AIChE launches Center for Hydrogen Safety
NEW YORK -- The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) recently launched its Center for Hydrogen Safety. The new center promotes the safe handling and use of hydrogen across industrial and consumer applications in the global energy transition.
The center will provide international partner organizations with innovative tools and resources that address both traditional uses of hydrogen and hydrogen's growing use as a fuel source around the globe. AIChE is working to transition highly successful hydrogen safety resources developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to the center.
For more information, visit www.aiche.org or call (800) 242-4363.
Study shows link between visual literacy and hazard recognition
ITASCA, Ill. -- The Campbell Institute at the National Safety Council recently released the findings of a pilot study showing that workers who are trained on the concept of visual literacy are able to spot workplace hazards that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
The institute highlights how companies such as Cummins Inc. have trained employees in visual literacy principles and, within three months, saw 132 issues identified and 25 new hazards corrected.
There also appears to be an increase in the number of proactive hazard and near miss reports after the delivery of visual literacy training. Workers also show a heightened risk perception and lower risk tolerance.
The Campbell Institute has partnered with the Center of Visual Expertise to provide trainthe- trainer workshops for institute members in a pilot project.
For more information, visit www.thecampbellinstitute.com or call (630) 285-1121.
ACC urges Congress to support extension of security regulations
WASHINGTON -- The American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently petitioned Congress to support the effort to safeguard chemical facilities and provide much-needed stability to one of the nation's anti-terrorism programs.
"ACC supports a long-term reauthorization of the Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program," said BASF Corp. Director of Corporate Security Kristen Meskill, who testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation on behalf of the ACC. "Ensuring that CFATS remains in place is a crucial part of establishing a stable regulatory environment and providing the needed certainty to foster longterm security investments."
CFATS has proven well-suited for regulating security because it is able to account for the diverse nature of facilities that manufacture, use or store chemicals and the unique challenges each facility faces while ensuring they have measures in place to address a wide array of security standards.
For more information, visit www.americanchemistry.com or call (202) 249-6511.
Three-quarters of workplaces impacted by opioid use
ITASCA, Ill. -- Seventy-five percent of U.S. employers have been directly affected by opioids, but only 17 percent feel extremely well-prepared to deal with the issue, according to a survey released by the National Safety Council (NSC). Thirty-eight percent have experienced absenteeism or impaired worker performance, and 31 percent have had an overdose, arrest, near-miss or injury because of employee opioid use.
For the first time in U.S. history, a person is more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose than from a motor vehicle crash, according to NSC calculations. In fact, workplace overdose deaths have increased by at least 25 percent for five consecutive years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Encouragingly, 41 percent of employers would return an employee to work after he or she receives treatment for misusing prescription opioids.
For more information, visit www.nsc.com or call (800) 621-7651.
President's proposed budget suggests small increase for OSHA
WASHINGTON -- President Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2020 proposes a small increase for OSHA: $300,000 and 33 full-time-equivalent employees over the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. The budget request specifically includes increases for additional staff resources for the agency, including whistleblower investigators, compliance safety and health officers, and OSHA Training Institute instructors.
Under the president's proposal, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) would see a net budget increase of $2,227,000 over the fiscal year 2019 revised enacted level. According to the Department of Labor's budget document, the fiscal year 2020 proposal includes $252,640,000 for new budget activity within MSHA, consolidating the Coal Mine Safety and Health and the Metal and Nonmetal Mine Safety and Health budget activities.
For more information, visit www.aiha.org or call (703) 849-8888.
