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Showing 482 results

Celeste Monforton | October 14, 2010

MSHA Takes Bold Step to End Black Lung Disease, Proposes Tough New Regulation

Cross-posted from The Pump Handle. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and MSHA asst. secretary Joe Main are proposing new rules to protect U.S. coal mine workers from developing illnesses related to exposure to respirable coal mine dust. The most commonly known adverse health effect is black lung disease, but exposure is also associated with excess risk […]

Ben Somberg | October 1, 2010

US OSHA Reviews State Plans

Over at The Pump Handle, Celeste Monforton looks at federal OSHA's review, issued this week, of the state worker safety programs.

Celeste Monforton | September 22, 2010

MSHA Issues Emergency Rule to Prevent Coal Dust Explosions

Cross posted from The Pump Handle. MSHA announced Tuesday that it will be issuing on September 23 an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to improve a practice to prevent coal dust explosions. The rule addresses “rock dusting”–the decades old practice of generously applying pulverized limestone dust throughout a coal mine to dilute the potential power of […]

Ben Somberg | September 20, 2010

NYT Checks in on Drywall Situation, Finds Mess

The toxic drywall issue has been relatively quiet in the press for some time now. Some guy in Manatee County FL looks to be trying to flip a few contaminated houses (unclear how much he’s repairing them). Habitat for Humanity had a drywall problem in New Orleans. No real big announcements from CPSC of late. […]

Ben Somberg | September 14, 2010

BP Disaster Shows Challenges in Federal Decision-Making Structure on Safety Policies for Cleanup Workers, CPR Report Says

Today CPR releases a new white paper, From Ship to Shore: Reforming the National Contingency Plan to Improve Protections for Oil Spill Cleanup Workers (press release), a look at how decisions were made about safety protections for cleanup workers in the aftermath of the BP oil spill — and the lessons for the future. The […]

James Goodwin | September 1, 2010

The Costs of Regulatory Delay: Could We Have Stopped 1,470 From Being Sickened by Salmonella-Laced Eggs?

On July 9, 2010, following more than 10 years of interference and delay, the Food and Drug Administration’s rule to prevent salmonella contamination in eggs finally went into effect. FDA officials have argued that this rule—which, among other things, requires farms to test eggs and facilities for salmonella, protect feed and water from contamination, and buy […]

Catherine O'Neill | September 1, 2010

Egg Industry’s Effort to Push Salmonella Problem as Consumers’ Fault A Worrying Example of ‘Risk Avoidance’ Policy Approaches to Health and Safety Regulation

According to the egg industry, the thousands of people sickened by eggs contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis have only themselves to blame. As USA Today reported: “Consumers that were sickened reportedly all ate eggs that were not properly or thoroughly cooked. Eggs need to be cooked so that the whites and yolks are firm (not runny) which […]

Liz Borkowski | August 27, 2010

What the Egg Recall Says About Our Food Safety System

Cross-posted from The Pump Handle. The Iowa-based company Wright County Egg is recalling 380 million eggs, which were sold to distributors and wholesalers in 22 states and Mexico, due to concerns about salmonella contamination. The eggs have been sold under several different brand names, so if you've got eggs in your fridge you can check […]

Yee Huang | August 18, 2010

A MRSA Story: The FDA, CAFOs, and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

In June, the Food and Drug Administration issued Draft Guidance on the Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals. The FDA recognizes in the guidance that the “overall weight of evidence available… supports the conclusion that using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production or growth enhancing purposes… in food-producing animals is not in the […]