Environmental, Health & Safety Update
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
Safety
April is Distracted Driving Awareness. Reiterate to your employees these four simple rules to minimize the effects of distracted driving. (1) Pull over to check/use mobile communication devices; (2) set up an auto reply message that will be used when driving; (3) Keep devices out of reach and (4) Designate ringtones for important calls...if heard, then pull over to take the call.
Reminder: Employers must post a copy of OSHA's Form 300A, which summarizes job-related injuries and illnesses logged during 2016. The summary must be displayed from February through April in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees and those in certain low-hazard industries are exempt from OSHA record keeping and posting requirements.
Environmental
Hazardous waste: Anyone who generates waste materials must determine if the waste is hazardous as defined by RCRA. So...before you can decide what class of generator you are, and therefore the level of regulatory responsibilities with which you must comply, you need to know if you’re generating hazardous waste. Making a hazardous waste determination is a two-step process:
1. Does your waste meet the definition of being a "solid waste" per RCRA and
2. If the waste is a solid waste, does it meet the definition of being hazardous (see link below)? This last step requires the generator to determine:
a. Is the waste specifically excluded from the RCRA hazardous waste regulation?
b. If it isn’t then is the waste a "listed" waste in the rule? OR
c. Does the waste exhibit one or more of the four characteristics of hazardous waste, making it a "characteristic
waste"?
Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has developed a new, free mobile application for iOS devices that measures sound levels in workplaces. The NIOSH Sound Level Meter app displays real-time noise exposure data based on NIOSH and OSHA limits. The easy-to-use app can be particularly helpful to occupational safety and health trainers as they teach construction apprentices about noise hazards and the need for hearing protection. To download the App go to the following:
Identifying and Controlling the Hazards of Blue Light
Late last year, the American Optometric Association (AOA) released its 2016 American Eye-Q® survey, which found that the average American spends seven or more hours per day looking at an assortment of screens: phones, tablets, computers, and flat-screen televisions. For Millennials, the figure is even higher: an average of nine hours per day. So how is all that screen time affecting our eyes? The short answer is negatively. Digital device screens emit high concentrations of blue light — high-energy visible light — that can lead to an assortment of symptoms.
Many sources of artificial light, including fluorescent bulbs and LEDs and the screens of many electronic devices, are skewed toward the high-energy, blue end of the visible spectrum. Acute overexposure to blue light can disrupt levels of the hormone melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep and reducing the amount of time spent in REM sleep. It can also cause digital eye strain (sometimes called computer vision syndrome). Symptoms of digital eye strain include: dry eyes, eye irritation (burning and stinging), sleep problems, blurred vision, headaches, neck and shoulder pain. Chronic overexposure to blue light can cause permanent damage to the retina and is believed to contribute to the development of age-related macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of blindness in individuals over the age of 55.
In order to protect their eyes, people should monitor their digital screen usage at home and work. Here are a few things you can do to help prevent such problems:
• Go dark. As the sun goes down, dim the screens on your devices;
• Decrease glare; Follow the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you spend looking at a device or computer screen, take a 20-second break and focus on something that is 20 feet away;
• Get yourself some cheap sunglasses (yellow glasses block blue wavelengths).
