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NSC Begins Landmark Driving Initiative in Texas

The National Safety Council has begun work on a landmark driving initiative with the Texas Dept. of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Section to build a statewide network of employer involvement in crash prevention for employees both on and off-the-job.

The NSC has been and continues to be at the forefront of efforts to bring employers, law enforcement agencies, government groups and traffic safety advocates together to improve the nation’s driving culture.

The initiative begun this month will feature a particular emphasis on impaired driving, commercial motor vehicle safety and driver distractions.

NSC will engage Texas business owners, executive managers, and safety and health, human resource and public affairs professionals to introduce best practice traffic safety strategies and build commitment to motor vehicle crash prevention within their organizations.

The initiative’s goals are three-fold:

To educate Texas employers about their cost in dollars and non-productivity from traffic-related injuries and deaths among workers and their dependents;

To connect employers with state-level traffic safety resources and develop drivers’ training curricula that targets impaired driving, distracted driving and fleet safety;

To create an effective state-employer alliance model on traffic safety for potential roll-out in other states.

“We are pleased to work with the Texas DOT on this important initiative,” said the NSC, “and we hope it will serve as a model for future alliances among employers, states and traffic safety advocates, and further the National Safety Council’s leadership in improving our nation’s driving safety culture.”

For more information, go to www.nsc.org.

DHS Releases List of High Risk Chemicals for Facilities

The Department of Homeland Security has released Appendix A of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), a critical element of its chemical security efforts.

The appendix contains a list of 300 chemicals that, if possessed by a facility in a specified quantity, trigger a requirement to complete and submit an easy-to-use, online consequence assessment tool called a Top-Screen.

Using the information gathered through the Top-Screen, the department will be better able to make a preliminary determination as to whether a facility presents a high level of security risk and whether it will be required to comply with the substantive requirements of CFATS.

“The publication of Appendix A is a critical piece of the federal effort to increase security at high-risk facilities, making it less likely that terrorist can use dangerous chemicals in attacks,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “The chemical security Interim Final Rule defined how the department will implement this substantial new authority given by Congress.”

To determine the type and quantity of chemicals that will be subject to the preliminary screening process, DHS examined the following three security issues:

Release – quantities of toxic, flammable or explosive chemicals that have the potential to create significant adverse consequences for human life or health if intentionally released or detonated;

Theft and diversion – chemicals that have the potential, if stolen or diverted, to be used or converted into weapons; and Sabotage and contamination – chemicals that, if mixed with other readily available materials, have the potential to create significant adverse consequences for human life or health.

The department identified these chemicals in the specific amounts for preliminary screening based on their potential to create significant human life or health consequences.

Appendix A lists approximately 300 chemicals of interest and includes common industrial chemicals such as chlorine, propane and anhydrous ammonia as well as specialty chemicals such as arsine and phosphorus trichloride.

Facilities that possess chemicals of interest at or above the listed screening threshold quantities are required to complete the Top-Screen by Jan. 20.

DHS has worked closely with the chemical industry as well as state and local authorities on strengthening security at chemical facilities throughout the country.

While many chemical facilities have already initiated voluntary security programs and made significant investments to improve security, gaps remain.

The CFATS regulation imposes for the first time comprehensive federal security regulations for high-risk chemical facilities. The CFATS regulation, issued on April 9, 2007, is already being implemented at certain high-risk chemical facilities across the nation.

For more information on chemical security or to view the Appendix A final rule of CFATS, please visit www.dhs.gov/chemicalsecurity.

Safety Qualifications Translate to Lower Accident Rates

New research has shown that firms with managers who are more highly qualified in health and safety have much lower accident rates.

The study commissioned by the UK’s Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found a clear link between business investment in safety professionals and safety performance. Companies with managers who were poorly trained in health and safety had eight times more accidents at work.

The research was carried out by a team from Glasgow Caledonian University, who looked at data from contractors in the construction industry who together employ over 200,000 workers.

“What we found particularly staggering was that, on average, the more qualified in health and safety the line manager in an organization is, the less the accident rate,” said Senior Research Fellow Dr Billy Hare.

“This shows that investing in health and safety training does have an impact, benefiting employees, and helping to boost productivity by reducing the considerable disruption caused by an incident causing death or injury.”

Ray Hurst, IOSH president elect, commented: “Although this is the first such UK study, these results support the case that health and safety is good for people and good for business.”

“Skimping on safety has a very negative human impact indeed. It’s time to act now to get proper health and safety investment and training across all employment sectors in the UK.

Currently, the health and safety profession is not legally regulated, meaning that almost anyone can call themselves a health and safety expert, without any qualifications or experience. IOSH, the chartered body for health and safety, is calling for UK-wide legal minimums for all those practicing as health and safety professionals.”

The research findings were of no surprise, said John Phillips, Norwich Union Risk Services (NURS) training and consultancy manager.

“These qualifications not only help to provide the knowledge and skills that a modern-day health and safety professional needs, but also reassure employers and associated businesses that health and safety issues will be managed effectively.”

Safety Today Expands Canadian HQ Facility

Safety Today Ltd., a dedicated safety equipment and services distributor, has announced an expansion that adds 8,700 square feet to the company’s current Canadian headquarters in Brantford, ON.

The build-out will begin Jan. 1, 2008. This is the second time in three years the company has expanded to meet surging demand. Both times they chose to remain in the Brantford community where the company was founded. In 2005, Safety Today moved its headquarters to a new, larger facility but opted to stay in Brantford to illustrate its commitment to the community.

“These aren’t hard decisions,” said Tony Spearing, general manager of what may now be the largest, single-location safety equipment distributor in Ontario.

“Our commitment to Brantford and Brant County is part and parcel of the success of our company. We owe a lot to the burgeoning industries and traditional growth areas right here in our own backyard.”

Safety Today was founded in 1946. For more information, go to www.safetytoday.com.

SHA Names New Members of Advisory Committee

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao has announced the appointment of seven members to the 12-person National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH).

“America’s workers will benefit from the diverse perspectives and expertise of these committee members who will be working with the department in advancing workplace safety and health,” said Secretary Chao.

The committee, established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, advises the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services on occupational safety and health programs. Members of the advisory committee are chosen on the basis of their knowledge and experience in occupational safety and health. The committee is administered by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“I believe we have struck the right chord in assembling this group of skilled experts,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. “We sought out nominees from varied backgrounds, and that is what we achieved. Each appointee brings vast knowledge and unique insight that will help assist us in our mission to assure a safe and healthful workplace.”

To ensure continuity in the committee, each member serves a two-year term.

The newly appointed members are:

• Labor Representative Barbara McCabe, program manager, International Union of Operating Engineers;

• Management Representative Jennifer Marie Bailey, safety manager, American Cast Iron Pipe Co.;

• Safety Representative Karl A. Jacobson, senior vice president, loss prevention, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group;

• Health Representative Susan Randolph, clinical instructor, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (one of two members designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and appointed by the Secretary of Labor).

The reappointed members are:

• Public Representatives Douglas Kalinowski, director, Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration;

• Vickie Wells, director, Occupational Safety and Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health (one of two members designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and appointed by the Secretary of Labor);

• Labor Representative Kevin M. Sommers, Warren Michigan Police Department, Fraternal Order of Police, Grand Lodge.

Continuing members are:

• Public Representatives Alan C. McMillan, president and chief executive officer, National Safety Council;

• Catherine L. Thomsen, project lead for special research initiatives, California Breast Cancer Research Program, Office of the President, University of California Safety Representative;

• Emory Knowles III, manager, industrial hygiene and safety, Northrop Grumman Corp.;

• Health Representative Dr. James Blessman, assistant professor, Wayne State University;

• Management Representative Jim Swartz, director, Corporate Safety and Compliance, Delta Airlines.

For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

UC Berkeley Establishing Sustainable Products Program

The University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) has announced the establishment of a new Sustainable Products and Solutions (SPS) Program based on a grant from the Dow Chemical Co. Foundation.

Based at the Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and in partnership with the College of Chemistry, seed money has been pledged for the five years needed to initiate the program, through Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals and aligning with the Foundation’s strategic giving themes.

“As a company, one of our goals is to support innovative, sustainable projects that help serve the societal needs of tomorrow,” said Dave Kepler, Dow senior vice president and chief sustainability officer.

“We believe this new program will lead to new thinking in the development of products that will be sustainable, improve the quality of life for people, while protecting health and the environment.”

The SPS Program will create a multidisciplinary learning and research environment where the foundations of sustainability – society, science, engineering, environment, and finance – are considered simultaneously as new products and solutions are explored by UC Berkeley students and faculty.

Focuses could be as wide-ranging as expanding clean drinking water supplies to exploring how to measure a product supply chain’s environmental footprint.

“The SPS Program will offer unique opportunities to support education and research related to all aspects of sustainability, and has the potential to help shape policies and benefit society for years to come.

We are truly delighted to be a part of this very important initiative,” said Douglas Clark, a UC Berkeley professor of chemical engineering and faculty cochair of the program steering committee.

In addition to the financial contribution, Tony Kingsbury of Dow is being provided on loan as an executive-in-residence at the Center for Responsible Business.

Kingsbury will bring his industry perspective to bear in developing learning experiences and research projects for UC Berkeley students and will help recruit additional corporate and foundation partners to the SPS Program.

More details related to the Sustainable Products & Solutions Program can be found www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/10/30_SPSprogram.shtml.