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Air Contaminants—General

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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 »

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 »

Featured Resource: Improve Indoor Air Quality by Inspecting Your HVAC: A Checklist
August 2010
Is the air in your workplace making workers sick? If so, one easy fix is to make sure that your HVAC system is clean and properly maintained. . . . 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 »

Bulletin: Online Exclusive: Checklist for inspecting local exhaust ventilation systems
January 2010
If you're using local exhaust ventilation to control exposures to airborne contaminants at the source, then you'll need to inspect and maintain your ventilation system in order to ensure that it is e . . . more »

News Note: Standards Board Considers Comments on Diacetyl Standard
December 2009
In October, California became the first state to propose regulatory controls for the flavoring chemical diacetyl. The new General Industry Safety Orders Section 5197 would apply to all flavor and food . . . 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 »

News Note: Cal/OSHA Issues Interim Enforcement Policy on Compliance with Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard
November 2009
Cal/OSHA has published an interim enforcement policy applicable to General Industry Safety Orders Section 5199, the Aerosol Transmissible Diseases standard, which went into effect on Aug. 5, 2009. The . . . more »

News Note: Federal OSHA Publishes Silica Control Guidance
November 2009
Controlling Silica Exposures in Construction, a guidance document recently published by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, addresses the control of worker exposure to dust contain . . . more »

Indoor Air Quality: New WHO Guidelines Address Dampness and Mold Indoors
October 2009
There's no such thing as a mold-free building. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mold spores can even be found in surgical operating rooms. But indoor environments that are persistently damp may encourage mold growth to the point that the health of the building's occupants is affected . . . more »

News Note: WHO Publishes Indoor Air Quality Guidelines on Dampness and Mold
September 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first guidelines on indoor air quality, addressing dampness and mold. The guidelines are the result of a rigorous two-year literature review that concluded that occupants of damp or moldy buildings have up to a 75 percent greater risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: OSHSB Considering Revisions to Refractory Ceramic Fiber Exposure Limits; Who's Exposed and What Employers Can Do
July 2009
At its meeting in March, the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) heard public comments on its hotly debated proposal to impose a permissible exposure limit (PEL) . . . more »

Nanotechnology: New Guidance from NIOSH Helps Employers Develop Surveillance and Screening Programs for Exposed Workers
June 2009
Here's a surprising fact: When you take an ordinary substance (say, for example, carbon), break it down into individual molecules, and rebuild it into an extremely tiny tube-link structure (constructed of carbon rings and called a "bucky tube"), its chemical behavior is entirely different from the same substance in a larger form (such as a lump of carbon in the form of charcoal). . . . more »

Bulletin: OSHA fast-tracks regulation of diacetyl
May 2009
Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis has taken steps intended to fast-track regulation of occupational exposure to food flavorings containing the chemical diacetyl. The action, withdrawal of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), could take as much as 2 years off . . . more »

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