BERKELEY – McGill University physicians Dick Menzies and Jean Bourbeau have looked into the health effects of working in modern sealed office buildings. They note that more than half the adult work force in North America and western Europe works in such sealed environments. “In the vast majority of buildings, this complex environment is controlled …
BERKELEY – A brilliant San Francisco hand surgeon, Dr. Robert Markison, was the luncheon speaker November 14 for the Golden Gate Chapter of the National Safety Management Society. The large number of people who attended heard more about his personal preferences and his family than hand injuries; however, there were a few gems worth recounting. …
BERKELEY – An international study headed by Denise M. Cardo of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control determined that HIV seroconversion in health care workers was most likely if there were: “Deep injury, injury with a device that was visibly contaminated with the source patient’s blood, procedures involving a needle placed in the source patient’s …
BERKELEY – The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) has issued an indoor air quality guide for health care facilities. Its purpose is to provide those who deal with employee safety, infection control and facility management with an understanding of IAQ issues. Its editor is Wayne Hansen. To order A Guide to …
LOS ANGELES – Alameda County District Attorney Larry Blazer has the date of January 12, 1998, set for the trial of Robert McSkimming, owner of K&L Plating, and his foreman. Among the charges, filed in connection with the death of a K&L employee in Oakland in 1993, are manslaughter, gross negligence, violation of Cal-OSHA confined …
LOS ANGELES – Assembly Bill 13, signed by Governor Wilson in 1994, added new 6404.5 to the California Labor Code, essentially creating a statewide workplace smoking ban. A temporary exemption was created for bars, taverns and gaming clubs. It expires on January 1, 1998 (unless the legislature can pull a rabbit out of a hat …
LOS ANGELES – Fed-OSHA has announced that, as of January 1, 1998, body belts will no longer be acceptable in fall arrest systems for construction workers. Also on that date, locking snap hooks must be used in personal fall arrest systems. The two provisions are part of the final rule in subpart M for fall …
OAKLAND, CA – The State Compensation Insurance Fund/Kaiser Permanente Alliance, on November 18, crammed a great deal of valuable information into three hours—and the 200 who attended the conference paid no registration fee. RJ Banks, SCIF’s highly regarded ergonomics consultant, spoke first. Her subject was preventing back injuries at the worksite. She illustrated with slides …