@Risk

A study of chemical workers in Belgium has revealed some disturbing insights about how these employees view their jobs –and their employers.

The research, based on a series of seven focus group interviews, found that:

• Even though chemical workers perceive a high risk of on-the-job chemical threats, most are resigned to accepting the risks as being “part of the job.”

• Workers don’t necessarily trust management and health advisors.

• Workers frequently identify problems with written safety guidelines.

• Written materials on chemical properties, which often serve as the official guide to industrial hygiene practices at factories, are seldom understood or relied on by workers.

“Instead of relying on highly technical fact sheets on toxic risks, many workers turn to the anecdotal experiences of their peers to guide their actions, including choices to wear personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves,” the report’s lead author, Ramona Hambach of the University of Antwerp in Belgium, said.

Compounding the problem, workers’ perceptions of risk are rarely taken into account when considering workplace prevention programs. (more…)

The European Parliament has approved a new law to help prevent fake drugs from entering the supply chain. The legislation introduces new safety regulations, traceability measures and sanctions against counterfeiters.

The problem of counterfeit drugs is a growing concern throughout the world. Researchers estimate that 1 percent of medicinal products sold to the European public through the legal supply chain are now fake. In other parts of the world, more than 30 percent of the medicines on sale can be fake, and counterfeiters appear to be increasingly targeting innovative and life-saving drugs.

An article at PharmaTimes outlines provisions of the new EU legislation. For instance, the new regulations require that: (more…)

Concerns about foreign corporate corruption, bribery and other compliance and integrity-related issues are causing businesses to re-think or even terminate deals with potential (and existing) business partners.

Mitigating risks like these has become a top priority, and new results from Deloitte’s annual Look Before You Leap survey show that: (more…)

A handful of rare earth minerals and other elements help power our high-tech world and are critical to the development of new technologies to foster US energy independence.

These so-called “Energy-Critical Elements” (ECEs) are chemicals that have the capacity to transform the way we capture, transmit, store or conserve energy.

Unfortunately, though, the US relies on other countries for more than 90 percent of most ECEs. Some ECEs are simply rare in the Earth’s crust or poorly concentrated by geological processes. Many have been produced as by-products of primary metals refining, complicating attempts to produce large quantities. Others occur only in a few mines worldwide, where production is dominated by –and subject to –manipulation by one or more countries.

China, for example, produces 95 percent of all rare earth elements and recently announced plans to cut its exports of the minerals to various nations by 35 percent.

What can the US do to secure future supplies of ECEs?
(more…)

Do the plastic pallets you use contain decabrominated diphenyl ether?

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (often referred to as DecaBDE or deca) is one of a group of commonly used “brominated flame retardants.” These polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have raised concerns for public health experts because animal studies have shown that PBDEs can affect brain development and function, disrupt endocrine, reproductive and immune systems and possibly cause cancer.

Now, Oregon has joined other states (Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Illinois, Washington and Massachusetts) in banning some or all PBDEs.

Effective January 1, 2011, it is unlawful for any person to: 1) introduce into commerce; or 2) deliver for introduction into commerce in the state of Oregon any product containing more than 0.10% by mass of deca.

According to Pallet Enterprise, this ban could have a major impact on Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) and its customers, because the second generation iGPS pallet uses deca to improve the fire rating of its design. (more…)