PESH/OSHA Standards: Information for Workers

[Excerpt] Health and safety for union members on the job is a top priority for the Public Employees Federation. Our members face the risk of on-the-job injuries every working day. It is a known fact that the injury and illness rates for public employees far exceed that of private sector employees. Our union’s Health and Safety Department has prepared this handbook to assist PEF members in recognizing the workplace hazards that are most frequently cited by PESH and OSHA. This handbook gives you an overview of the standards related to those hazards as well as a reference guide to do any further research

Internal work light Patent

Sealed fluorescent tube light unit capable of connection with other units to form string of work light

Clean Boating

Learn how to protect your boat, help control costs at the marina, and conserve the environment. This issue tells vessel owners the importance of communicating with marina management, responding properly to fuel spills, and using best management practices in waste disposal. Pointers are also included on how to avoid fire danger, prevent corrosion and electrolysis, follow safe procedures during fueling, and take necessary steps to winterize and store your vessel. This is volume 4 of the "Alaska Seas and Coasts" series.Ye

From Scotia to Brookwood, fatal US underground coal mine explosions ignited in intake air courses

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, conducted a study of past mine explosions to identify the ignition locations and ignition sources responsible for the most severe explosion events resulting in death. Since the Scotia disaster of 1976, many fatalities from underground coal mine explosions have been linked to nonpermissible electrical equipment ignition sources located in intake air courses. With few exceptions, explosion protected equipment is generally not required in intake air courses of gassy underground coal mines in the US. Cigarette lighters were another prevalent ignition source for fatal explosions ignited in intake air courses. Several mine rescue/ recovery teams have encountered electrical ignition hazards. The study provides evidence that intake air courses of gassy underground coal mines fit the description of certain Hazardous (classified) locations described in the US National Electrical Code\uc2\uae. Class I Division 2 or Zone 2 explosion protection tech\uc2\uacniques may be used to design intake air equipment so that it does not present an ignition source under normal operation, before mine power is shut down in emergency situations. Nonpermissible circuits in intake air courses that are likely to remain energized during emergencies, e.g. battery powered equipment, should be protected by more stringent Class I Division 1, Zone 1, or Zone 0 techniques, to protect rescue/recovery personnel

A Photo-Electric Glottograph

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Algorithms leveraging smartphone sensing for analyzing explosion events

The increasing frequency of explosive disasters throughout the world in recent years have created a clear need for the systems to monitor for them continuously to improve the post-disaster emergency events such as rescue and recovery operations. Disasters both man-made and natural are unfortunate and not preferred, however monitoring them may be a lifesaving phenomenon in emergency scenarios. Dedicated sensors deployed in the public places and their associated networks to monitor such events may be inadequate and must be complemented for making the monitoring more pervasive and effective. In the recent past, modern smartphones with significant processing, networking and storage capabilities have become a rich source of mobile infrastructure empowering participatory sensing to address many problems in the area of pervasive computing. In the work presented in this dissertation, smartphone sensed data during disastrous scenarios is extensively studied, analyzed and algorithms were built for participatory sensing to address the problems, specifically in the context of Explosion -- Events which are of interest to the current study. This work presents description of the systems for assisting people by detecting, ranging and estimating intensity of the explosion events leveraging multi-modal smartphone sensors. This work also presents various challenges and opportunities in utilizing the capabilities of the sensors in smartphone for building such systems along with practical applications, limitations and future directions --Abstract, page iii