As many of you know, I can tend to be a little verbose when it comes to certain safety topics.

When I want to recap an article I find in one of the safety magazines that I receive, I will tend to take an article that might take 10-15 minutes to read and I break it down over two or three or five blog posts here that can span more than a couple of weeks. I won’t apologize for it, because I do think that there is information in there that really needs to be fleshed out, and some of the information won’t be fully appreciated with a simple, single reading of the article.

However, there are also important issues that don’t need to take a lot of words – they are just news items of interest. I had one of these kinds of posts earlier this week, and now I have a second one. So I will cut off verbosity and get right to it.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons] Solvents have fumes that are known to cause health problems when inhaled for extended periods of time. But what if you have not been exposed to them for decades? Does the brain heal from high exposure to solvents and other chemicals? A recent Harvard study may shed some light.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]This week’s Safety Shorts have a theme about hazards. Who knew that recyclable materials can be as dangerous as containers of hazardous chemicals? Wait, you mean you can’t recycle used needles or animal bodies?

Recycling: Good for Planet, Bad for Workers?

Everyone can get behind recycling – it’s supposed to be good for the planet, and it does not involve a whole lot of extra effort on our part compared to just throwing things in the trash. But while there is some debate as to whether recycling is actually paying dividends, it has been considered a safe industry in which to work.

Until a recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Champaign seemed to go against the conventional wisdom, that is.

The research showed that there were 15 work-related deaths at recycling facilities between 2011 and 2013, which meant that those who work at such facilities had twice the death rate of the average worker.

When looking deeper into the causes, the researchers found that some companies relied on temporary workers to do much of the work, which means they are often not well-trained in the safety protocols and proper operation of equipment; and all workers are often exposed to hazards like used needles, broken glass and even animal carcasses. (Yeah, my mouth dropped open too. Who recycles that?)

As the result of the research, the study’s authors (from the University of Illinois School of Public Health) make suggestions that municipalities reach contractual agreements with recycling companies that have permanent workers and have a history of full compliance with OSHA regulations, and that this alone will help mitigate the dangers.

To see the study, check out this link.

Volatile Chemicals, Consistent Enforcement

Since the United Nations implemented the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, OSHA in the U.S. has been revising and adjusting its rules and regulations to be more in line with the UN standards.

OSHA has recently announced some new instructions that are meant to develop what is termed “more consistent enforcement” of what are called the HazCom standard when it comes to the information being submitted regarding various hazardous chemicals. OSHA says the new guidelines discuss new hazard classification for chemicals, developing standard label elements on each container of chemicals, and creating a template for safety data sheets in terms of formatting and required information.

OSHA also gives directions about how to enforce and execute this standard during the phase-in period, while the standard goes into full effect June 1 of next year.