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Hazardous Materials

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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 »

Hazardous Chemicals: Those Pesky Pesticides; OHB Recommendations for Prioritizing Safer Pest Control Methods
April 2010
After 27 vineyard workers and six emergency responders were struck ill by pesticides drifting from an adjacent orange field in 2005, California's Occupational Health Branch (OHB), a program of the California Department of Public Health, conducted an evaluation of factors that contribute to pesticide exposure in an attempt to identify safer alternatives. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Prevent Pool Chemical Injuries with These Safe Storage Tips
March 2010
These chemically treated pools, water parks, and interactive fountains may be safer for swimmers, but the chemicals are dangerous to the workers who handle them. They can cause injuries by igniting fires, releasing hazardous vapors, or coming into direct contact with a worker's tissues, including skin, eyes, and the inside of the nose and mouth. One way to protect workers is by storing pool chemicals safely. . . . more »

Bulletin: Online Exclusive: Pool chemical safe storage checklist
March 2010
Chemically treated pools may be safer for swimmers, but the chemicals that make the pools that way pose dangers to the workers who handle them. Pool chemicals can cause injuries by igniting fires, . . . more »

News Note: Study Finds Workplace BPA Exposure Increases Risk of Male Sexual Dysfunction
January 2010
High levels of workplace exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) may increase the risk of reduced sexual function in men, a study conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland found. The five-year study . . . more »

News Note: Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards Now Available for the iPhone
January 2010
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) is now available as a mobile application for . . . more »

News Note: Two Resources on Firing Ranges Now Available in Spanish
January 2010
NIOSH has made two of its resources on firing range safety and health available in Spanish. The NIOSH Topic Page on Firing Ranges, Campos de Tiro, can be found at . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: New NIOSH Study Examines Control Banding; It's Not Just for Chemical Hazards Anymore
November 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical Information and Testing Branch (CITB) keeps an inventory of existing chemicals. There are currently 70,000 substances in the CITB's inventory; the CITB estimates that . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Don't Let Workers Who Handle Pool Chemicals Sink or Swim; Teach the Risks of These Common Chemicals
August 2009
A school custodian in New York had ordered five-gallon containers of chlorine bleach for the school's pool but was sent containers of acid instead. The containers looked similar to bleach containers, which may . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Indoor Firing Ranges Pose Physical, Chemical Hazards: Take Aim at Safety
August 2009
There are between 16,000 and 18,000 indoor firing ranges in the United States, serving more than one million professional shooters (law enforcement personnel) and 20 million . . . more »

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