Texting Trouble – Be Weary of Walking and Texting

Now a days, most of us use a cell phone.  And they are so convenient and tech savvy, that we do all sorts of things with them – even if it gets us into trouble.  Walking while using a cell phone, more specifically walking and texting, can cause a number of incidents including veering away from walking in a straight line and falling.

The latter is just what happened to a young woman who was walking and texting on a pier on a river connected to Lake Michigan.  She was attempting to walk along a pier and send a text message at the same time and didn’t pay attention to how close she was to the edge of the pier.   This caused her to end up tripping into approximately six feet of cold water.

Thankfully the young woman was pulled out and is recovering fine, though was definitely embarrassed by the incident and wants people to understand how texting while walking can be a problem. 

Earlier this year, Stony Brook University researched texting while walking and found that participants consistently veered away from walking a straight path by a 60 percent deviation, increasing walking distance by 13 percent and travel time by 33 percent.  To make sure you don’t get caught up in texting and walking, which has been equated to walking the streets with a blindfold, try to stop talking and stand against a building while texting.

To read the full article, click here.

Have a safe day!

It’s About Time, OSHA’s Releases GHS Final Rule!

It feels like we have been waiting for this rule forever! OSHA has finally announced that the final rule for Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals or GHS will become law effective May 25, 2012. This meaning the effective date of the rule is 60 days after March 26^th. The new standard, once implemented, will prevent an estimated 43 deaths and result in an estimated $475.2 million in enhanced productivity for U.S. businesses each year.

As stated by OSHA, “The revised standard also is expected to prevent an estimated 585 injuries and illnesses annually. It will reduce trade barriers and result in estimated annualized benefits in productivity improvements for American businesses that regularly handle, store and use hazardous chemicals, as well as cost savings of $32.2 million for American businesses that periodically update safety data sheets and labels for chemicals covered under the standard”.

The Hazard Communication Standard is being revised to align with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. It will be fully implemented in 2016. OSHA is going to give employers the following phase-in or transition period to comply with the new GHS requirements.

The 4-Year GHS Phase-In Period

Effective Completion Date	Requirements	Who
December 1, 2013	Train employees on the new label elements and SDS format	Employers
June 1, 2015	Compliance with all requirements of the GHS final rule except voluntary compliance with GHS label until December 1, 2015	Chemical manufacturers, importer, distributors, and employers
December 1, 2015	The Distributor shall not ship containers labeled by the chemical manufacturer or importer unless it is a GHS label	Chemical manufacturers, importer, distributors, and employers
June 1, 2016	Update alternative workplace labeling and hazard communication program as necessary, and provide additional employee training for newly identified physical or health hazards	Employers
May 25, 2012	May comply with either 29 CFR 1910.1200 (this final standard), or the current standard, or both	Chemical manufacturers, importer, distributors, and employers

For more information check out OSHA’s webpage: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=22038