St. Louis, Missouri, December 10
th, 2021
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently launched a new initiative to protect Midwest workers from occupational exposure to hazardous substances and other health hazards.
According to a news release announcing the initiative, OSHA’s regional office in Kansas City has established a Regional Emphasis Program targeting OSHA's Top 50 High-Hazard Health Industries. It is designed to reduce employee exposure to health hazards and to encourage companies to make workplace safety and health a priority. The agency goes on to share the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that occupational exposure to hazardous substances, such as asbestos, formaldehyde and cadmium, can lead to cancer and other long-term serious health diagnoses years after exposure.
As part of the initiative, OSHA plans to focus health inspections on employers with documented employee exposure through previous agency inspections and at companies in similar industries. The emphasis program will assist in developing an inspection targeting system to identify those worksites with health hazards.
“Exposure to hazardous substances on the job can lead to injuries, illnesses and deaths, not to mention costly noncompliance penalties for companies,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “This is why health and safety programs are so important. Employee training, access to the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and industrial hygiene testing and monitoring are key components of successful programs. At EMSL, our industrial hygiene and environmental scientists offer laboratory testing services to detect and monitor chemical, microbial and radiological threats. We also provide sampling supplies, monitoring instruments and a comprehensive range of PPE.”
To learn more about testing and monitoring for occupational exposure risks, or for access to sampling supplies, instruments, and PPE, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products, and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP, and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.