April 2010 - The Pump Handle - The Network of Care

Washington State OSHA deleted serious citations: prelude to disaster at Tesoro refinery that killed five?

by the spirit of Tony Mazzocchi The Washington Department of Labor and Industries, Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) inspected the Tesoro Anacortes refinery in 2008 and found major safety problems. In a settlement agreement, however...

Published Sat, Apr 03 2010 4:00 PM by The Pump Handle

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

President Obama Proclaims Today Workers Memorial Day

President Obama has just proclaimed April 28, 2010 as Workers Memorial Day. His official proclamation states: This year marks the 40th anniversary of both the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, which promise...

Published Wed, Apr 28 2010 10:26 AM by The Pump Handle

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

PCBs in Schools

Dear readers, We’re doing something different with this month’s post. Robert F. Herrick of the Harvard School of Public Health wrote an excellent article on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) exposure in schools, which was published in the most recent issue...

Published Fri, Apr 30 2010 5:14 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: New Solutions: The Drawing Board

Massey widow asks MSHA (again) for public hearing

William “Bob” Griffith, 54 died at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine on April 5. His tribute page says he “came from a family of miners, went into the mines as a young man with his father and worked there like his brothers. …When...

Published Sat, Apr 24 2010 7:53 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Mining, Legal, Politics, Combustible Dust, MSHA

11 Workers Missing After Oil Rig Explosion

Kevin McGill of the Associated Press reports that 11 workers are missing after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig situated in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles from Venice, Louisianna. Seven workers have been critically injured, and two have...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 6:36 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety

Green Jobs and You, Perfect Together

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is currently soliciting comments on the definition they will use in measuring green jobs, the industry list of green jobs, or any other aspect of the information provided in the Notice of solicitation of comments published...

Published Fri, Apr 16 2010 11:56 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Health, Uncategorized

NIOSH scientists say political pressures inhibit them from ‘controversial’ research

The Pump Handle is pleased to provide the full text of an article, published in the Bureau of National Affairs’ “Occupational Safety & Health Reporter,” on SKAPP’s Scientists in Government project report.* by Stephen Lee A...

Published Sat, Apr 03 2010 12:51 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Research, Politics, Science, Sequestered Science

Top Ten Reasons to Prevent Asbestos Exposure

During National Asbestos Disease Awareness Week (April 1-7), we’ll be cross-posting a piece every day from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. By Linda Reinstein, President/CEO, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO); cross-posted...

Published Thu, Apr 01 2010 5:27 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health

Asbestos: Cover Up of a Century

During National Asbestos Disease Awareness Week (April 1-7), we’ll be cross-posting a piece every day from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. By Kenneth A. Cook, Co-founder and President, Environmental Working Group; cross-posted from Asbestos...

Published Sat, Apr 03 2010 11:13 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health

When an OSHA “national” emphasis program isn’t

I’ve been following the news coverage of the catastrophe at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington (here, here, here, here). Mr. Daniel Aldridge, 50, Mr. Darrin J Hoines, 43, Ms. Donna Van Dreumel, 36, Mr. Matt Bowen, and Ms. Kathryn Powell...

Published Sun, Apr 04 2010 10:21 AM by The Pump Handle

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

Jim DeMarce: compassionate worker for coal miners

Mr. Jim DeMarce, Director of the Labor Department’s Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation, passed away suddenly on April 12. He served coal miners and their families for 25 years, helping them wade through the federal black lung benefits program...

Published Thu, Apr 22 2010 12:20 PM by The Pump Handle

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

The Latino Workers Behind the Statistics

As Department of Labor officials noted in their opening remarks at the National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety last week, Latino workers have higher rates of occupational injuries and fatalities than US workers as a whole. They are...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 1:27 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, OSHA

One Miner Dead, Another Missing in Kentucky Mine

A roof fall at the Dotiki Mine in Hopkins County, Kentucky has killed at least one miner. A second miner is still missing, and the search for him continues. Dotiki Mine has a terrible safety record, Bloomberg News reports: Alliance’s Dotiki mine...

Published Thu, Apr 29 2010 1:41 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Mining

What About My Health?

During National Asbestos Disease Awareness Week (April 1-7), we’ll be cross-posting a piece every day from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. By Arthur L. Frank, PhD, MD; cross-posted from Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Rare diseases...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 11:34 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health

CDC’s National Conversation Happening Now

One of our readers passed along a reminder that CDC and ATSDR’s first “National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures” web dialogue is going on right now. From April 5-7, online participants will discuss topics introduced...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 2:08 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Chemicals Policy

April 2010 - The Pump Handle

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Washington State OSHA deleted serious citations: prelude to disaster at Tesoro refinery that killed five?

President Obama Proclaims Today Workers Memorial Day

PCBs in Schools

Massey widow asks MSHA (again) for public hearing

11 Workers Missing After Oil Rig Explosion

Green Jobs and You, Perfect Together

NIOSH scientists say political pressures inhibit them from ‘controversial’ research

Top Ten Reasons to Prevent Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos: Cover Up of a Century

When an OSHA “national” emphasis program isn’t

Jim DeMarce: compassionate worker for coal miners

The Latino Workers Behind the Statistics

One Miner Dead, Another Missing in Kentucky Mine

What About My Health?

CDC’s National Conversation Happening Now