Every day, Clark Seif Clark professionals are deployed across the nation helping both large and small customers resolve health & safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and indoor air quality issues.
At a moment's notice, Clark Seif Clark can send their experts anywhere they are needed. No matter if it's in response to a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado or other natural disaster, Clark Seif Clark is ready to help and can respond in no time at all.
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OSHA Launches National Emphasis Program to Protect Indoor and Outdoor Workers from Heat Hazards
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced in April that it had launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. Through the program, OSHA is conducting heat-related workplace inspections before workers suffer completely preventable injuries, illnesses or even worse, fatalities. |
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Clark Seif Clark (CSC)
800.807.1118
SERVICES:
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This is the first time that OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program to protect workers from heat illness and injuries. The NEP began on April 8, 2022, and will remain in effect for three years unless canceled or extended by a superseding directive. It encourages employers to protect workers from heat hazards by providing employees with access to water, rest, shade, adequate training, and implementing acclimatization procedures for new or returning employees.
The NEP targets over 70 high-risk industries based on:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on incidence rates of heat-related illnesses and number of employee days away from work rate;
- Elevated numbers of fatalities or hospitalizations reported by employers to OSHA; and
- Highest number of heat-related general duty clause 5(a)(1) violations and Hazard Alert Letters over a 5-year period (1/1/2017 thru 12/31/2021), or highest number of OSHA heat inspections since 2017.
“All employers are responsible for providing a safe work environment for their workers,” said Franco Seif, President of Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “OSHA reports that heat illness affects thousands of indoor and outdoor workers each year and can tragically lead to death. In fact, the three-year average of workplace deaths caused by heat has doubled since the early 1990s. To assist employers in creating and maintaining a safe work environment, as required by law, CSC offers industrial hygiene consulting, monitoring and training services. CSC’s professionals offer programs to help minimize worker exposures to temperature extremes and many other occupational hazards.”
CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about heat stress and the work environment that can be seen below:
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To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please:
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Identifying and Mitigating Occupational Exposure Risks to Sodium Hydroxide and Other Industrial Chemicals
Sodium hydroxide, also referred to as lye or caustic soda, is an inorganic chemical compound manufactured for use in a number of industries. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), sodium hydroxide is used in processing cotton fabric, laundering and bleaching, metal cleaning and processing, oxide coating, electroplating and electrolytic extracting. Sodium hydroxide is also used to manufacture soaps, rayon, paper, explosives, dyestuffs and petroleum products.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides examples of some of the workers that are potentially at risk of being exposed to sodium hydroxide. The list includes workers who:
- Use bleach, oven cleaners and drain cleaners
- Work in food processing plants
- Work in public water treatment plants
- Use sodium hydroxide for making paper, glass, detergents, soaps and other products
- Mine alumina and produce aluminum
“Occupational exposure to sodium hydroxide can burn the eyes, skin and inner membranes,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “ATSDR reports that inhalation of high levels can produce swelling or spasms of the upper airway leading to obstruction and loss of measurable pulse, inflammation of the lungs and the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Long-term exposure to sodium hydroxide in the air may lead to ulceration of the nasal passages and chronic skin irritation. These are all reasons why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for sodium hydroxide and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL).”
To help companies and institutions protect their workers from exposure to sodium hydroxide and other chemical hazards, the industrial hygiene professionals at CSC offer testing, monitoring, consulting and training services. CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about sodium hydroxide and occupational exposure hazards that can be seen below:
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To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. |
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About Clark Seif Clark: CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both the public and private sectors address environmental issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering making them the preferred environmental consultants to healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals. |
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21732 Devonshire St., Ste. B,
Chatsworth, CA 91311
800.807.1118
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