"POPCORN LUNG": Exposure to the chemical diacetyl, used in food flavorings, can cause serious illness or even death. The term popcorn lung resulted from the use of diacetyl in flavoring microwave popcorn. Cal-OSHA is working to better understand the exposures and in one recent citation issued a Special Order for specific protective steps to be taken.
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WORK ON NEW REGULATIONS: Cal-OSHA is working on regulations that would address diacetyl exposure (see above), indoor heat illness, and dry cutting of building materials containing silica. Legislation has been introduced in regards to the first two of these three items.
General Safety
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VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE: A 2005 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that while only 5% of all workplaces experienced a violent act, the percentage jumped to 50% of the workplaces for locations with 1,000 or more employees.
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OVERTIME RISK: a recent study of U.S. workers showed that after adjusting for other factors employees working overtime were about 60% more likely to have an occupational injury or illness than employees not working overtime
6722 Bianca Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91406-5342 Tel: (818) 996 2371 Fax: (818) 996 3648
