LOS ANGELES – The latest semiannual regulatory agenda for Fed-OSHA appeared in the May 8 Federal Register. OSHA listings were notable for what was withdrawn or put on hold. Four regulatory efforts that were started have now been withdrawn. They are medical surveillance programs for employees and exposure assessment programs for employees exposed to hazardous …
LOS ANGELES – A news release has been issued that describes in more detail Cal-OSHA’s online services (see p. 00-6194). The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has initiated a pilot project—an electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS)—marking Cal-OSHA’s entry onto the “information superhighway.” The Cal-OSHA BBS currently contains the entire text of the compliance portion …
SAN JOSE – Ergonomic solutions based on active worker participation were described by occupational therapists Patricia Smith, Jeanne Pangburn and Deanna Taylor May 23 at the Silicon Valley Ergonomics Conference. There is a lot of “ergonomic” equipment available, and it is almost all overpriced, they said. Education of employees may be the most important component …
SAN JOSE – An epidemiological evaluation of back belts for prevention of low back injury in material handling workers is in the planning stages at the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH). Lytt Gardner, PhD, the researcher in charge, said the proposed research would help determine whether back belts are effective in reducing first-time or …
SAN JOSE – Robert C. Larsen, MD, MPH, in an article about the workers’ compensation system in the April issue of Psychiatric Annals, divided claims of psychiatric injury into three types. In the first type there are psychiatric sequelae following initial physical injury—typically, adjustment disorders, mood disorders and substance abuse. The injury claim precedes the …
SAN DIEGO – The Cal-OSH Standards Board, by a majority vote, has adopted the following additions, revisions or deletions to the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Chapter 4: +ASBESTOS (PEL) – Construction 1529 and General Industry 5208, Asbestos (PEL), were heard at the March 23, 1995, public hearing; adopted on March 23, filed with …
SAN DIEGO – There is a deep divide between what organized labor demands that employers do to keep workers safe from repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) and the measures employers believe can be justified. The split was very pronounced on May 16 when the Cal-OSH Standards Board held the first of two informational hearings on a …
SAN DIEGO – The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is currently reviewing the 11 first aid regulations found in Title 8, California Code of Regulations. Section 3400 in the General Industry Safety Orders (GISO) and 1512 in the Construction Safety Orders (CSO) include the principal issues. Section 3400 was originally drafted in 1973 …