Compact and tubular fluorescent bulbs contain hazardous metal mercury. Metallic mercury at room temperature is in a liquid form that can easily evaporate from liquid to a vapor. Mercury vapor is colorless and odorless. Fluorescent bulbs contain mainly mercury vapor, but fluorescent...

Welding is such a common industrial process that up to two percent of the working population in industrialized nations has engaged in some form of welding.  Welding is a hazardous process.  Flash burns to the eyes, burns on the skin and fire are some of the more immediate and acute...

Glutaraldehyde is widely used as a disinfectant for a variety of heat-sensitive instruments, such as endoscopes, bronchoscopes, and dialysis equipment.  Health care employees may be exposed to glutaraldehyde in its uses as a hardener in x-ray development and as a tissue fixative in...

Ten percent of all manufacturing jobs in America are welding related.  700,000 workers employed in the United States have been exposed to dangerous welding fumes.  In welding fumes alone there are seventeen different chemicals or agents that can directly affect a person’s daily life...

Interpretation and compliance with the OSHA “multi-employer” construction work site standard often varies depending on the jurisdiction. The presence of asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) dictates communication of the hazard to all employers and their employees by the...

A significant danger in the workplace today is welding fumes. Welding exposure is common that up to two percent of the world’s population in industrialized nations have been affected in some way. Exposure to welding fumes can have debilitating effects on the human body for many...

OSHA began to regulate asbestos in the workplace in the 1970’s, adopting the permissible exposure limit (PEL) to regulate workplace exposure.  The PEL has been reduced over the years as the health effects of asbestos-related work have become more widely known.  Employers must take...

In 2011, the United States National Toxicology Program name formaldehyde a known human carcinogen.  Due to its many uses and toxicity and volatility it needs to be thought of a danger for human health.  With the annual world production of 50 billion pounds (23 million tons) there is...

Occupational hearing loss is defined as a hearing impairment of one or both ears, either partial or complete, that result from a person’s employment.  Even though many states do not have compensation laws for hearing loss at the workplace, compensation is commonly being awarded to...

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in certain rocks.  It separates into strong, thin fibers that are invisible to the naked eye.   Asbestos is strong, fire and corrosion resistant, and a good insulator. It was typically used in building materials as an additive to...