The Cuyahoga River Fire

During the Industrial Revolution, the Cuyahoga River in northeast Ohio became a dumping ground for waste materials and debris created by factories, steel mills and other businesses located along its banks. Over the years, the river also became polluted with oils and industrial byproducts until it eventually caught fire in 1969.

According to Mark J. Kovasity, author of “The Cuyahoga River Fire” from the latest issue of the Environmental Practice Specialty’s publication, EnviroMentor, the Cuyahoga River Fire is important for three reasons: 1) it brought national attention to the issue of environmental pollution; 2) it brought awareness that economic prosperity should not be fostered at the expense of natural resource demise; and 3) it led to the creation and passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972.

Click here to read more about the Cuyahoga River Fire and the lasting effects of CWA.

NAOSH Week Kids’ Poster Winners

Michael English, 12, Bel Air, GA.  NAOSH 2013  "Safety on the Job" Poster Contest Winner

Winners of the 11th annual ASSE “Safety on the Job” Poster Contest have been selected. Winning posters were chosen based on how well each child expressed safety on the job. The five first-place winners are:

• Age 5-6 group: Bo Brooks, 5, Rome, GA;
• Age 7-8 group: Celine Vo, 8, Riverdale, GA;
• Age 9-10 group: Chantal Cyrier, 10, Marietta, GA;
• Age 11-12 group: Michael English, 12, Bel Air, MD;
• Age 13-14 group: Siddharth Dash, 14, Kuwait.

All first place winners will receive a $2,500 savings bond and have their artwork displayed on the NAOSH Week 2013 poster, distributed worldwide. NAOSH 2013, sponsored by SafeStart, will take place on May 5th-11^th.

ANSI Accepting Nominations for Its Leadership & Service Awards

ANSI has announced its Call for Nominations for its 2013 Leadership and Service Awards. The awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to voluntary consensus standardization and conformity assessment programs. Also, the agency is looking for nominees who have demonstrated a commitment to their industry, nation and enhancement of the global standards system.

Nominations are due June 28, 2013, and those interested can view the nominations brochure to get a better idea of the process. Visit ANSI's website to view the awards open for nominations.

National Farm Safety Week: Vehicle and Machinery Safety

Seventy percent of agricultural fatalities are machine-related, according to the Canada Safety Council. The National Farm Safety Week, March 14-20, aims to raise awareness, provide recommendations and encourage all farming families, workers, and visitors to recognize the need for safety around vehicles and machinery on the farm.

Statistics show that Agriculture is the fourth most hazardous industry in Canada, including a higher than average risk for children. According to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting, 248 children died from agriculture-related injuries between 1990 and 2008, 63 percent which were machine-related.

The Canada Safety Council offers some recommendations to make your farm a safer place:

• Do not operate farm machinery or vehicles when impaired. Impairing substances include alcohol, some medications and drugs. Impairment can also take other forms. These include fatigue, emotional stress and distractions.
• Always walk around your machinery or vehicle before starting the equipment. Children, pets, farm animals or debris may be hiding in your blind spots.
• Know the terrain of the land that is being farmed. When possible, avoid steep ditches and other areas where rollovers are more likely to occur.
• Use machinery and vehicles for their intended purposes only.
• Do not carry more passengers on machines or vehicles than recommended.
• Always keep your hands, feet and body in general clear of moving parts. Use safety guards and keep the machinery in good repair.
• Keep work areas neat and clean.
• Underage persons should not operate vehicles or machinery.
• Teach children safety fundamentals. This includes clearly identifying where farm machinery and vehicles are operated, and where they may not play. Children need to develop a healthy respect for the potential dangers of being near a moving machine or vehicle, and learn how to stay safe.
• If you are the owner/operator of a farm, clearly communicate to your staff that risk-taking involving machinery or vehicles is not allowed or tolerated. Your employees should understand that you expect them to always operate in a safe manner. This includes no speeding and no impaired or distracted driving. 
• Make sure operators are competent, confident and capable when it comes to using machinery. If additional training or instruction is necessary, make safety the priority. Take the time to read manuals, ask questions and consult industry experts who can give you answers.
• Have an emergency plan and review it often with anyone who is regularly at your farm. This plan should include contact information for local emergency responders, and contact information for friends or relatives who can be called if something goes wrong.
• Motorists, give farm-machinery operators the room they need on the road. Be patient and pass with caution when it is safe to do so.  

Lower Asthma Incidence Among Polyurethane Foam Manufacturing Workers, Study Shows

An industry report of the foam manufacturing plant health and safety records found incidents of occupational asthma to be lower in flexible polyurethane foam plants than among the general adult population. The report, featured in a paper entitled, “A Survey of the Incidence of Occupational Asthma among Flexible Polyurethane Foam Slabstock Plants,” combines 24 years of data and surveys and suggests that that plant workers were “well-protected from chemical exposure by modern chemical exposure control technologies and training.”

The paper, sponsored by the Polyurethane Foam Association and analyzed by Washington, D.C. based law firm, McIntyre & Lemon, PLLC, suggests numerous workplace controls, such as aggressive ventilation systems, personal protection equipment (PPE), and risk-management training, have contributed a very low percentage of self-reported asthma amongst workers.

Copies of a presentation presented at a Polyurethane Foam Association Technical Program are available on the Polyurethane Foam Association website in the literature section (under technical proceedings).