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Hazardous Materials

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Hazard Identification: Federal OSHA Issues Guidance on Laboratory Safety; Addressing Hazards in 4 Major Categories
January 2012
Laboratories are dangerous places, and university laboratories have proved deadly with disturbing regularity in recent years. . . . more »

Radiation: What the State and Federal Regulations Cover and What You Must Do
October 2011
Workers in the nuclear power industry--including California's two operating nuclear power plants--as well as in the mining, healthcare, semiconductor manufacturing, and transportation and shipping industries can receive occupational exposure to ionizing radiation. . . . more »

Chemical Process Safety: Refinery Fire Draws Attention to Deficits in Procedures and Testing; Do You Know What the PSM Rules Require?
September 2011
Two contractors were performing pipe-breaking work at the Evergreen Oil refinery in Newark on March 29 when a section of the pipe burst. The de-gassed oil released from the pipe ignited, melting a nearby tank and causing a hydrochloric acid release that injured one worker and started a two-alarm fire. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Pipes with Hazardous Chemicals Require Special Precautions; Recommendations for Safe Pipe Cleaning
July 2011
The Kleen Energy plant in Middletown, Conn., was under construction in January 2010, and as many as 1,000 contractors worked at the site each weekday to complete the building by the following summer. Workers even came in on weekends. But on Super Bowl Sunday, more workers than usual stayed home--so the football game may have saved some lives. . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Cleaning Up the Deadly Hazards Facing Maintenance Workers; Five Dangers Workers Should Recognize
May 2011
Leopoldo Gutierrez worked on the cleaning crew at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, which is located south of Fresno in Kings County. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: NIOSH Finds No Safe Exposure Levels Exist for Beryllium; Tips for Controlling Exposures
May 2011
Beryllium, a toxic metal, is used extensively in aerospace and mater-ials research as well as nuclear weapons development and testing. So it wasn't really a surprise when routine beryllium tests in July 2007 showed dangerously high levels in a machine shop at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during a seismic retrofit. As many as 178 contract workers in this nuclear weapons research facility may have been exposed to the chemical, which is known to cause cancer in humans. . . . more »

Online Exclusive: Sample Policy for Preventing Lead Exposures During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
COCA Online Exclusive April 2011
Workers in more than 100 industries may be exposed to lead on the job. These exposures can be dangerous to adults—but they can be especially dangerous to pregnant or breastfeeding women an . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Cal/OSHA Regulates Exposure to Diacetyl and Other Buttery Flavorings--but Does Not Set a PEL
December 2010
It has been eight years since the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published the first reports of a potentially deadly lung disease in workers at a microwave-popcorn factory. In 2004, the first case of this newly identified lung disease--called "popcorn lung" by some and officially dubbed bronchiolitis obliterans for its devastating effect on the lungs--was documented in a California worker. The disease was eventually linked to diacetyl, a chemical used to create butter flavor in prepared foods. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Operating Procedures for Highly Hazardous Chemicals; A Process Safety Management Primer
November 2010
The protracted drama of oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and fire on a drill rig has drawn attention to the problem of process safety management (PSM)--controlling highly hazardous chemicals to prevent disasters. PSM has many components; one is employee training. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: It's a Gas! Protect Workers from Fumigation Hazards
September 2010
Fumigation is a method of controlling pests by using airborne pesticides. The pests can include insects on crops, termites and bedbugs inside buildings, and pests in other enclosed spaces such as ships and railcars. . . . more »

Air Contaminants: Controlling Crystalline Silica Hazards in Mining; How to Reduce the Risk of Incurable Lung Disease
September 2010
The total amount of mineral aggregates--sand, gravel, and crushed stone--used in the state each year works out to as much as seven tons for every Californian, according to the California Construction and Industrial Minerals Association. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Cal/OSHA Updates Permissible Exposure Limits; Part II: Previously Unregulated Chemicals
September 2010
In December, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board completed the most recent update of Cal/OSHA's permissible exposure limits (PELs)--something it does approximately once every three years (the last revision took effect in 2006). In last month's issue of COCA, we covered the eight revised PELs that went into effect on Aug. 3, 2010. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: 'Green' Dry Cleaning Comes with Risks to Workers; How to Avoid Ergonomic, Chemical, and Burn Hazards
August 2010
It has been a tough summer for dry cleaners. In July, the next stage of California's environmentally motivated phase-out of perchloroethylene (PERC), a chemical used extensively by dry cleaners, went into effect. Dry cleaners must retire PERC-based machines once they reach the age of 15 years, and PERC use must be entirely phased out by 2023. . . . more »

Bulletin: Dry cleaners face phase-out of equipment
July 2010
In 2007, the California Air Resources Board approved amendments to the Dry Cleaning Operations Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Emissions of Perchloroethylene (PERC), and the changes are finally taking effect. The amendments require all dry cleaning operations with PERC solvent equipment manufactured after July 1, 1995, to either . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Wastewater Treatment Facility's Pool Tablet 'Bump Test' Fails Good Engineering Practice Test; Manufacturer's Recommendations Matter
July 2010
The Padre Dam Municipal Water District operates a wastewater treatment plant in the San Diego County city of Santee that is equipped with a one-ton chlorine tank and a one-ton sulfur dioxide tank. In January 2009, a Cal/OSHA compliance officer (CO) inspected the plant and cited the employer for not complying with requirements of the process safety management standard. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Federal OSHA Changes Notification Requirements in Hexavalent Chromium Rule; Cal/OSHA Prepares to Follow Suit
July 2010
On June 15, 2010, revisions to federal OSHA's hexavalent chromium standard took effect. The changes are to the notification portion of the rule. . . . more »

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