Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hazardous chemicals at work: Will new labeling rules protect workers?

New labels on hazardous chemicals can help
protect workers, OSHA says.
The United States government aims to make improve labels on hazardous chemicals and make them conform to international guidelines developed by the United Nations, a recent AP report says.

According to OSHA, these new labels could help prevent 40 deaths and about 500 workplace injuries and illnesses related to exposure to harmful chemicals each year.

Hazardous materials are a common sight for US workers: About 43 million people come in contact with hazardous substances on the job.

The new labels will be less confusing and generally easier to understand.

Some companies might also benefit by saving on training costs and paperwork, OSHA says, since chemical manufacturers currently have to produce two sets of labels, one for U.S. standards and one for U.N. standards.

The new rules will be phased in over a period of time and will come into full effect in the year 2016.

The rules aim to improve protection for workers, employers and chemicals users and they also require companies to include hazard information about combustible dust.

Combustible dust can become an occupational hazard when tiny particles catch fire as a result of producing chemicals, plastics, metals and foods. In the future, there may be a separate rule specifically geared to combustible dust hazards.

Source: Washington Post

Cleaner indoor air at work with carbon air cleaners

Many companies have to deal with chemicals, gases and fumes from hazardous materials.

To increase workers’ protection and provide a cleaner and healthier environment, Electrocorp offers industrial-strength air cleaners with large activated carbon filters and HEPA filtration to remove a wide range of pollutants.

Electrocorp air cleaners can be used in a wide range of industries and applications; customized products are available as well as a variety of carbon blends to target specific pollutants.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
  

1 comment:

  1. Nice information provided in the blog. It is good to know about these new labels. It is very effective to avoid injuries or illness in the workplace.

    Regard

    ReplyDelete