Category: Blog

In new video, workers with hearing loss promote protection

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
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Photo: National Hearing Conservation Association

Aurora, CO — A new video from the National Hearing Conservation Association aims to raise awareness of on-the-job hearing loss and tinnitus.

During the four-minute video, workers in various industries share testimonials, and NHCA reminds viewers that hearing loss is permanent. The video also encourages workers to:

  • Notice when it’s loud.
  • Move away from the noise.
  • Protect your hearing.

“Don’t take it for granted, because if you lose your hearing, you’re not going to be able to replace it,” Gary, a former tree trimmer, says in the video. “You can maybe help it, but you will never have good ears again.”

Adele, a one-time radio disc jockey who also worked security at music concerts, acknowledges that her hearing loss put her in “denial,” prompting her to turn up the volume on her car radio and TV and think little of it.

“We don’t think about our own health, but it is critical. It really is,” she says. “Look at your hearing protection as just as much a vital part of your PPE as a hard hat or your steel-toed boots. Because if you lose that sense, it is going to impact all areas of your life, from hearing announcements on a plane to hearing somebody whispering sweet nothings in your ear at night, you know. It really can have a profound impact.”

NIOSH notes that all industries carry the risk of hearing loss and estimates that 22 million U.S. workers face exposure to hazardous noise levels at work each year.

“Hearing is a critical, often undervalued part of quality of life,” NHCA says. “Once it is lost or degraded, communication and relationships can be impacted. There can also be a loss of enjoyment of simple activities such as listening to music, enjoying dinner with friends, watching movies and experiencing nature. A loss of hearing can also affect career progression and safety at home and on the job.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

CSB Issues New Safety Alert Focused on the Potential Hazards of Emergency Discharges from Pressure Release Valves

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by CSB
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Photo property of CSB

Washington, D.C. March 6, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued a new Safety Alert titled “Hazards Posed by Discharges from Emergency Pressure-Relief Systems.” The CSB’s alert highlights hazards identified with emergency pressure-relief systems from four CSB investigations.  The alert advises facilities that while a discharge from emergency pressure-relief systems can help protect equipment from unexpected and undesired high-pressure events, it can also seriously harm or fatally injure workers and cause extensive damage to a facility if the discharge is not made to a safe location.

CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “All four of the incidents highlighted in the CSB’s safety alert underscore the importance of thoroughly evaluating emergency pressure-relief systems to ensure they discharge to a safe location where they will not harm people.”

The four incidents highlighted in the CSB’s safety alert resulted in 19 deaths and 207 injuries. They include:

  • On May 19, 2018, an ethylene release ignited, injuring 23 workers at the Kuraray America, Inc. ethylene and vinyl alcohol copolymer plant in Pasadena, Texas. The CSB’s animation of this event shows how this incident occurred during the startup of a chemical reactor system following a turnaround. High-pressure conditions developed inside the reactor and activated the reactor’s emergency pressure relief system, discharging flammable ethylene vapor horizontally into the ambient air in an area where a number of contractors were working.
  • On November 15, 2014, approximately 24,000 pounds of highly toxic methyl mercaptan were released from an insecticide production unit at the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) chemical manufacturing facility in La Porte, Texas. The release fatally injured three operators and a shift supervisor inside a manufacturing building. During the early phases of the investigation, CSB investigators identified a number of worker safety issues—separate from the release scenario— including that several emergency pressure-relief systems at the facility were designed to discharge hazardous materials in a way that posed a risk to workers and the public.
  • On May 4, 2009, highly flammable vapor released from a waste recycling process, ignited, and violently exploded at Veolia ES Technical Solutions, LLC, in West Carrollton, Ohio. The incident injured four employees, two seriously.  Following the initial explosion, multiple other explosions occurred that t significantly damaged every structure on the site. Residences and businesses in the surrounding community also sustained considerable damage. The CSB concluded that uncontrolled venting from emergency pressure-relief valves to the atmosphere allowed tetrahydrofuran (THF) vapors to accumulate to explosive concentrations outside process equipment, and the vapors subsequently found an ignition source.
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Eating fast food may be linked to liver disease

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Need another reason to cut back on fast food? You could lower your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, University of Southern California researchers are saying.

The researchers looked at 2017-2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 4,000 adults. They evaluated people’s fatty liver measurement and compared it with their fast-food consumption.

The result: People with diabetes or obesity who got at least 20% of their calories from fast food had “severely elevated levels” of fat in their livers compared with those who ate less fast food or didn’t eat it at all.

People who weren’t obese and didn’t have diabetes were still affected: They had moderate increases in liver fat when 20% of their calories came from fast food.

Fat in the liver can develop into nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and scarring of the liver. That scarring can lead to liver cancer or liver failure. Around 30% of people in the United States have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to USC.

“If people eat one meal a day at a fast-food restaurant, they may think they aren’t doing harm,” lead study author Ani Kardashian, a hepatologist at the university, said in a press release. “However, if that one meal equals at least one-fifth of their daily calories, they are putting their livers at risk.”

The study was published online in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Not getting enough zzzs may up your risk of developing multiple chronic diseases

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Is getting seven hours of sleep something you can only dream of? Results of a recent study suggest that falling two hours short of the recommended limit increases your risk of developing at least two chronic diseases.

Using data from nearly 8,000 British adults between 50 and 70 years old, researchers looked for links between sleep duration, mortality and whether participants had been diagnosed with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes over 25 years.

Compared with the participants who slept up to seven hours a night, those who slept five hours or less a night at age 50 were 40% more likely to be diagnosed with multiple chronic diseases. They also had a 25% increased risk of mortality over the 25-year follow-up period.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends working-age adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Older adults should get seven to eight hours.

“To ensure a better night’s sleep, it is important to promote good sleep hygiene, such as making the bedroom quiet, dark and at a comfortable temperature, before sleeping,” said lead study author Severine Sabia, a researcher at the University College London. “It’s also advised to remove electronic devices and avoid large meals before bedtime. Physical activity and exposure to light during the day might also promote good sleep.”

The study was published online in the journal PLOS Medicine.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, DOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

What causes falls in construction? CPWR survey digs in

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

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Photo: CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training

Silver Spring, MD — Lack of pre-work planning is a key underlying cause of falls in the construction industry, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

CPWR distributed the survey from February to May 2021 and received 495 responses from people who had been involved in, witnessed or investigated a fall incident.

More than a quarter (26.9%) of the incidents reportedly were fatal and 58.9% required immediate medical care.

The respondents most commonly identified insufficient or ineffective pre-work planning as the primary cause for the falls (27.4%). Notably, the odds of using fall protection were 71% lower for workers whose employer or competent person didn’t complete a pre-work task plan.

Other key findings:

  • 48.8% of the respondents said no fall protection was being used at the time of the incident.
  • Workers who believed fall protection was required by their employer were eight times more likely to use it than those who thought it was optional.
  • Individuals who worked for a subcontractor at the time of the fall incident were 2.7 times more likely to die from the fall compared with those who worked for a general contractor.

“Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, and they are preventable,” CPWR says. “This study provides actionable findings about leading root causes of falls and identifies opportunities for future research to better understand this urgent occupational safety issue and effectively address it.”

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

Half of confined-space ag incidents last year were fatal

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

See the source image

West Lafayette, IN — At least 64 incidents involving confined spaces in the agriculture industry were documented in 2020, and half were fatal, according to an annual report recently released by Purdue University.

The 32 deaths are more than confined space fatalities reported in the mining industry (29) last year. Of the agricultural deaths, 20 involved grain entrapment. Falls, entanglement in grain-handling equipment and asphyxiation/poisoning each contributed to three deaths, while the causes of the three remaining cases were classified as “other.”

The university’s agricultural and biological engineering department has investigated and documented incidents involving grain storage and handling facilities since the 1970s. According to its records, around 60% of incidents involving agricultural confined spaces have resulted in a fatality.

The report, citing a 2013 study, notes that because many agricultural facilities aren’t covered by OSHA injury and illness reporting requirements, around 30% of cases go unreported or undocumented.

“The number of documented fatal cases continues to be higher than the number of nonfatal cases for all confined space incidents, further suggesting an underreporting of nonfatal incidents,” the report states.

Illinois, with 17, led all states with the most documented cases of agricultural confined space incidents – nonfatal and fatal. Next were Minnesota and North Dakota, each with seven.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

No change to number of on-the-job injuries and illnesses in private sector, BLS says

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Washington — The number of nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses in the U.S. private sector remained unchanged in 2019, as did the incidence rate of total recordable cases, according to annual data released Nov. 4 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers in private industry experienced an estimated 2.8 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses last year – a number that has remained the same over the past three years. The total recordable rate – also unchanged for the third consecutive year – was 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers. Estimated nonfatal injuries and illnesses that resulted in at least one day of lost work totaled 888,220 – “essentially unchanged from 2018” as well.

Other findings:

  • The manufacturing sector accounted for 15% of the estimated 2.8 million injuries and illnesses, but its total recordable rate decreased to 3.3 per 100 FTE workers from 3.4 in 2018.
  • The median number of days away from work was eight, the same as in 2018.
  • Injured employees age 65 or older had a median DAFW of 16.
  • The DAFW incident rate for men decreased to 91.7 per 10,000 FTE workers from 94.3. For women, that rate decreased to 80.4 from 83.4.
  • Additionally, private-industry workers with sprains, strains or tears that resulted in DAFW visited medical treatment facilities at a rate of 6.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers – down from 7.3 cases in 2018. BLS noted that medical treatment facilities include emergency rooms and/or inpatient hospitalizations.

    BLS obtains its estimates from the agency’s Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Upgraded Data System to Assist Mine Operators in Ensuring Compliance with Mine Safety and Health Regulations

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

NEWS RELEASE

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has completed a major upgrade to its primary data system – the Mine Data Retrieval System (MDRS) – bringing increased functionality and more intuitive navigation to this widely used feature.

The MDRS offers a variety of tools to help operators monitor their compliance with MSHA regulations. The system provides access to comprehensive mine location, status, ownership, employment, production, accident/inspection/violations history, and health sampling data. Additionally, MSHA’s compliance assistance calculators – Pattern of Violations (POV), Significant and Substantial Rate, and Violations per Inspection Day – can be accessed here. The MDRS gateway is the most visited page on the agency’s website, www.msha.gov.

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