In the May 6, 2010 Federal Register, OSHA published a Request for Information (RFI) to collect information from the healthcare industry on “occupational exposure to infectious agents in settings where healthcare is provided.”  This includes hospitals, outpatient clinics, clinics in schools and correctional facilities and “healthcare-related” settings ranging from laboratories that handle potentially infectious materials to medical examiner offices to mortuaries.  OSHA is specifically interested in current infection control strategies and practices and will use the information to “determine what action, if any, the Agency may take to further limit the spread of occupationally-acquired infectious diseases in these settings.”  The deadline for comments is August 4, 2010.  Download our Healthcare Alert for a brief summary.

IESO, LLC announces a new OSHA 30-Hour General Industry course customized for healthcare. Many healthcare personnel have noted that the standard 30-hour OSHA course seems to have little in common with their needs.  This healthcare-customized course will familiarize you with applicable OSHA standards while focusing on hazard recognition and prevention.  Special emphasis is placed on those areas that are the most hazardous, using OSHA standards as a guide.  What is unique about this course is that it was designed from the ground up to meet the specific needs of the healthcare industry, and we firmly believe it is currently the first and only one of its kind. It meets all OSHA-511 requirements for time and content, and attendees who successfully pass the course will receive their 30-hour completion card.

Dr. Scott Harris has been accepted to present at the 2010 Governor’s Safety and Health Conference in Louisville, KY.  On May 5 Scott will present “Macdona, TX Derailment and Chlorine Release.”  Our web visitors can download an exclusive copy of Scott’s presentation, including audio from 911 and emergency dispatch calls.

So, what happened in Macdona?  On June 28, 2004 a predawn train collision and derailment just outside of San Antonio released 60 tons of chlorine in less than three minutes.  Misunderstood initial 911 calls sent responders on a “smoke run,” nearly killing the first arriving units.  Misinformation, fatalities,

The state of Florida has just received nearly $62 million in new stimulus money for worker training programs.  Since this is the time of year that states are usually out of funds and not accepting applications, they are in the very unusual position of having funding, but few applications.  The Incumbent Worker Training grant coordinator has told IESO, LLC that with such low application volume, at least for the short term she can achieve an unheard-of two-day turnaround time for approval.

On October 21, 2009 OSHA announced a proposed rule to address combustible dust explosions.  The rule would cover an estimated 16 million employees at approximately 426,000 facilities.  OSHA first addressed this issue in 1987 by promulgating 29 CFR 1910.272 for grain handling facilities.  In the 10 years prior to adopting that rule, there were 20.5 grain handling-related dust explosions per year in the U.S.  For the next 10 years there were 10.3, and from 1998-2007 there were 6.3 per year.

Dr. Scott Harris, PhD, Global Risk Manager for IESO, has been accepted to present at the 2010 ASSE Professional Development Conference in Baltimore, MD.  On June 14 Scott will present “Chalmette, LA: First Katrina, Then the Oil…”  Our web visitors can download an exclusive copy of both Scott’s presentation slides and proceedings paper with the first-hand story right from the front line.  UPDATE: Download the audio of Scott’s presentation.

So, what happened in Chalmette?  Following Hurricane Katrina, over one million gallons of crude oil from the Murphy Oil USA (MOUSA) Refinery in Meraux, LA released into a populated area.  Search and

Keith Spencer, IESOs Global Operations Manager, has received his PhD in Environmental Health Science with a focus area in Industrial Health and Safety.  Dr. Spencer graduated Magna Cum Laude in October 2009 with a 3.85 GPA from England’s Ridgewood University.  Degree coursework and research ranged from Atmospheric Chemistry to Advanced Industrial Hygiene.  Keith is looking forward to putting his new credential and the related skills to work for our clients.  Please join us in congratulating him on this achievement.

The 30th annual UNC Winter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL is scheduled for February 14-19, 2010.  The Institute is designed for industrial hygienists, safety and environmental managers, occupational physicians and nurses and anyone else involved in EHS management.  There are about 30 courses covering everything from regulations to healthcare hazmat to environmental health, all eligible for recertification points toward your CHMM, CIH, CSP or other professional certs.

IESO will be there instructing Fundamentals of Environmental Health, and co-teaching two new courses, Managing Hazmat Responses in Healthcare and Environmental Health and Safety Management Systems in Healthcare.

In May we published an article on EPA’s proposed Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Rule.  The final Rule was signed on September 22, 2009, and will go into effect 60 days after Federal Register publication.  It applies to an estimated 10,000 facilities in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. possessions and territories (i.e., Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa).

The final Rule requires facilities and suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial GHGs that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHGs and manufacturers of vehicles and engines to submit annual reports to EPA.  The Agency equates 25,000 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent to the emissions from 131 rail cars of coal, 58,000 barrels of oil or 4,600 passenger vehicles or the annual energy use of 2,200 homes.

Do you have structures with lightning protection?  Is it properly installed?  How can you tell?  While conducting a recent mock VPP audit, IESO discovered that a lightning protection system being installed did not comply with NFPA 780, the Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems.

Down-conductors were exposed inside the structure and improperly bonded to surrounding ground systems, which could have caused a sideflash during a strike.  Anchor points were set in mortar joints,