and it is intended to apply to a broad range of training and training programs.

Safety Culture of University Labs Scrutinized

Taken for Granted: Building a Culture of Safety," written by Beryl Lieff Benderly, asks whether researchers are focused sufficiently on safety. It discusses Cal/OSHA penalties assessed in May 2009 against UCLA in connection with the Jan. 16, 2009, death of a research assistant.

Jun 13, 2009
A worrisome look inside the safety of university science labs is currently featured on the online site of Science Careers, which is associated with the journal Science. Titled "Taken for Granted: Building a Culture of Safety," the article written by Beryl Lieff Benderly of Washington, D.C., discusses Cal/OSHA penalties assessed in May 2009 against UCLA in connection with the Jan. 16, 2009, death of research assistant Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji. She succumbed to burn injuries suffered on Dec. 29, 2008, after her clothing caught fire as she transferred a pyrophoric chemical from one container to another.

Benderly has followed this story closely for Science Careers. Sangji was not wearing PPE or a lab coat, according to the coverage, which notes that UCLA announced May 4 it would not contest or appeal the $31,875 fine.

Benderly's latest article quotes lab safety experts about the state of safety in university laboratories. PPE is not frequently used in some university labs, where the culture prizes individual creativity. One expert urges lab workers to speak up forcefully whenever they see a colleague working in an unsafe manner.

UCLA's May 4 statement quoted Chancellor Gene Block: "In the wake of Sheri's tragic accident, I communicated to the UCLA community plans for a comprehensive review of our laboratory inspection programs and implementation of revised procedures to ensure the safety of our researchers. Although substantial progress has already been made, we will continue to thoroughly monitor and assess our lab training and safety protocols as an integral component of our daily operations. The Cal/OSHA report will provide critical assistance with these ongoing efforts. As we continue to mourn Sheri's death and grieve for her family, we are determined to rededicate ourselves to ensuring the safety of each and every member of our entire Bruin family." (More....)

UCLA appeals state findings in fatal lab fire

Cal/OSHA had cited workplace-safety violations in the December death of staff research assistant Sheri Sangji. The school says it has made required changes and paid more than $31,000 in fines.
By Kim Christensen
June 6, 2009
UCLA has appealed state regulators' findings of serious workplace-safety violations in the fatal burning of a staff research assistant last year in a lab fire.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health found last month that Sheri Sangji, 23, was not properly trained and was not wearing protective clothing Dec. 29 when an experiment with air-sensitive chemicals burst into flames. (More...)

June 2009 safety awareness poster, DOA

Here is the June safety poster from the Department of Administration, highlighting their three
focus areas:

• Lifting, Moving or Restraining Loads, typically resulting in back, shoulder and neck injuries;
• Slips, Trips and Falls, typically resulting in concussions, broken limbs, broken hips and back, shoulder and neck injuries; And,
• Motion of the Individual, which in an office environment includes ergonomic related injuries.

Sculpture studio exposure study

The NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program evaluated potential exposures at a college’s sculpture studios. Investigators recommended that managers correct safety hazards in the studios and substitute a less toxic plastics adhesive that does not contain methylene chloride. To reduce exposure to welding fumes, it was recommended that adequate outdoor and replacement air be supplied to the sculpture studios and local exhaust ventilation be installed in the metalworking studio.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2007-0167-3078.pdf