IN THE NEWS

President Bush's record $3.1 trillion fiscal year 2009 budget includes a $15.7 million increase for OSHA from FY 2008. The agency's $501.7 million FY 2009 request represents the first time an OSHA budget request has surpassed the half-billion mark.

The Department of Labor's total FY 2009 budget request (.pdf file) is $10.5 billion.

In a Feb. 4 briefing, OSHA administrator Edwin G. Foulke Jr. said the requested increase will support compliance assistance programs and enforcement of safety and health standards. "We are proposing to increase resources by more than $11.3 million to support enforcement programs, and $5.2 million to provide compliance assistance to employers and employees, especially small businesses," Foulke said. The budget also would allow OSHA to hire 47 additional employees, the agency said. The budget request does not provide funding for the Susan Harwood Training Grants program, which received almost $9.5 million in FY 2008.

Among other safety agencies:

• President Bush is asking for $332 million in FY 2009 for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (.pdf file) – $2 million less than in FY 2008. Within the budget, coal mine safety and health programs would be reduced by $10 million, while metal and nonmetal mine safety programs would increase by a near commensurate amount.
• NIOSH is budgeted (.pdf file) for $326 million in FY 2009 – a decrease of about $111 million from FY 2008.
• The U.S. Chemical Safety Board's FY 2009 budget request (.pdf file) is $10.6 million, which includes funds for three new accident investigators. CSB received nearly $9.3 million in FY 2008.

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An investigator with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said the agency is still trying to determine whether a Dec. 19 explosion that killed four workers at a Jacksonville, FL, chemical plant was caused by violations of OSHA's process safety management standard to control reactive chemical hazards.

CSB's investigation of the explosion at T2 Laboratories Inc. also has found that about twice as many people – 33 – were injured than had been reported immediately after the incident. CSB investigator Rob Hall said the blast extended about a quarter-mile from the plant to adjacent businesses, and most of the additional injured received medical care on their own and thus were not immediately reported as hurt.

Hall said the investigation is in its early stages, but preliminary findings indicated the accident occurred because of a runaway chemical reaction during the production of a gasoline additive. CSB has conducted numerous investigations of reactive chemical explosions over the years and has recommended that OSHA expand the scope of the standard. Some members of Congress also have asked the agency to enhance the standard. In June, OSHA launched a National Emphasis Program on petroleum refinery process safety management.

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OSHA's final rule on employer payment for personal protective equipment takes effect Feb. 13. Under the rule, employees have until May 15 to implement the PPE payment requirements. OSHA had considered the rulemaking since 1999 before finalizing it in November.

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The Department of Homeland Security will see a boost from President Bush's proposed fiscal year 2009 budget, but some individual programs may suffer.

Bush requested $50.5 billion (.pdf file) for DHS – up 6.8 percent from FY 2008. Included is $215 million to FEMA to implement Phase II of the Vision initiatives, which include improving emergency communications and meeting Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act requirements. FEMA also will receive $2.2 billion, mostly in the form of grants, in support of local and state partners in homeland security. This is down $1 billion from 2008.

Also decreasing was the U.S. Fire Administration's budget from $43 million to $41 million. Harold A. Schaitberger, president of the New York-based International Association of Fire Fighters, criticized Bush's budget.

"Once again, he has proposed eliminating or drastically reducing funding for important programs that make our neighborhoods, our citizens and our country safer," he said in a statement. Schaitberger pointed out that there was no increase in the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (known as FIRE grants) from the $300 million Bush proposed in FY 2008, and that funding would be eliminated for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Act grant program. Bush had attempted to cut funding for the SAFER Act in FY 2008, but congressional action secured $190 million for the program and increased FIRE Act funding to $560 million from Bush's proposed $300 million.

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The Mine Safety and Health Administration has approved the first wireless system designed to track miners underground.

The MineTracer Miner Location Monitoring System from Anaheim, CA-based Venture Design Services Inc. uses low-voltage DC power cables that, during an emergency, can de-energize and operate wirelessly on battery power. Venture said in the future it will add text messaging and gas detection to the system.

MSHA is currently reviewing 41 other communications and tracking approval applications, including several that are wireless. Provisions in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 require mine operators to adopt a wireless communications and electronic tracking systems by June 2009.

Six miners were entombed and have never been located following an August mine collapse at Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. Three others, including an MSHA employee, were killed during a rescue attempt.

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A rarely used method to extract pig brains in slaughterhouses has been linked to cases of a neurologic illness.

In October, the Minnesota Department of Heath identified 12 workers at a swine slaughterhouse who had either a confirmed, probable or possible case of progressive inflammatory neuropathy, according to the Jan. 31 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

All 12 either had worked at or had regular contact to an area where swine heads were processed. A case-control study concluded that, despite the use of some personal protective equipment, the workers likely were exposed to small droplets and splatter from harvesting brain tissue from pig heads through a method that uses a compressed air device.

Only two other plants with more than 500 employees in the United States use such a method, including an Indiana plant in which several workers have been preliminarily identified as having neurological illnesses from similar exposure, CDC said. The Indiana and Minnesota facilities, as well as a Nebraska plant that had no cases of PIN, have discontinued using compressed air to extract brain material.

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Testing of a propane valve at the heart of a deadly explosion that destroyed a West Virginia convenience store is complete, but the investigation into the blast continues, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board announced Jan. 30.

Four people, including a firefighter and an emergency medical technician, were killed in the January 2007 explosion following reports of a propane gas leak at the Little General convenience store and gas station.

CSB said its investigation found the gas was released through a liquid withdrawal valve stuck in an open position during a changeover between two propane tanks near the store. A technician changing over the tanks, who was unable to stop the flow out of the valve, called 911 to report the leak.

In addition to examining the valve, CSB was investigating regulatory and code compliance, West Virginia gas safety practices, and 911 call center practices of providing instructions for evacuation procedures. Store employees stayed inside the building during the gas release, CSB said.

The board's final report on the fatal propane explosion is expected later this year.

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Most workers say they would take better care of their health if they had more support in the workplace, according to the ComPsych Health ReportCard. ComPsych – a Chicago-based provider of employee assistance programs – drew its results from a survey of employees at more than 1,000 client companies.

Their report found 67 percent of workers said they would make use of an EAP if it was offered. Results also indicated workers believe poor lifestyle choices have a negative impact on their on-the-job productivity by lowering energy and concentration levels. The two most common reasons survey participants gave for not exercising regularly and taking good care of their health were lack of time and high levels of stress.

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TRANSPORTATION SAFETY NEWS

President Bush's spending plan for fiscal year 2009 proposes $68 billion for the Department of Transportation to fund safety and congestion relief programs for roads and airways.

Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said in a Feb. 4 press release that DOT's FY 2009 budget request (.pdf file) honors the six-year transportation funding commitment under SAFETEA-LU and will help the department move forward on delivering high levels of safety and taking advantage of modern technology and finance mechanisms. While the budget places a strong focus on fighting congestion, one-third of the budget will go toward safety programs to make travel safer – particularly in reducing runway incursions, motorcycle crashes and pedestrian injuries, Peters said. Funds also will go toward hiring additional safety personnel, she said.

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Come April, all new passenger trains will have to meet a new standard for emergency systems aimed at improving safety and response in emergency situations, Federal Railroad Administration officials said.

A final rule (.pdf file) issued Feb. 1 includes requirements for emergency window exits and access for emergency responders, roof access for responders, and intercom systems for emergency communication. FRA officials said two-way communication systems will allow passengers to make more timely reports of suspicious items or activity. 

A number of rail incidents over the years have highlighted the need for the enhancements, officials said. Among those was an April 2002 collision between a freight train and a standing Metrolink passenger train near Placentia, CA. Two people died and numerous people were injured on the passenger train. Investigators noted that although it was not a contributing factor in the fatalities and injuries, the force of the collision blocked the rear end door and rear stairway. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a recommendation letter following its investigation into the collision, urging FRA to adopt emergency procedures for windows and multiple-level passenger railcars.

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Federal transportation officials are accepting comment until March 17 on changes (.pdf file) to a proposed rule that include motor vehicle roof crush-resistance standards designed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a rollover crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Jan. 30 published supplemental material for its notice of proposed rulemaking to upgrade the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, first published in August 2005. The changes also address crash-avoidance initiatives – such as electronic stability control – and crashworthiness efforts such as improving door lock strength, which would prevent passengers from head injury or ejection during a crash.

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Transportation safety officials will begin reviewing public comments as they decide how to enhance railway and highway safety regulations for hazardous materials loading and unloading.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it is considering additional safety regulations in light of recent loading and unloading incidents and recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board and other federal safety agencies. PHMSA's proposed recommendations could include enhanced regulations for safety analysis, procedures, emergency management, maintenance and testing of equipment, and personnel training.

A recent PHMSA review of hazardous materials transportation incidents in the last decade showed about 25 percent to 50 percent of all serious hazardous materials incidents may be associated with loading and unloading operations involving bulk packages such as cargo tank motor vehicles and rail tank cars, a notice (.pdf file) in the Jan. 4 Federal Register states.

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HOME AND COMMUNITY NEWS

Four times as many smokers as nonsmokers have a difficult time getting adequate sleep, according to a study published in this month's issue of the journal Chest.

The study examined 40 pairs of smokers and nonsmokers, matched according to age, race, sex and medical factors. Participants were involved in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's "Sleep Heart Health Study," which examined participants' breathing and brain functioning during sleep. Results showed smokers had a lower incidence of deep sleep throughout the night than nonsmokers. Smokers also had higher subjective reports of restless sleep – 22.5 percent, compared with 5 percent among nonsmokers. Researchers suggested this restlessness may be a symptom of nicotine withdrawal overnight.

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With rural areas experiencing a fire death rate nearly twice the national rate, a new report focuses on what can be done to address the issue.

"Mitigation of the Rural Fire Problem," released Tuesday from the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association, examines the differences of rural fires and provides implementation strategies for reducing fires in communities with fewer than 2,500 residents.

Smaller communities often have less income and, therefore, fewer resources to battle fires. The report suggested rural communities would benefit from safer products and safety devices such as smoke alarms.

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Early exposure to baby lotions, shampoos and powders can lead to detectable levels of potentially toxic chemicals in an infant's urine, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers studied urine samples of 163 babies born between 2000 and 2005, looking for traces of nine different types of chemical compounds known as phthalates. Phthalates – which are found not only in soaps and lotions but also in vinyl toys and medical tubing – can have hormone-like effects and have been linked with reproductive problems, increased incidence of cancer and allergies in animal testing, researchers said. More than 80 percent of the babies in the study had detectable levels of more than seven types of phthalates, researchers said. Use of toiletry items was strongly associated with high phthalate levels.

Researchers believe unborn children and infants are most susceptible to possible negative reactions to the chemicals because of their immature and developing systems.

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NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL NEWS

Motor vehicle deaths decreased 3 percent in 2007 from the previous year, according to new National Safety Council research (MS Word doc). The 2007 total of 43,300 total deaths is 5 percent lower than 2005. Disabling motor vehicle injuries in 2007 are estimated to be about 2.3 million – a 4 percent decrease from 2006.

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• Member Desktop Guide (on the home page)
• New data sheets (on the Division pages)
• Occupational Excellence Achievement application (applications due April 30)
• February Benefit Brief (on the home page)

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• Ergonomics Made Easy – Feb. 13
• Non-Government Websites and Safety – Feb 27
• Motivation & Incentive Programs – March 19

Visit our Webinar calendar for a list of future topics.

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The National Safety Council's Robert W. Campbell Award Program Committee is inviting applications for its 2008 international award for business excellence through environmental, safety and health management. The Campbell Award honors corporations that make environmental, safety and health management integral to their business models, resulting in growth and strong financial performance. Winners will be announced at the council's 96th Annual Congress & Expo in Anaheim, CA.

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