Posts Tagged 'OSHA'

Accusations Shine Light into Meat Processing Industry Amid Pandemic

meat industry workers come forward with covid-19 complaints“If you’re not in a casket, they want you there. All they were worried about was making sure we were coming to work.” This is the description given by one employee of the conditions imposed on workers at one of Smithfield’s meat processing facilities. As a nation already facing empty grocery store shelves learned that worker shortages could mean an interruption in the meat supply, the continue reading...

Workers tested after benzene exposure

An article in Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate says precautionary tests were performed on a number of ExxonMobil Chemical Plant employees and contractors after a leak of a liquid that contained benzene.

Benzene, a known carcinogen, has been linked with some forms of leukemia.

The Advocate reports that a leak in a bleeder line was discovered and an unknown quantity of benzene spilled on the ground. Although the amount of benzene released was unknown, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental ...

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Many sources for carcinogen benzene

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the carcinogenic compound benzene has both natural and man-made sources.

Natural sources include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene is frequently used in an industrial setting, as part of the manufacturing process for plastics, resins, nylon, detergents and pesticides.

But there are other ways you could be exposed:

  • Outdoor air contains low levels of benzene from tobacco smoke, gas stations, motor vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions.
  • Indoor air generally contains levels of benzene higher than ...
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Journal warns of benzene in the workplace

A past issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, chemical engineer Melvyn Kopstein warns that workplace use of petroleum-derived solvents can expose workers to benzene, a known carcinogen.

“Workers must be informed when products they use contain carcinogens such as benzene,” Kopstein writes.

He points out that federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations require manufacturers of benzene-containing solvents to make that information available, in part because employers have to know when it’s necessary to take precautions such as providing ...

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