Safety Experts Tell OSHA: Fracking Exposes Workers to Dangerous Silica Dust
Source: NH Labor News
Tougher Limits and Workplace Training Needed to Prevent Costly Injuries and Illnesses
Washington DC – Hydraulic fracturing technology – also known as fracking – exposes workers to dangerous silica dust, a workplace safety expert said today during hearings on new standards before the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Health and safety are critical to my Wyoming friends and neighbors who work to power the nation,” said Dan Neal, executive director of the Equality State Policy Center, which operates the Wyoming Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (WYCOSH). “Exposure to silica and the risk of developing silicosis and related diseases is a significant hazard related to hydraulic fracturing in the oil and gas business. Strong oversight is needed in an industry that has failed to provide safe and healthy work sites.”
Fracking, which uses water and sand to open shale formations to extract oil and gas, is already controversial because of potential environmental damage to air, land and water resources. It is just one of several industries – including construction, foundries, glassmaking and others – in which workers are routinely exposed to high levels of airborne dust. Exposure to silica dust, according to experts from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), can lead to silicosis, lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, airways diseases, and autoimmune disorders.
Neal was among a panel of workplace safety experts who spoke today, including:
Bill Kojola, an industrial hygienist, representing the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH)
Peter Dooley, a health and safety project consultant for National COSH
Javier Garcia Hernandez of the Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH)
FULL story at link.
National COSH links the efforts of local worker health and safety coalitions in communities across the United States, advocating for elimination of preventable hazards in the workplace. For more information, please visit coshnetwork.org. Follow us at National Council for Occupational Safety and Health on Facebook, and @NationalCOSH on Twitter.
Read more: http://nhlabornews.com/2014/04/safety-experts-tell-osha-fracking-exposes-workers-to-dangerous-silica-dust/
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The New Hampshire Labor News is a group of NH Workers who believe that we need to protect ourselves against the attacks on workers. We are proud union members who are working to preserve the middle class. The NHLN talks mostly about news and politics from NH. We also talk about national issues that effect working men and women here in the Granite State.
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