Pure lead (Pb) is a heavy metal at room temperature and pressure. A basic chemical element, it can combine with various other substances to form numerous lead compounds. Lead has been poisoning workers for thousands of years. Lead can damage the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, hematological system, and kidneys. When absorbed into the body in high enough doses, lead can be toxic. In addition, workers' lead exposure can harm their children's development. In construction, lead is used frequently for roofs, cornices, tank linings, and electrical conduits. In...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its Grain Handling Standard. Title 29. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Part 1910.272. in 1987 to protect workers exposed to fires and explosions. Excessive amounts of grain dust was one of the major causes of these devastating catastrophes that killed or maimed hundreds of workers. The standard protects workers from hazards faced while walking on or underneath accumulations of grain within a grain storage facility. These hazards include engulfment and entrapment in grain and grain handling equipment, which can result in...

The guidance is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to help construction workers and supervisors understand and reduce noise exposure on job sites. Employers are required to comply with safety and health standards as issued and enforced by either the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), or an OSHA-approved State Plan. In addition, Section 5(a)(1) of The Occupational Safety and Health Act, the General Duty Clause, requires employers to provide their workers with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical...

More than 500,000 workers are employed in laboratories in the U.S. The laboratory environment can be a hazardous place to work. Laboratory workers are exposed to numerous potential hazards including chemical, biological, physical and radioactive hazards, as well as musculoskeletal stresses. Laboratory safety is governed by numerous local, state and federal regulations. Over the years, OSHA has promulgated rules and published guidance to make laboratories increasingly safe for personnel. This publication is intended for supervisors, principal investigators and managers who have the primary...

This guide is intended to help small businesses comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) standards. Employees exposed to Cr(VI) are at increased risk of developing serious adverse health effects including lung cancer, asthma and damage to the nasal passages and skin. This guide describes the steps that employers are required to take to protect employees from the hazards associated with exposure to Cr(VI). This publication provides guidance only, and does not alter or determine compliance responsibilities, which are set forth in OSHA...

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is based on a simple concept-that employees have both a need and a right to know the hazards and identities of the chemicals they are exposed to when working. They also need to know what protective measures are available to prevent adverse effects from occurring. OSHA designed the HCS to provide employees with the information they need to know. Knowledge acquired under the HCS will help employers provide safer workplaces for their employees. When employees have information about the chemicals being used, they can take steps to reduce exposures,...

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in a very short time. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of...

Controlling occupational injuries and illnesses and related expenditures is a top priority in most companies. Selecting a qualified health care professional to participate in the workplace safety and health activities can be a vital step in this process. The following questions and answers are to provide guidance and serve as a resource for those considering such a selection: What Issues Should be Considered in Selecting a Health Care Professional? What Unique Contributions Can an Occupational Health Care Professional Make to Workplace Safety and Health? Who Are Qualified Occupational Health...

This publication has been prepared by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to help dry cleaning establishments reduce employee exposures to perchloroethylene (also known as perc, tetrachloroethylene, C2Cl4 or Cl2C=CCl2). The dry cleaning industry has improved the control of perchloroethylene in recent years, and modern dry cleaning equipment involves much lower exposures than older style equipment. However, there is still a need to reduce employee exposure to the chemical to reduce any possible health effects that could result from long-term exposure to the chemical. Many...

Many workplaces contain spaces that are considered to be "confined" because their configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter into, work in or exit from them. In many instances, employees who work in confined spaces also face increased risk of exposure to serious physical injury from hazards such as entrapment, engulfment and hazardous atmospheric conditions. Confinement itself may pose entrapment hazards and work in confined spaces may keep employees closer to hazards such as machinery components than they would be otherwise. For example, confinement, limited access and...