Information presented in this email was obtained from various EH&S periodicals and governmental agencies webpages.
Environmental
Below are the last two enforcements posted on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) webpage. To view all the enforcement actions for 2016, go to: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/service/enforcement/enforcement-actions-2016.html
- 4/28/16: MassDEP entered into a Consent Order with a $1,150 Penalty involving Kennametal, Inc., for Air Quality and Hazardous Waste Management violations in Greenfield. Kennametal’s facility is located at 34 Sanderson Street. Kennametal is a manufacturer of tools. MassDEP’s inspectors determined that Kennametal had accumulated more hazardous waste onsite than permitted by their registration, and did not conduct weekly inspection of its waste oil accumulation areas and did not keep records of solvent usage. Kennametal will pay the Penalty and bring the facility into compliance.
- 4/26/16: MassDEP entered into a Consent Order with a $10,000 Penalty involving Costello Dismantling Company, Inc., of West Wareham, for environmental violations in Chicopee. Costello Dismantling Company, Inc. is a demolition company that was retained to raze two (2) multi-story buildings at the former Uniroyal Complex located at 154 Grove Street in Chicopee. Upon inspection by MassDEP, it was found that significant dust emissions were observed on two separate occasions during demolition operations.
Health
A researcher at the University of Pittsburgh contracted the Zika virus after accidentally sticking herself with a needle, becoming what appeared to be the first known case of an infection in a lab, officials said. The Allegheny County Health Department said the infection was unusual because the woman had not contracted the virus after traveling to an affected area or through sexual transmission. The unidentified researcher stuck herself on May 23, developing symptoms, including a fever, about a week later, said Joe Miksch, a university spokesman.
The presence of the virus was confirmed in a blood sample, Mr. Miksch said, and the researcher returned to work on June 6. She has to wear long sleeves and pants, and use insect repellent for three weeks, Mr. Miksch said, to minimize the chance that a mosquito would get the virus from her and spread it to others.
Safety
The National Fire Protection Association and Boston Fire Department have developed webpages outlining grilling safety tips. For more information go to: http://www.nfpa.org/grilling?order_src=C246 and http://www.cityofboston.gov/fire/safety/bbq_safety.asp Don’t forget! If you are burning or cooking outside in Boston, you are required to obtain a permit from the Boston Fire Department. Here is a link to the permit application: http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Application%20for%20Open%20Burning-Cooking%20Operations_tcm3-17553.pdf
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and Association of American Universities (AAU) released the Guide to Implementing a Safety Culture in Our Universities on April 11, 2016. The Guide contains a call to university leadership to provide the means for improving the safety culture in laboratories, with twenty recommendations along with implementation tools. The guide is available at: http://www.aplu.org/library/safety-culture/file