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Showing posts with label hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hair. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2013

NIOSH Announces the Top 10 Science Blog Posts in 2012

The list shows the vast array of topics covered by NIOSH.  Of note this year, the third and eleventh most viewed blogs were written by external partners.

  1. Help Wanted: Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation Research.  We urged you to help us collect on-site air samples during SPF installation.  The response was fantastic!  Thank you!
  2. Worker Exposure to Crystalline Silica During Hydraulic Fracturing   highlighted a newly-identified hazard in the fracking industry, provided prevention information and asked for assistance with future efforts. 
  3. Hair Formaldehyde and Industrial Hygiene, from the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) at Oregon Health and Science University, summarized the campaign to inform stylists of the risks related to formaldehyde-containing hair straighteners and the need for proper protection. 
  4. Sleep and Work. In honor of National Sleep Awareness Week we summarized sleep and work issues in this blog and highlighted NIOSH research in the companion blog NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss(#6). 
  5. Stress and Health in Law Enforcement highlighted research from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study and from related studies of morbidity and mortality among police officers. 
  6. See #4 above
  7. Brain Injury in the NFL discussed new research finding that National Football League (NFL) players may be at a higher risk of death associated with Alzheimer’s and other impairments of the brain and nervous system than the general U.S. population.
  8. Safer and Healthier at any Age:  Strategies for an Aging Workforce  presented strategies for preparing your workplace to accommodate an older workforce. 
  9. All-terrain Vehicles and Work highlighted the risks associated with ATVs and identified safe practices for use in the workplace.
  10. Respiratory Protection for Workers Handling Engineered Nanoparticles.  While this blog was technically posted in December of 2011 we included it anyway.  This blog provided an update on the science and rationale behind NIOSH’s recommendations for the use and selection of respirators against engineered nanoparticles.
  11. Sleep Pain and Hospital Workers, from colleagues at Harvard, examined the question: Does lack of sleep increase pain and limit function among hospital care workers?
  12. Safety and Health in the Theater:  Keeping Tragedy Out of the Comedies… and Musicals…and Dramas discussed the often overlooked hazards in the theater.

Monday, April 11, 2011

US OSHA Warns Workers of Brazilian Blowout Formaldehyde Hazards

US Labor Department’s OSHA issues hazard alert to hair salon owners, workers on smoothing and straightening products that could release formaldehyde
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is issuing a hazard alert to hair salon owners and workers about potential formaldehyde exposure from working with some hair smoothing and straightening products.
The hazard alert, available on OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/hazard_alert.html, provides information about OSHA's investigations, the health hazards of formaldehyde and how to protect people who are working with hair smoothing and straightening products.
Responding to complaints and referrals about possible exposure to formaldehyde, federal OSHA and many state occupational safety and health agencies are conducting investigations. Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Connecticut's Department of Public Health, and agencies in several other states already have issued warnings.
Federal OSHA has found formaldehyde in the air when stylists used hair smoothing products, some of which do have formaldehyde listed on their labels or in material safety data sheets as required by law. During one investigation, the agency's air tests showed formaldehyde at levels greater that OSHA's limits for a salon, even though the product tested was labeled as formaldehyde-free. California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently issued violations to an importer and distributer of smoothing products labeled formaldehyde-free for failing to list formaldehyde as a hazardous ingredient on the company's product labels and in the material safety data sheets.
Formaldehyde presents a health hazard if workers are exposed. It can irritate the eyes and nose; cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs; and is linked to nose and lung cancer.
OSHA requires manufacturers, importers and distributors of products that contain formaldehyde as a gas or in solution, or that can release formaldehyde during use, to include information about formaldehyde and its hazards on product labels and in the material safety data sheets that are sent to employers.
"Workers have the right to know the risks associated with the chemicals with which they work, and how to protect themselves," said federal OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "Employers need to know these risks in order to ensure the safety and health of their employees."
To eliminate potential worker exposure, OSHA recommends that salon owners use products that do not contain formaldehyde, methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene or Chemical Abstract Service Number 50-00-0.
If a salon owner decides to continue using a formaldehyde-containing hair smoothing product, then he or she must follow OSHA's formaldehyde standard. Important requirements of this standard include conducting air monitoring, installing ventilation where needed and training workers about formaldehyde, as well as providing protective equipment such as gloves, chemical splash goggles, face shields and chemical resistant aprons.
The material safety data sheet includes important information about what a product contains and how the ingredients can affect a worker's health. Salon owners and other employers must have a material safety data sheet for any of the products they use that contain hazardous chemicals. They must also make the sheet available to stylists and other workers.
OSHA currently has a number of ongoing investigations at salons and of importers/distributors/manufacturers relating to hair smoothing and straightening products. Some citations have been issued.
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.
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational disease.