Imagine walking on Mars, all geared up in a suit that keeps you safe from hostile elements. Now bring that vision a bit closer to home. You’re not combating extraterrestrial factors; it’s something much more terrestrial and possibly lurking in your immediate vicinity- dangerous chemicals. Much like a Mars mission, dealing with hazardous materials requires…
Some occupational cancer-causing agents such as asbestos are well known and well documented. Asbestos fibers in the air can get into the lungs and cause cancer even decades later. Many other carcinogens are present in workplaces too, though, which don’t have household names. According to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) in the…
In 2012, OSHA updated its Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) to align with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Many of these changes have begun to impact employers, as businesses are required to train workers in how to read the new chemical labels and safety data sheets, and beginning…
If you have hazardous chemicals in your workplace, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming changes to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom or HCS). Beginning in 2015, labels and information sheets for hazardous chemicals will be changing to align with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System (GHS) that standardizes labels to make communication between countries simpler.…
When you think about hazardous chemicals in the workplace, the first ones that come to mind may not be cleaning chemicals. Chemicals used for cleaning, though, can pose a number of hazards to worker health and safety, especially for workers who use them on a daily basis like janitorial staff. According to the Environmental Protection…