December 2009 - The Pump Handle - The Network of Care

MSHA fails to correct hostile work environment

Caution: for adult eyes only. I’ve just read a horrendous case of an employer’s failing to correct a hostile work environment with glaring and gross instances of sexual harassment. The employer? The U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 3:05 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Legal

Epidemiology at the state level is shrinking

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure I’m an epidemiologist and I train epidemiologists so you expect me to think epidemiology is important to public health. Epidemiology describes the pattern of diseases in the community and tries to figure...

Published Fri, Dec 18 2009 7:24 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Preparedness

25 Years After Bhopal, Too Little Progress

Twenty-five years ago, thousands of residents of Bhopal, India awoke in the middle of the night struggling to breathe. A Union Carbide pesticide plant had leaked 40 tons of methyl isocyanate, a highly toxic substance that had escaped in gas form and spread...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 9:34 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health

While EPA Delays Decision on Coal Ash, Industry and White House Busy With Backdoor Meetings on Issue, Documents Show

by James Goodwin, cross-posted from CPRBlog While the EPA announced Thursday that it was delaying a decision on issuing a proposed rule for coal ash, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has already hosted 10 meetings with...

Published Fri, Dec 18 2009 11:11 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health, Environmental Protection Agency

Breaking news from MSHA: black lung is bad

For the last several weeks, MSHA officials have been planning a series of public events to launch a campaign to end black lung disease. The first event was held this morning in Beckley, WV, and the Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward allowed me to feel...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 9:42 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Regulation, Mining, Black Lung

Good news, bad news in Solis’ regulatory agenda

The first regulatory agenda under OIRA chief Cass Sunstein was published today in the Federal Register [link to its 237 pages .] The document includes a narrative of Labor Secretary Solis’ vision for worker health and safety, mentioning these specific...

Published Mon, Dec 07 2009 12:20 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Health, Regulation, Mining, Safety, Black Lung, Combustible Dust, Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)

Worker killed at Valero Energy, an OSHA VPP site

The Houston Chronicle’s Cindy George reports on the explosion last night (12/4) at Valero Energy’s Texas City, TX refinery. One worker, Tommy Manis, 40, was killed and two other workers were injured. The site is one of OSHA’s designated...

Published Sat, Dec 05 2009 1:22 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Regulation

Revelations in tower antenna worker’s death

In April-May 2008, there were a spate of fatalities involving workers doing installations or maintenance on cell phone towers. I blogged about seven of these worker deaths and promised to report back on the outcome of the Federal or State OSHA investigations...

Published Wed, Dec 16 2009 11:56 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Safety, OSHA

CSB Misreads Authority to Investigate Friday’s Valero Explosion

by Bill Hoyle The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has declined so far to investigate the December 4th fatal explosion at the Valero oil refinery in Texas City, Texas. Like OSHA, the CSB is spread thin due to underfunding and understaffing. CSB further...

Published Tue, Dec 08 2009 10:08 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Regulation, Environmental Health, Safety, Combustible Dust, Chemicals Policy

Open letter to OMB Reg Czar Cass Sunstein

by Rena Steinzor, cross-posted from CPRBlog What Progressives Expect from OIRA: An Open Letter to Cass Sunstein Dear Cass: As you know, we picked a spat with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) last week over Randy Lutter’s supposedly...

Published Fri, Dec 11 2009 8:30 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Food, Regulation, Mining, Environmental Health, Safety, Environmental Protection Agency, Legal, Politics, Science

Sign of bad things to come from Obama’s OMB: Sunstein hires staunch anti-reg economist

I’ve already complained about the slow pace of regulatory change on OHS issues in the now 10-month old Obama Administration, but my mind sunk when I heard yesterday this news: OMB/OIRA’s regulatory czar Cass Sunstein has hired for his reg...

Published Wed, Dec 02 2009 10:25 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Regulation, Environmental Health

Is MSHA speaking clearly on coal dust limit?

by Ken Ward, Jr., cross-posted from Coal Tattoo I checked out the Web chat that Joe Main, assistant labor secretary in charge of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), had this afternoon to discuss the MSHA portion of the Department of Labor...

Published Tue, Dec 08 2009 4:30 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Regulation, Mining, Black Lung

Happy Holidays

The Pump Handle will be on vacation from now through early January. We wish all of our readers and friends a healthy, peaceful 2010! Read More...

Published Tue, Dec 22 2009 7:48 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Uncategorized

New Year’s Celebrations

The start of the New Year means different things to different people, e.g., a fresh start to dieting, exercise, or financial savings…and, a fresh start to promoting human health and the environment. Here’s a sample of State and local regulations...

Published Fri, Dec 18 2009 10:33 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Regulation, Environmental Health

Climate Change and Cholera in Kenya

Climate change means more droughts in some parts of the globe, and drought spells disaster for many food crops. Recent events in Kenya also remind us that drought can spark disease outbreaks, as people are forced to rely on contaminated water sources...

Published Thu, Dec 10 2009 1:50 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Infectious diseases, Global warming

December 2009 - The Pump Handle

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