Study: Companies pay almost $6,000 extra per year for each employee who smokes

Photo: freedigitalimages.net

U.S. businesses pay almost $6,000 per year extra for each employee who smokes compared to the cost to employ a person who has never smoked cigarettes.

Researchers say the study is the first study to take a comprehensive look at the financial burden for companies that employ smokers.

By drawing on previous research on the costs of absenteeism, lost productivity, smoke breaks and health care costs, the researchers developed an estimate that each employee who smokes costs an employer an average of $5,816 annually above the cost of a person who never smoked. These annual costs can range from $2,885 to $10,125, according to the research.

Smoke breaks accounted for the highest cost in lost productivity, followed by health-care expenses that exceed insurance costs for nonsmokers.

The analysis used studies that measured costs for private-sector employers, but the findings would likely apply in the public sector as well, said lead author Micah Berman, who will become an assistant professor of health services management and policy in The Ohio State University College of Public Health on Aug. 21. Berman began this work while on the law faculty of Capital University in Columbus.

"This research should help businesses make better informed decisions about their tobacco policies," said Berman, who also will have an appointment in the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State. "We constructed our calculations such that individual employers can plug in their own expenses to get more accurate estimates of their own costs."

The study focuses solely on economics and does not address ethical and privacy issues related to the adoption of workplace policies covering employee smoking. Increasingly, businesses have been adopting tobacco-related policies that include requiring smokers to pay premium surcharges for their health-care benefits or simply refusing to hire people who identify themselves as smokers.

The researchers acknowledge that providing smoking-cessation programs would be an added cost for employers.

"Employers should be understanding about how difficult it is to quit smoking and how much support is needed," Berman said. "It's definitely not just a cost issue, but employers should be informed about what the costs are when they are considering these policies."

The research is published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated a decade ago that productivity losses and medical costs amount to about $3,400 each year per smoker. However, the report looked at overall costs to the American economy from smoking-related deaths and did not try to identify those costs that would be borne by an employer, Berman noted.

The CDC says smoking accounts for nearly one in every five deaths – or about 443,000 – in the United States each year and increases the risk for such illnesses as coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other deadly lung illnesses.

The researchers used multiple studies that calculated a variety of specific costs to develop an estimate of the overall annual extra cost of each employee who smokes.

According to their annual estimates per smoker, excess absenteeism costs an average of $517 per year; "presenteeism," or reduced productivity related to the effects of nicotine addiction, $462; smoke breaks, $3,077; and extra health care costs (for self-insured employers), $2,056.

The analysis also took into consideration a so-called death "benefit" in terms of economics. For employers who provide defined benefit plans, meaning they pay retirees a set amount in pension each year, a smoker's early death could result in an annual cost reduction of an estimated $296. This occurs when smokers pay more into the pension system than they receive in retirement – in effect, subsidizing nonsmokers' pensions because they live longer.

"We tried to be conservative in our estimates, and certainly the costs will vary by industry and by the type of employee," Berman said. "Several of these estimates are based on hourly employees whose productivity can be tracked more easily."

He noted that the analysis takes into account the known disparity in pay for smokers versus nonsmokers. In the calculations, smokers' salaries were discounted by 15.6 percent to reflect their lower wages.

The researchers describe their findings as "needed factual context to discussions about workplace policies" intended to inform the debate over whether such policies should exist.

"Most of the places that have policies against hiring smokers are coming at it not just from a cost perspective but from a wellness perspective," Berman said. "Many of these businesses make cessation programs available to their employees.

"Most people who smoke started when they were kids and the vast majority of them want to quit and are struggling to do so. This is a place where business interests and public health align. In addition to cutting costs, employers can help their employees lead healthier and longer lives by eliminating tobacco from the workplace."
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STUDY: Want to earn more? Be a loyal employee

Workers who are loyal to their employers tend to be paid more, according to the first broad-scale study of worker loyalty and earnings.

Michigan State University researchers surveyed 10,800 employees in former socialist countries that introduced capitalist economies in the 1990s. While previous research has found that worker loyalty bolsters companies' bottom lines by lowering labor turnover costs and enhanced customer service, this study shows that employees benefit as well – by making more money, said Susan Linz, lead author and professor of economics.

"We know that firms realize financial gain from loyal workers, but we wanted to know if they share those benefits with the workers," Linz said. "And among the more than 650 workplaces included in our study the answer is yes, they are sharing the wealth."

The researchers surveyed employees from 2005 to 2011 in six culturally and economically diverse countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazahkstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Serbia. The employees came from a wide range of sectors including manufacturing, retail and financial services, health care, education, public sector, construction and transportation.

Loyalty was measured in three ways: by workplace seniority; whether the employee would turn down an offer of slightly more money to change jobs; and whether the employee was committed to and engaged with the company – i.e., did they buy into the company's mission even when it was outside their job responsibilities.

Linz said she was surprised to find such a strong link between worker loyalty and higher earnings. In three countries, the contribution of loyalty to earnings was equivalent to the contribution to earnings of an additional year of experience.

Workers were more likely to be loyal if they expected to earn a bonus or learn new skills. In addition, loyalty was higher among employees who expected that doing their job well would result in job security and the feeling that they were accomplishing something worthwhile.

Contrary to previous studies, however, praise from supervisors was not always positively linked to worker loyalty.

The findings have implications in the global economy. Western-based companies looking to set up shop in countries such as Azerbaijan or Russia, for example, need to know how to train their managers to motivate workers. Knowing which strategies promote loyalty is crucial.

"If Western managers come in and start offering them praise, telling them they're doing a great job and so on, it might not have that big of an effect," Linz said. "Managers might have more success by offering the workers a chance to learn new skills, which can contribute to their sense of better job security or desire for more job autonomy, all of which were positively linked to loyalty in our study."

In the United States, where it's common for workers to switch jobs and where companies and entire sectors are downsizing, popular perception is that it doesn't make sense for employees to be loyal. But what if firms do reward loyalty? Linz said it would be interesting to conduct the employee survey here to see if the findings are similar.

Linz conducted the study with Linda Good, professor of advertising, public relations and retailing, and Michael Busch, a doctoral student in economics.
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Poultry processor cited for exposing workers to chemical hazards

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The De Queen poultry processing plant owned by Pilgrim's Pride Corp. has been cited with 11 safety violations and proposed penalties totaling $170,000 by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to hazardous chemicals.

The inspection, which began in January, was initiated under the agency's Process Safety Management Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program. PSM encompasses a detailed set of requirements and procedures employers must follow to address hazards proactively that are associated with processes and equipment that use large amounts of hazardous chemicals. In this case, it's the use of anhydrous ammonia in the refrigeration system.

A willful violation, with a $70,000 fine, was cited for failing to document that the emergency shutdown system for the engine room was designed to ensure that the mechanical ventilation system was activated by an ammonia leak. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

The nine serious violations, with a $61,500 fine, were cited for PSM deficiencies of the relief valves and failing to provide process hazard analysis, operating procedures, testing procedures and management of change procedures. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

The repeat violation, with a fine of $38,500, was cited for failing to ensure the adequate frequency of self-inspections and tests of ammonia refrigeration equipment and vessels. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. A similar violation was cited in 2011.

"Process safety management prevents the unexpected release of toxic, reactive or flammable liquids and gases in processes involving highly hazardous chemicals," said Carlos Reynolds, OSHA's area director in Little Rock. "It's vital that Pilgrim's Pride ensure safeguards are in place to protect the safety of workers at its work sites."

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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ISO to Develop New Global Occupational Health and Safety Standard

Following the tragic deaths of thousands of garment factory workers around the world in the past year, including over 1,100 people in a factory collapse in Bangladesh, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has announced that it will develop a new standard for global occupational health and safety (OH&S) with the goal of providing governmental agencies, industry, and other affected stakeholders with effective, usable guidance for improving worker safety in countries around the world. The work will be overseen by ISO Project Committee (PC) 283, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements.

"This proposed occupational health and safety standard represents one of the most significant consensus standards activities in the last 50 years," said S. Joe Bhatia, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) president and CEO. "It has the potential to significantly and positively impact occupational health and safety management on a global level."

To support this effort, ANSI and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) are seeking participants for a U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO PC 283. All U.S. experts and interested stakeholders in OH&S management are strongly encouraged to get involved and help influence the development of this important standard.

The U.S. TAG to ISO PC 283 will advise ANSI on voting positions relevant to the proposed OH&S management standard, and will carry out detailed discussions on issues related to its development. As the U.S. member body to ISO, ANSI accredits U.S. TAGs to develop and transmit U.S. positions on ISO technical activities. Following the TAG's accreditation by ANSI, ASSE will head up the U.S. work effort by serving as the U.S. TAG administrator to ISO PC 283.

"Time and time again we've seen how investment in OH&S management can help to make work environments safer, while also serving to improve overall organizational performance and boosting the bottom line," said Kathy Seabrook, CSP, CMIOSH, EurOSH, president of ASSE.

"ISO PC 283 will be doing critically important work, and the U.S. needs to have a strong, active and engaged role in this activity," added Mr. Bhatia. "ANSI and ASSE encourage all interested U.S. stakeholders to get involved in this significant new global standards initiative."

For more information about the U.S. TAG to ISO PC 283 and the opportunity to take part in this critically important work, click here. To access the TAG membership application form, click here.

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EPA Reduces Regulatory Burden for Industrial Facilities Using Solvent Wipes

Common-sense exclusion will save industry up to $27.8 million per year

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) modified the hazardous waste management regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to conditionally exclude solvent-contaminated wipes from hazardous waste regulations provided that businesses clean or dispose of them properly. The rule is based on EPA’s final risk analysis, which was peer reviewed in 2008 and published for public comment in 2009, that concluded wipes contaminated with certain hazardous solvents do not pose significant risk to human health and the environment when managed properly. EPA estimates that the final rule will result in a net savings of between $21.7 million and $27.8 million per year.

Wipes are used in conjunction with solvents for cleaning and other purposes by tens of thousands of facilities in numerous industrial sectors, such as printers, automobile repair shops and manufacturers of automobiles, electronics, furniture and chemicals.

“Today’s rule uses the latest science to provide a regulatory framework for managing solvent-contaminated wipes that is appropriate to the level of risk posed by these materials,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “I’ve heard directly from stakeholders about the benefits of this rule and the need to finalize it. The rule reduces costs for thousands of businesses, many of which are small businesses, while maintaining protection of human health and the environment.”

Today’s final rule excludes wipes that are contaminated with solvents listed as hazardous wastes under RCRA that are cleaned or disposed of properly. To be excluded, solvent-contaminated wipes must be managed in closed, labeled containers and cannot contain free liquids when sent for cleaning or disposal. Additionally, facilities that generate solvent-contaminated wipes must comply with certain recordkeeping requirements and may not accumulate wipes for longer than 180 days.

EPA estimates that the final rule will result in a net savings of $18 million per year in avoided regulatory costs and between $3.7 million and $9.9 million per year in other expected benefits, including pollution prevention, waste minimization and fire prevention benefits.

Today’s rule is consistent with President Obama’s Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, which charges federal agencies to monitor regulatory effectiveness and to help make agency regulatory programs more effective or less burdensome in achieving the regulatory objectives.

EPA first proposed modified regulations for solvent-contaminated wipes on November 20, 2003, and published a revised risk assessment for public comment on October 27, 2009. The docket for this rulemaking is EPA-HQ-RCRA-2003-0004 and can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov once the final rule is published.

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Executive recycling company and executives sentenced for fraud and international environmental crimes

Executive Recycling, Inc. and Brandon Richter, age 38, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, the owner and chief executive officer of Executive Recycling, were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez for their roles in a fraudulent scheme related to the disposal and exportation of electronic waste to foreign countries.


Executive Recycling, the corporation, was sentenced to pay a $4,500,000 fine and serve 3 years on probation. Richter was ordered to serve 30 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years on supervised release. Judge Martinez also ordered Richter to pay a $7,500 fine and $70,144 in restitution joint and several with the victims of the crime. Richter was ordered to report to a Bureau of Prisons facility within 15 days of designation. Judge Martinez also ordered $142,241.10 in asset forfeiture.

The defendants were convicted in December 2012 of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud and environmental crimes related to the illegal disposal of electronic waste, smuggling, and obstruction of justice, following an 11-day trial.

Last week former vice president of operations, Tor Olson, age 38, of Parker, Colorado, was sentenced to serve 14 months in prison, pay a $5,000 fine, and pay over $15,000 in restitution. Olson remains free on bond pending appeal.

Executive Recycling, Inc., as a corporation, Brandon Richter and Tor Olson were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on September 15, 2011. The jury trial before Judge Martinez began on December 3, 2012. The jury reached their verdict on December 21, 2012. Olson was sentenced on July 17, 2013.

According to the indictment, as well as the facts presented at trial, Executive Recycling was an electronic waste recycling business located in Englewood, Colorado with affiliated locations in Utah and Nebraska. The company collected electronic waste from private households, businesses, and government entities. Executive Recycling was registered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a “Large Quantity Handler of Universal Waste.” Richter, as owner and CEO, was responsible for supervising all aspects of the company. Olson, the vice president of operations, was responsible for running day-to-day operations.

A significant portion of electronic waste collected by the defendants were Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs). CRTs are the glass video display component of an electronic device, usually a computer or television monitor, and are known to contain lead. The defendants engaged in the practice of exporting electronic waste, including CRTs, from the United States to foreign countries, including the People’s Republic of China. The defendants regularly negotiated the sale of electronic waste to brokers who represented foreign buyers or who sold the electronic waste overseas. The foreign buyers often paid the defendants directly. To transport the electronic waste, the defendants used shipping cargo containers which were loaded at the company’s facility. The containers were then transported by rail to domestic ports for export overseas.

Executive Recycling appeared as the exporter of record in over 300 exports from the United States between 2005 and 2008. Approximately 160 of these exported cargo containers contained a total of more than 100,000 CRTs.

Between February 2005 and continuing through January 2009, the defendants knowingly devised and intended to devise a scheme to defraud various business and government entities who wanted to dispose of their electronic waste, and to obtain these business and government entities’ money by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses. The defendants represented themselves on a website to have “extensive knowledge of current EPA requirements.” The defendants falsely advertised to customers that they would dispose of electronic waste in compliance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations. It was part of the scheme that the defendants falsely represented that they would dispose of all electronic waste, whether hazardous or not, in an environmentally friendly manner. Specifically, the defendants falsely represented that the defendant company recycled electronic waste “properly, right here in the U.S.” They also stated that they would not send the electronic waste overseas.

“The defendants in this case not only caused actual harm to the environment by shipping electronic waste overseas for dumping, they defrauded their customers by falsely claiming to be disposing of that waste in an environmentally safe way,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “As cases like this one show, federal investigators and the U.S. Attorney’s Office can and will reach beyond our country’s borders to investigate crime and prosecute wrongdoers.”

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Native leaders in Canada worry about oil industry pollution on traditional lands

Source: Edmonton Journal

Photo: pixtawan/freedigitalphotos.net

The chief and council of Cold Lake First Nations want a tour of traditional lands contaminated by four recent surface releases of bitumen emulsion from oil wells, says the First Nations industry liaison.

“We have many concerns because that’s our traditional territory,” said Christine Chalifoux, who works as liaison between Cold Lakes First Nations and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. “As always, our concern is how much damage is done to the land and the wildlife that is out there.”

After a spill reported June 24 affecting 40 hectares of land at Canadian Natural’s Primrose South location, as well as three other spills at its Primrose East location this spring, the Alberta Energy Regulator ordered the Calgary-based producer to stop a process using steam to melt bitumen, allowing it to pool into wells before turning off the steam and pumping out the bitumen.

Both projects are on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range about 240 kilometres east of Edmonton. That range, Chalifoux said, has been federally recognized as part of the First Nation’s traditional territory.

As such, Chalifoux wants to have more details of how the land has been affected by the steam and the bitumen leaking to the surface. Alberta Environment says the Primrose South spill killed several animals, including waterfowl, shrews, beaver, frogs and tadpoles.

“Cold Lake is a big lake and Primrose Lake is out there and it’s concerning for people who go out fishing,” Chalifoux said. She said the affected area of the spills is about one hour from Cold Lake First Nations and about 30 minutes from the English Bay Reserve.

The Alberta Energy Regulator said there have been no risks to public safety, but have banned high-pressure steaming until a thorough investigation determines why the leaks occurred.

“I couldn’t say there’s no risk,” Chalifoux said. “There’s people that work out there, whether it’s our people or Canadian Natural people. Is that bitumen going in to the water?”

She said she hopes to arrange a tour of the affected area by the end of July. It could be delayed because the First Nations’ office closes next week for the annual pilgrimage at Lac Ste. Anne.

“We want to get that tour right away because it’s an ongoing issue,” Chalifoux said. “I don’t know if they have it under control. I don’t know if the leak has stopped. All I know is that the leak has come up to the surface.”

The release dirtied a body of water that Canadian Natural Resources initially described as “approximately 10 acres” (four hectares) of slough. The energy regulator equated that to approximately 175 barrels of spilled bitumen and about 800 barrels of oily vegetation.

Now that the spill covers about 40 hectares of land, there has been no revision to the spill volume.

“If we’re not getting what actually is going on out there, it kind of makes you wonder how much land is being affected in other areas that they’re unaware of,” Chalifoux said, noting Canadian Natural Resources also wants a meeting with the chief and council. “But myself, as well as the Nation, we’re very concerned because oil gets into the land and starts wrecking all the plants and all the land surrounding it.”

Canadian Natural Resources is still investigating, but believes the likely cause to be mechanical in nature.

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How the CIA exploited 007 for gadget ideas and public relations

The real-life CIA copied outlandish gadgets from Goldfinger and From Russia With Love, according to a University of Warwick analysis of declassified letters and interviews revealing the bond between Ian Fleming and Allen Dulles.


However the relationship between the former CIA director and the spy thriller writer went far deeper than raiding the novels for technological inspiration.

Through Dulles, the agency actively leaned on the British author to paint it in more positive light at a time when US film-makers, authors and journalists were silent about the activities of the CIA, fearful to even mention it by name.

Dr Christopher Moran from the University of Warwick has trawled through declassified letters and media reports from the 1950 and 60s for the study, Ian Fleming and the Public Profile of the CIA, published in the Journal of Cold War Studies.

He said: “There was a surprising two-way influence between the CIA and the James Bond novels during the Cold War, stemming from the mutual admiration between Allen Dulles and Ian Fleming.

“This ranged from the copying of devices, such as the poison-tipped dagger shoe in From Russia With Love, to the agency using the 007 novels to improve its public profile.

“It’s even more striking that this was going on at time when mentioning the CIA was strictly off-limits for the US media and cultural establishment, whereas Fleming, as a British author, could say what he liked.

“For a long time, the James Bond books had a monopoly on the CIA’s public image and the agency used this to its advantage.”

Declassified letters between Allen Dulles and Ian Fleming reveal the former CIA boss’s strong affection for the Bond novels – he even persuaded the author not to pension off 007 in 1963.

And in a rediscovered 1964 edition of Life Magazine, Dulles describes his meeting with the ‘brilliant and witty’ Fleming in London in 1959 where the author told him that the CIA was not doing enough in the area of ‘special devices’.

On his return to the US, Dulles urged CIA technical staff to replicate as many of Bond’s devices as they could.

The article details how the CIA successfully copied Rosa Klebb’s infamous spring-loaded poison knife shoe from the film From Russia with Love.

But it had less luck with the homing beacon device used in Goldfinger to track the villain's car – the CIA version had ‘too many bugs in it’, Dulles said, and stopped working when the enemy entered a crowded city.

The letters between Dulles and Fleming also show how the CIA tapped into James Bond for public relations support, with the author agreeing to include a number of glowing references to the CIA in his later novels. He did this out of respect for Dulles, a close friend, but the effect was to promote the image of the CIA. In return, Dulles rhapsodised about Fleming in the American press, even saying on one occasion that his organisation “could do with a few James Bonds”.

Dr Moran said: “The early 007 novels, written in the 1950s, introduce millions of readers to the CIA for the first time through the character of its agent Felix Leiter.

“Although Fleming’s portrayal of the CIA is largely favourable, readers are left in no doubt that the British intelligence services are the superior outfit.

“In Live and Let Die, for example, Leiter comes across as a bit of a bungler, unable to blend in with the locals and forced to rely on paid informants.

“But in the later books, as the friendship between Dulles and Fleming deepens, a far rosier picture of the CIA emerges.

“For example, in Thunderball, Bond’s boss ‘M’ dispenses with his characteristic economy of words to speak enthusiastically about the way the CIA is selflessly putting itself in the service of freedom.

“And Allen Dulles is even the subject of several honourable mentions in the later books.

“It really does come across as a bit of a mutual appreciation society.”

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EPA Seeks Input for Revisions on Existing Uses of PCBs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking nominations from individuals who represent small businesses, small governments, and small not-for-profit organizations to provide input to a federal panel that will explore changes to existing uses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This panel will focus on the agency’s development of a proposed rule to revise or end the existing authorized uses of PCBs as appropriate if the conditions under which they were authorized more than 30 years ago have changed. This rulemaking may address existing liquid-filled PCB use authorizations, PCBs in fluorescent light ballasts, PCBs in natural gas pipelines, and regulatory language clarifications.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires agencies to establish a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The SBAR panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA.

Small Entity Representatives (SERs) will be selected by the SBAR Panel to provide comments on behalf of their company, community or organization and advise the panel about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities. EPA is seeking self-nominations directly from the small entities that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such as trade associations that exclusively or at least primarily represent potentially regulated small entities, may also serve as SERs.

SERs provide advice and recommendations to the panel. The SERs participate in consultations with the SBAR Panel via telephone, webinar, or in person in one or two meetings and are given an opportunity to submit written comments to the panel.

Nature’s Best to Pay $19,669 Civil Penalty for Violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

Nature’s Best, LLC, of Inwood, Iowa, has agreed to pay a $19,669 civil penalty to resolve violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

The penalty stems from 20 alleged sales or distributions of 18 different unregistered pesticide products, including plant regulators, insecticides, and fungicides, and one count for production of pesticides in a facility that was not registered with EPA as a pesticide-producing establishment from 2010 to 2012. Among other products, the matter involved the sale and distribution of plant growth regulators, which FIFRA regulates as pesticides.

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FIFRA defines plant growth regulators as substances intended to accelerate or retard the growth of plants. Among other things, substances considered to be plant regulators may include hormone additives intended to stimulate plant root growth or fruiting, such as gibberellins, auxins, and cytokinins derived from seaweed. Products containing these additives are often marketed as fertilizers, but such claims do not exempt products from regulation as pesticides.


Under FIFRA, distributors of pesticides must ensure that pesticides intended for distribution within the U.S. are registered both if the distributor claims the substance can be used as a pesticide or if the product is intended to be used for a pesticidal purpose, which may include, among other uses, as a plant regulator, insecticide, or fungicide.

As part of its settlement with EPA, Nature’s Best, LLC, has certified that it is presently in compliance with FIFRA and its regulations.

OSHA cites NY medical lab for inadequate worker safeguards against bloodborne pathogen hazards

Photo: Ambro/freedigitalphotos.net

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings, headquartered in Burlington, N.C., for alleged repeat and serious health violations following a November 2012 complaint inspection of its Schenectady location by OSHA's Albany Area Office.

OSHA found that phlebotomy technicians who drew blood did not receive required training until after working with the blood. In addition, workers were not trained on procedures in the event of an exposure incident. OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard requires employers to provide workers with regular training, which includes steps to take in the aftermath of an exposure, and to provide the training before workers begin working with blood. One repeat citation was issued with $38,500 in proposed fines. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Similar hazards were cited in 2011 at a Jersey City, N.J., facility.

"The failure of Laboratory Corp. to provide adequate and timely training needlessly placed workers at risk," said Kimberly Castillon, OSHA's area director in Albany. "The health and wellness of the Laboratory Corp. workers depends on this company promptly and effectively addressing these issues at all its locations."

Three serious violations, with $19,500 in proposed fines, include the failure to have specific procedures to inform workers on obtaining post-exposure care; update the exposure control program to reflect technological changes to eliminate or reduce bloodborne pathogen exposures; and train workers exposed to traysol, a chemical used in stabilizing and shipping blood samples, about its physical and health hazards. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

More information about bloodborne pathogen hazards and safeguards is available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html.

"An effective illness and injury prevention program in which management and employees work together to identify and prevent hazardous conditions, such as these, is a key tool in protecting the health and safety of employees in the workplace," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator for New York.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet informally with the OSHA area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Albany office at 518-464-4338.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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Knowing the end goal increases productivity

Want to make your team more effective? Set very clear goals say researchers:

"Our study focused on how to improve levels of cooperation. What we found was that when people know exactly what they're supposed to be doing as members of a team, they are more willing to trust each other and cooperate more in the future," says Panos Mitkidis, a post-doc scholar at Aarhus University, Denmark.

He is behind a study published recently in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, and he suggests that levels of cooperation improve when we know exactly what our goals are – instead of just following a process without really knowing where we are going.

The study provides a clue about how science can help us to become more cooperative and productive by switching the focus to goals instead of focusing on processes. Successful cooperation depends on knowing more than just the rules and processes in which we are involved.

"Knowing exactly what our goals are actually appears to increase our perception of cooperation, trust and shared expectations. In fact, the study showed that when the people involved could see the end product they felt they were sharing a collective goal and were therefore more willing to trust and cooperate with their colleagues," says Mitkidis

Trust and clear goals are indeed important ingredients in successful cooperation between people in all types of settings.

"Cooperation is a prerequisite for most types of human relations from love to business, and from everyday interactions to more complicated activities. For instance, making dinner with your partner is easier when you know exactly what to cook and have a clear goal. And running a business or an experiment at CERN is also easier if you know precisely what you're trying to achieve," says Mitkidis.

In a world where productivity is at the centre of discussion, the study provides a clue about how science can help us to be more productive. The study provides insight for managers in the worlds of business and administration, where cooperation and productivity are always important.

"The study develops an insight into the benefits and consequences of rationalising administrative processes in modern states and formal institutions. In business corporations some important questions are: how can we make sure that all employees have a clear goal for the work they do, and how can we build trust on a business level?" explains Mitkidis.

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