Archive for October 2020
They make a living outside in dangerous NC heat. “Your body can’t handle the work.”
About 150,000 farmworkers harvest North Carolina’s crops, tend to its fields and support the state’s largest industry. This is an industry that comes with particular risks. Outdoor work is a leading cause of reported heat illness in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. A 2016 Wake Forest University study found that…
Read MoreEPA outlines global strategy for combating marine litter
EPA has released a comprehensive strategy for combating marine litter throughout the world. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was joined by U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Mark Menezes and other environmental leaders during an announcement at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Wheeler said it is estimated that 11 to 28…
Read MoreEPA takes action to protect public from coronavirus protection scam
EPA Region 2 (N.J., N.Y., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and eight Native-American nations) has issued 29 advisory letter and eight notices of warning to entities operating in New York and New Jersey to address pesticide products and devices that were found to be marketed with unsubstantiated claims of efficacy against the novel coronavirus (the…
Read MoreThanks to COVID-19, dentistry confronts the need for the hierarchy of hazard controls
COVID-19, like many other infectious diseases, will be contained someday. When that happens, the way we approach patient care will be different, and infection control practices may need to be more rigorous. But what will stay the same is the time-tested hierarchy of hazard controls. Since its establishment during the 1990 fight against tuberculosis, the hierarchy of…
Read MoreChicago area researchers engineering better masks with improved design and safety
They’re known for big science – super computers and sequencing proteins. But at the same time, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory simply want to make better masks. They’ve been working on ideas since the early days of the pandemic. And now they’re ready to roll them out. Research is being conducted on the 1700-acre campus…
Read MoreDo you feel unsafe going to work because of COVID-19? Here are your options
One third of grocery-store workers say their employer hasn’t taken the proper steps to keep employees safe during the pandemic, according to one survey As essential workers continue to risk COVID-19 exposure at work, a third of grocery-store workers say their employer hasn’t taken the proper steps to keep employees safe during the pandemic, according to…
Read MoreCalif. bill requires employers to notify every employee of potential workplace COVID-19 exposures
In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the California Legislature has passed Assembly Bill (“AB”) 685, requiring employers to notify every employee of potential COVID-19 exposure at the workplace. Governor Newsom signed AB 685 into law and it will go into effect on January 1, 2021. AB 685 will bring the following changes to employers in California: AB…
Read MoreA Guide for the Control of Audible Sound Hazards
ACGIH® is proud to release A Guide for the Control of Audible Sound Hazards. This guide is designed to provide additional guidance for users of the Threshold Limit Value (TLV®) for occupational exposure to audible sound, which recommends levels of exposure and conditions under which it is believed that nearly all healthy workers may be repeatedly exposed, day…
Read MoreFire at Santa Fe cannabis facility badly hurts 2 workers
State and local officials are investigating the cause of a fire Thursday afternoon that severely injured two employees at New MexiCann Natural Medicine and prompted state officials to suspend the Santa Fe-based company’s license to produce medical cannabis products, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. Two men working at the company’s main campus on…
Read MoreWorld worries about release of Fukushima nuclear water
The world public, especially those in Japan’s neighbors such as China and South Korea, have expressed deep concerns over environmental pollution and human health, and opposition to the Japanese government’s plan to dump radioactive water from the disabled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Analysts said that Japan should think twice before making the decision…
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