OSHA Publishes Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for New Respirator Fit-Testing Protocol
     The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (www.osha.gov) for a new fit-testing protocol -- the Abbreviated Bitrex Qualitative Fit-Testing (ABQLFT) protocol -- under Appendix A of OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard. The agency is accepting public comments until Feb. 25, 2008. The proposed rule would add the ABQLFT as an alternative to the four existing OSHA-approved qualitative fit-test protocols. The ABQLFT protocol currently listed in the existing OSHA-approved Bitrex fit-test protocol in the Respiratory Protection standard would shorten the duration for each of the seven fit-test exercises from one minute to 15 seconds. The proposed protocol would apply to employers in general industry, shipyard employment and the construction industry.
     Interested parties may submit comments at www.regulations.gov, the federal eRulemaking Portal; by sending three copies to the OSHA Docket Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, DC, 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350; or if the written submission is ten pages or less, FAX to (202) 693-1648. All comments on the NPRM must include the docket number for this Federal Register notice, OSHA 2007-0006. See the Federal Register notice for more information on submitting comments. Technical questions about this NPRM can be addressed to John E. Steelnack, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, at (202) 693-2289.

Click here for the full Federal Register notice. 

NIOSH Adds Science Blog
     NIOSH recently launched the new NIOSH Science Blog – NIOSH's most recent tool for sharing NIOSH research and communicating with our stakeholders.  The NIOSH Science Blog just added a new posting on workplace stress. Stress is a prevalent problem across occupations and the effects of stress can have broad impact on the worker’s general health and well-being. Other topics posted since the creation of the blog include Preventing Firefighter Deaths from Cardiovascular events and Truck Driver Safety and Health.
     NIOSH's goal in creating the Science Blog is to become an important channel through which NIOSH research can be seen, read, discussed, understood and used to improve worker safety and health throughout the world. Through robust scientific discussion with stakeholders, NIOSH researchers hope to sharpen their own thinking about various occupational safety and health issues and learn how best to communicate with all segments of the stakeholder community.

Click here to visit the NIOSH Science Blog.
 

OSHA Issues Direct Final Rule to Update Some Standards Based on National Consensus Standards
     The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced they are accepting public comments on the direct final rule that will update OSHA standards based on National Consensus Standards. This direct final rule and the accompanying Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) address welding definitions; abrasive wheel specifications; floor and wall openings, railings, and toeboards; marking of portable compressed gas cylinders; and spray finishing.
     In the direct final rule, OSHA is deleting several references to consensus standards that have requirements that duplicate or are comparable to other OSHA rules. The direct final rule will become effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless significant adverse comments are received within 30 days of its publication in Federal Register.
     Comments must be submitted no later than Jan. 14, 2008, and should be submitted to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2007-0040, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. The phone number is (202) 693-2350. Comments are also accepted electronically (see Federal Register notice for instructions), by FAX at (202) 693-1648, messenger, or courier service. All comments for this direct final rule must include the docket number for this Federal Register notice (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0040).

Click here for the Federal Register notice.

Click here for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Click here to submit comments electronically.

Inquiring Ears Want to Know: A Fact Sheet about Your Hearing Test
     Many workers receive an audiogram (hearing test) at some point, especially if they are in a hearing conservation program, but what do the results mean? This single page (two-sided) fact sheet contains important answers to frequent questions workers ask about their audiograms. It addresses why workers should get regular audiograms, how to understand the results, and why the results should be saved to help evaluate and maintain the worker's hearing. It also has some basic information on the causes of hearing loss and how to prevent it.

Click here to download.

Source: NIOSH
 

Making Your Workplace Smokefree—A Decision Maker's Guide
     The U.S. Centers for Disease Control offers this manual that provides information on how to design, implement, and evaluate smoke-free policies and related activities.  Topics covered include:

• Introduction
• Costs and Other Consequences of Tobacco
• Benefits of a Smokefree Workplace
• A Decision Maker's Guide to Choosing a Workplace Policy
• Support for Employees Who Smoke
• Step-By-Step: Your Decisions and How to Make Them Work
• Appendices: Resources, Sample Policies, and Organizations with Smokefree Workplaces

Click here to download.

Versa-Gard® Flex D, Seamless 13 gauge nylon knit glove, dip-coated in HCT foam Nitrile with dot finish and knuckle protection. HCT compounding creates deep pockets in the base. These pockets are then injected with a Nitrile coating to retain softness and flexibility while remaining durable, abrasion-resistant, and impenetrable by oils.

Click here to order.

News You Can Use

Illinois Businesses - Smoke-Free Is Now The Law
     As of Tuesday, January 1, 2008, smoking will be prohibited within 15 feet of the doors of all Illinois public buildings and businesses. The statewide smoking ban, signed by Governor Rod Blagojevich in May, also prohibits smoking inside bars, restaurants and other public buildings. Illinois is now one of more than 20 states to enact such a smoking ban.
     Many states, cities and counties across the country have enacted strong smoke-free laws in response to people speaking up for their right to breathe clean, smoke-free air, free of the proven dangers of secondhand smoke which include lung cancer, heart disease and serious respiratory illnesses that are responsible for thousands of deaths each year.
     Key Facts About Smoke-Free Illinois

• Business should be in compliance by Tuesday, January 1, 2008.
• A person who owns, operates, or otherwise controls a public place or place of employment that violates the act shall be fined not less than $250 for the first violation, not less than $500 for the second violation within one year after the first violation, and not less than $2,500 for each additional violation within one year after the first violation.
• Smoking will be prohibited in a public place or place of employment or within 15-feet of an entrance to a public place or place of employment, unless exempted by the act.

What The Law States About Posting Requirements (from Public Act 095-0017)

Section 20. Posting of signs; removal of ashtrays.

1. (a) "No Smoking" signs or the international "No Smoking" symbol, consisting of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a red circle with a red bar across it, shall be clearly and conspicuously posted in each public place and place of employment where smoking is prohibited by this Act by the owner, operator, manager, or other person in control of that place.
2. (b) Each public place and place of employment where smoking is prohibited by this Act shall have posted at every entrance a conspicuous sign clearly stating that smoking is prohibited.

Order signs now - choose from 5 x 7 inch or 7 x 10 inch in 7 different materials.

Click here to order Illinois No Smoking signs in English.

Click here to order Illinois No Smoking signs in Spanish.

Click here to order other No Smoking signs including multi-lingual.

Meeting the ANSI Z359.2 Managed Fall Protection Program Requirements
     Earlier this year, ANSI/ASSE Z359.2-2007, "Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program", received final ANSI approval.  ANSI Z359.2 establishes the technical and administrative criteria for the components of a comprehensive managed fall protection program. MSA wants to make the understanding and implementation of this standard as easy as possible. This interactive tool provides:

• A summary of MSA's interpretation of the new requirements,
• An evaluation tool to rate your program vs. the requirements,
• Templates that you can download and use immediately, and
• Examples of how to meet the requirements.

Click here to access the interactive tool.

Study Suggests Workplace Flexibility Leads to Healthier Lifestyle Habits
     A recent Wake Forest University study reports that workers with job flexibility were more likely to describe themselves as living a healthful lifestyle than those with more regimented routines. A sampling of 3,200 workers at a major pharmaceutical company, including executives, support staff, warehouse and production employees were surveyed about their health habits, sleep quality, exercise and the overall healthfulness of their lives. The employees also were asked whether their jobs provided the flexibility needed to meet work, personal and family commitments.
     If companies provide workplace flexibility and if employees perceive that flexibility as real, then healthier lifestyle habits are put into action by those employees, according to new research by lead author Joseph G. Grzywacz, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Grzywacz explains that while workplace flexibility is widely believed to be an essential element of effective worksite health promotion programs, there has been little systemic research in support of this belief. Grzywacz said the goal of his study is to improve “understanding of the potential effect of workplace flexibility on worker lifestyle habits.”
     Data for the study came from Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) completed by employees of a large multinational pharmaceutical company. This company is consistently recognized by Working Mother magazine as among the most family-friendly employers in the United States, in large part, because if its commitment to flexibility such as compressed workweeks, flextime, job sharing, and remote or telework. Employees with a wide variety of jobs and responsibilities completed the HRA, including executives, administrative support staff, and warehouse and production workers. The data was analyzed to determine if lifestyle behaviors differ between employees with different levels of perceived flexibility and to identify if changes in flexibility over a one-year time period predicted changes in health behavior. The study focused on frequency of physical activity, engagement in stress management programs, participation in health education activities, healthful sleep habits, and self-appraised overall lifestyle.

Source: American Association of Occupational Health Nurses

Drinking Alcohol May Keep Leg Arteries Healthy
     In the elderly, moderate alcohol consumption may protect against leg artery disease, a condition in which the arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs. In a study, researchers found that elderly men and women who reported drinking from one to 13 servings of beer, wine, or liquor a week had a 44 percent lower risk of being hospitalized for leg artery disease, compared with elderly men and women who reported no alcohol consumption.
     "These results are consistent with the long-standing observation that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart attack, which is also caused by blockages in arteries," Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Brookline, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health. But associations between alcohol intake and cardiovascular risk must be placed in the context of the many potentially detrimental effects of alcohol drinking, Mukamal and colleagues caution in a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
     Over time, a build-up of plaque and a hardening of the arteries may impact circulation in the legs, ankles, and feet and cause lower-extremity artery disease. Symptoms of this condition include burning, aching, pain, and coolness in the legs, as well as changes in skin color or the development of slow or non-healing sores on the legs or feet. Mukamal's team identified a lower risk for hospitalization for lower extremity artery disease over 7.5 years on average among self-reported moderate alcohol drinkers. The study population included 5,635 generally healthy, community-dwelling adults who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study. By contrast, this apparent protective effect was not evident among study participants reporting less than one, or 14 or more, alcoholic drinks a week, the researchers report.
     Moderate alcohol consumption was furthermore associated with a trend for declining arterial pressure in the lower legs, another indicator of lower risk for arterial disease.These findings, taken together with previous research, suggest potential cardiovascular benefits from moderate alcohol consumption. "However, alcohol also has a wide variety of other effects, especially in older adults who are apt to be taking a variety of medications," Mukamal cautions, "so older adults should discuss their alcohol use with their doctors at least yearly."

Click here for the full report.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology via U.S. National Library of Medicine

Tips: Debugging Colds and Flus
     The cold and flu season is already in full swing. There's good news, though: A few simple actions can greatly reduce your chances of getting a cold or the flu and help prevent your family, friends and coworkers from becoming sick as well, says Joanne C. Langan, Ph.D., R.N., coordinator of clinical resources at the Saint Louis University School of Nursing and a member of the university's Pandemic Response Planning Committee.
     "These are common-sense steps everyone should take throughout the year, but it's especially important now that winter's here and cold and flu season is under way," Langan said. "It's all about respecting yourself in order to stay healthy -- and respecting others so they can be healthy as well," Langan added. "No one wants to get sick or to pass along a cold or the flu to someone else."

Click here for the full report.

Source: Occupational Health & Safety Magazine

Focus on Disaster Preparedness

Home Disaster Preparedness

The Home Safety Council has prepared a slide show covering "Home Disaster Preparedness".  This step-by-step guide covers nearly everything you need to know - and share with your family - to prepared for the unexpected. 

Click here to view or download.

Key Products You Need Automated External Defibrillators Save Seconds, Save Minutes, Save Lives! Click here for more information and to order.

BE Prepared Informed Safe Visit www.saftgard.com/2besafe

1. GOOD (UN)VIBRATIONS - ANSI has adopted as an American Standard the international anti-vibration glove standard now to be known as ANSI S3.40/2002:ISO10819.  Be sure the vibration-reducing gloves you use are in compliance.
2. TIP TOP TOES - Steel toe boots and work shoes meeting ANSI A41-1991 I/75 C/75 standards provide safe toe protection.
3. BREATHE DEEP BREATHE EASY - Gas detection instrumentation is available for single gas and multi-gas hazards.
4. LOCK IT UP - Lockout/tagout procedures and products are simple and convenient to use and assist in OSHA compliance.
5. AND WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS - New standards for first aid kits are based on intended use and hazards and should always be convenient and accessible.

Want more information on any of this month's Saf-T-Tips?  E-mail us for a prompt reply.

Hi-Visibility Outerwear Rated ANSI/ISEA-107 Class 3

High-visibility cold weather jacket features yellow waterproof oxford polymer-coated fabric with 4 ounce quilt lining, heavy duty zipper with storm flap, elastic waist and cuffs, and concealed hood.  2 inch wide reflective stripes, 2 horizontal and 6 vertical.  2 hip pockets and 2 inner pockets.  Meets ANSI/ISEA-107 standard for class 3 safety apparel. 

Style RG-8000 - stock sizes M  L  XL  2XL  3XL  4XL

Click here to order.