Archives

Do You Need to Use Personal Noise Dosimeters?

Yesterday, we discussed how to use a sound level meter to perform area noise monitoring as part of your hearing conservation program. Today, we’ll look at when and how to use personal noise dosimetry to characterize worker exposures and determine what hearing protection, if any, might be required. You may need to use personal noise […]

NPDES FAQs for Fracking Operations in the Marcellus Shale—Part 1

NPDES FAQs for Fracking Operations in the Marcellus Shale—Part 1 Q: Are hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” operations allowed to discharge wastewater directly to waters of the United States if they have a NPDES permit? A: The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of pollutants by point sources into waters of the United States, except […]

Overcoming the Challenges of Delivering Off-the-Job Safety Programs

by Dan Hannan, CSP An employer that only focuses on preventing workplace accidents is missing a large exposure. It’s a hard reality that the frequency of off-the-job injuries and fatalities exceed those occurring in the workplace many times over. Even though he’s not “on the job” when an employee makes home roof repairs , fails […]

Use a Sound Level Meter to Characterize Workers’ Noise Exposures

Noise monitoring is a vital part of your hearing conservation program. It can help you determine whether workers could be exposed at or above the action level; select workers for inclusion in a hearing conservation program; and enable the selection of appropriate hearing protection devices. According to OSHA’s occupational noise standard (1910.95), area monitoring or […]

Spent Foundry Sands Assessment is Good News

Spent Foundry Sands Assessment Is Good News Finding ways to safely reuse wastes generated by industry is key to reducing the need for virgin materials and for disposing of the wastes in landfills or other disposal facilities. One such waste is spent foundry sands, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now says can be reused […]

New Red Cross Research Shows 4 Benefits of Blended Learning

As you prepare your safety training program for the rest of 2015, check out the information in today’s Advisor from a new white paper put out by the American Red Cross that details the benefits of blended learning in safety training. The most effective safety training method has long been a subject of debate. Is […]

Green Power Purchasing—The Benefits

Green Power Purchasing—The Benefits Making the commitment to clean power brings with it important dividends—the right to make claims about renewable energy use and to seek the positive recognition that goes along with it. To do this right, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have developed recommendations companies can follow. […]

Green Power Purchasing—The Options

Green Power Purchasing—The Options In the “Guide to Purchasing Green Power,” green power is defined broadly by the EPA and DOE as “environmentally preferable energy and energy technologies, both electric and thermal.” Specifically, green power includes “electricity generated by solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low impact hydroelectric sources.” For most of us who are […]

Focus on Fleet Safety: Discourage Distracted Driving

By now, your drivers should know: Don’t text and drive. Texting is more dangerous than drunk driving. Put the phone away when you’re behind the wheel. But even if the “Don’t text while you’re driving” message has sunk in, it may not be enough to keep your drivers focused on the road. It seems we’re […]

A Look at Common Ski Area SPCC Violations

A Look at Common Ski Area SPCC Violations Having an SPCC Plan that was not fully implemented. 40 CFR Section 112.3,  states, “The owner or operator or an onshore or offshore facility subject to this section must prepare in writing and implement a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan … in accordance with 112.7 [General […]