Health And Safety

WASHINGTON -- After finding that workers who complain of health and safety hazards are often dismissed from their jobs, the Clinton administration will soon propose sweeping new protections for such whistle-blowers, federal officials say.The law that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration prohibits employers from retaliating against people who report unsafe or unhealtful working conditions.But the inspector general of the Labor Department, Charles Masten, said such reprisals often occur, and Charles Jeffress, the assistant secretary of labor in charge of OSHA, said the Clinton administration would soon recommend changes in the law to increase the protection of workers who expose health and safety hazards.

GOOD HEALTH AND safety are important to everyone.The five area elementary schools are joining to encourage health and safety awareness through a Health and Safety Fun Fair.The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Carrolltown Center and is sponsored by the PTAs of Carrolltowne, Eldersburg, Freedom, Linton Springs and Piney Ridge elementary schools.Information on fire safety, Internet safety, drug awareness, stress-release massages, animal safety and water safety will be available, in addition to games, prizes, face painting and clowns.

THE USS CORAL SEA -- the "Ageless Warrior" -- steamed at 33 knots to Cold War trouble spots for 42 years, carrying planes, nuclear capability, 4,000 crewmen and the hopes, pride and fears of the superpower whose security it maintained.Now it's junk at the former Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock yard in Fairfield, dying in ignominy and scandal. The Seawitch Salvage company chief who took on the largest shipbreaking and salvage project in American history now stands convicted of forcing his men to breathe asbestos and dumping oil and filth in the Patapsco.

As part of Gov. Parris N. Glendening's effort to make the state more "business friendly," state officials plan to exempt 11 Maryland manufacturers that employ about 1,000 workers from surprise safety inspections -- provided they police themselves.Under an agreement signed last night by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health officials and the Maryland Manufacturers Self-Insurance Trust, member companies will be eligible to develop comprehensive safety programs that include self-inspection.

The cable television subcontractors who pierced a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. natural gas pipeline in Westminster two hours before a nearby house exploded last month did not violate any state occupational health and safety guidelines, according to state officials.In a report released yesterday, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) said that neither Apollo Trenching Co. -- the Howard County company whose digging equipment struck the gas main Jan. 19 -- nor Prestige Cable Television of Maryland put employees at undue risk that afternoon.

He was firedIt was reported June 28 in Dan Rodrick's column that WJHU radio gave Bill Spencer no notice that he was being terminated and that he was escorted out of the building.I have heard of one other similar instance in the past year at another Baltimore institution.I find it difficult to accept this lack of courtesy and civility. I wonder if such a practice is becoming prevalent among Baltimore institutions, businesses, etc.Margaret BrightBaltimoreKeep it cleanWe're in big trouble. Our country's environmental, health and safety laws that have kept us clean, safe and life-promoting for the past 25 years are being torn apart.

America's labor law needs reform. After Labor Day, Congress will begin debating proposals to improve the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and merge it with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).The goal of these reforms is to redefine the role of the federal government in workplace health and safety from that of heavy-handed regulator to one of cooperative partner. Over the past 25 years, the federal government has been increasingly perceived as more concerned with maintaining bureaucracies and filling out paperwork than with working cooperatively with business to make workplaces safer.

In the city that reads, motorists need a two-word vocabulary lesson: Buckle up.Surveys conducted by the city and state show that Baltimore drivers and passengers are far less likely to wear seat belts than their counterparts elsewhere. The lapse has increased fatalities and the severity of accident injuries and costs, according to safety experts."Seat belt compliance, like a lot of things, has to do with people's concern for health and safety," said Fred Shoken, a city traffic safety educator.

More than two dozen organizations and offices will promote good health, fitness and safety at a daylong, outdoor fair being planned for Oct. 2 in Glen Burnie."

Just how health conscious are you? Do you shop at Giant because they have that really cool blood pressure machine? Do you offer totally unsolicited advice about fat content to people trapped in line with you at the Motor Vehicle Administration? Do you floss every day -- and tell people?Or maybe you're not quite as concerned for your health. For example:* Your house is completely decorated with items from the Benson & Hedges 100 coupon catalog.* Your idea of roughage is not chewing all of your McNuggets thoroughly.

President Barack Obama's order this month striking down Bush-era barriers to embryonic stem cell research overshadowed his perhaps larger announcement on science that day: He directed his science adviser to develop a comprehensive plan to protect science from politics in his administration. That's a worthy enterprise, and it will be a challenge given the vast scope of the problem. During the Bush years, it was all too common for administration political appointees to suppress or reshape scientific findings.

Roger Dean Posey, a retired railroader who was director of occupational health and safety for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, died March 11 of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Eldersburg resident was 56. Mr. Posey, whose father was vice president of engineering for the Chessie System, was born in Ashland, Ky., and moved to Arbutus with his family in 1966. He was a 1971 graduate of Lansdowne High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1979.

After decades of subscribing to the rule of "Buyer beware," policymakers in Washington and business leaders are favoring increased regulation of consumer products, and that's a good thing. The shift was signaled last week when the House passed a bill with bipartisan support that would provide strong new protections for purchasers of children's toys. It would ban some chemical ingredients from products that may be causing dangerous health effects, require third-party testing of some children's products and bolster the Consumer Product Safety Commission's authority to inspect manufacturers' labs.

Facing cuts, health officer in Harford resigns Faced with nearly $2 million in cuts to his agency's budget, Dr. Andrew Bernstein, Harford County's health officer, has resigned. The resignation, made public at Tuesday's Harford County Council meeting, takes effect immediately. Billy Boniface, council president, said Bernstein timed his departure to draw attention to the impact the decreased revenue will have on health programs. "He is greatly concerned with the state cuts made during the special session," Boniface said.

Howard County officials took operating control yesterday of the Guilford Gardens housing complex, saying it had flunked health and safety inspections and had failed to pay at least $200,000 in bills. County Executive Ken Ulman said the books of the tenant-run, affordable-housing cooperative on Oakland Mills Road were a "mess" and that the state's attorney's office and county investigators were trying to account for the unpaid bills. Vendors, including the county, are owed the money, said Stacy L. Spann, director of the county's Department of Housing and Community Development.

The Knights of Columbus Council 76 of Eldersburg will offer its second annual Family Safety and Learning Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the parking lot of the Eldersburg Wal-Mart on Liberty Road at Route 32. The event brings together civic, business and community organizations, government agencies, law enforcement and emergency services agencies with information on safety and health for all ages. Last year's event attracted 1,200 youths and their families. This year, organizers expect to double attendance.

A free health fair focusing on children's health and safety will be held tomorrow at the Harriet Lane Clinic of the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Topics to be covered include safety seats, menu planning, dental care and parenting skills. Experts will be available to offer advice, and there will be literature and giveaways. The fair, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., is open to the public. Those interested in attending should enter the hospital's main entrance at 600 N. Wolfe St. and follow signs for the Harriet Lane Clinic.

As of tomorrow, any Carroll County volunteer firefighter who hasn't undergone a physical examination will not be allowed to participate on emergency calls. Officials in the county's Volunteer Emergency Services Association hoped the Jan. 1 deadline would spur more regular screenings among the 14 volunteer fire companies that serve the county. Since physical examinations became a part of the association's health and safety program in 1995, fire officials said it has been a struggle to get volunteers into medical centers for routine examinations.

As of tomorrow, any Carroll County volunteer firefighter who hasn't undergone a physical examination will not be allowed to participate on emergency calls. Officials in the county's Volunteer Emergency Services Association hoped the Jan. 1 deadline would spur more regular screenings among the 14 volunteer fire companies that serve the county. Since physical examinations became a part of the association's health and safety program in 1995, fire officials said it has been a struggle to get volunteers into medical centers for routine examinations.

Does a company have to supply heat in its warehouse or office? On what minimum setting does an employer have to keep the thermostat? While state and local governments may have regulations in this area, there is no national requirement for heating the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that while companies don't have to legally provide heat, OSHA will listen to worker complaints if you think the lack of heat jeopardizes your health and safety. Even though an employer doesn't have to keep employees' tootsies from freezing, it's shortsighted to consign workers to a deep freeze.