Analysis of e-waste recycling behavior based on survey at a Midwestern US University.

The United States lacks a set of unified electronic waste recycling laws, contributing in part to the observed low rate of e-waste recycling behaviors among consumers. Individual factors of consumers contributing to the low recycling rates are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate consumer behaviors, including barriers, surrounding e-waste recycling at a large Midwestern university in the United States. A survey was administered to faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff to determine their personal recycling habits, knowledge, and beliefs. The results indicate that free access to disposal, lack of consumer knowledge about products and disposal sites, and access to a recycling facility within a reasonable distance are all important factors in consumer decisions. Policy-makers and waste management professionals should focus on promotion of e-waste recycling behaviors through increased access to free or low-cost recycling as well as through the creation of recycling incentives.

Asbestos-containing materials in abandoned residential dwellings in Detroit.

OBJECTIVE: The efforts of many municipalities to demolish abandoned residential dwellings (ARDs) are hampered by the presence of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in these structures. However, the extent of such materials is unknown. Our study sought to characterize ACMs present in ARDs demolished in Detroit. METHODS: Working with the City of Detroit, we obtained information on all ARDs demolished from 2014 to 2017. We randomly sampled 605 ARDs and analyzed the presence, type, and amount of ACM present, and the associated abatement and demolition costs. RESULTS: Asbestos was present in about 95% of the sampled ARDs. The most common types of ACMs were flooring, roofing, siding, and duct insulation. The material containing the greatest fraction of asbestos was duct insulation. The type of asbestos generally present was chrysotile. Only eight (1%) ARDs contained commercial amphibole asbestos; another 36 contained vermiculite. The total cost of demolition averaged $13,645 per home, of which 20.1% was asbestos abatement. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the ACM in the ARDs was nonfriable and consisted of chrysotile. This study contributes information about the nature and extent of ACM in ARDs, which can provide part of the foundation for making an assessment of possible asbestos-containing air emissions during the demolitions of ARDs, and the nature or extent of pre-demolition abatement that may be needed (if any) to protect the public's health.

Safety and health hazard observations in Hmong farming operations.

Agricultural workers have a high risk of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. However, there are very few standardized tools available to assess safety and health in agricultural operations. Additionally, there are a number of groups of agricultural workers, including Hmong refugees and immigrants, for which virtually no information on safety and health conditions is available. This study developed an observation-based methodology for systematically evaluating occupational health and safety hazards in agriculture, and pilot-tested this on several small-scale Hmong farming operations. Each observation assessed of range of safety and health hazards (e.g., musculoskeletal hazards, dust and pollen, noise, and mechanical hazards), as well as on factors such as type of work area, presence of personal protective equipment, and weather conditions. Thirty-six observations were collected on nine farms. The most common hazards observed were bending at the back and lifting <50 pounds. Use of sharp tools without adequate guarding mechanisms, awkward postures, repetitive hand motions, and lifting >50 pounds were also common. The farming activities observed involved almost no power equipment, and no pesticide or chemical handling was observed. The use of personal protective equipment was uncommon. The results of this assessment agreed well with a parallel study of perceived safety and health hazards among Hmong agricultural workers. This study suggests that small-scale Hmong farming operations involve a variety of hazards, and that occupational health interventions may be warranted in this community. The study also demonstrates the utility of standardized assessment tools and mixed-method approaches to hazard evaluation.

Methods for evaluating temporal trends in noise exposure.

OBJECTIVE: Hearing conservation programs have been mandatory in many US industries since 1983. Since then, three program elements (audiometric testing, hearing protection, and training) have been the focus of much research. By comparison, little has been done on noise exposure evaluation. DESIGN: Temporal trends in time weighted average (TWA) exposures and the fraction of measurements exceeding 85 dBA were evaluated by facility, by exposure group within facility, and by individual worker within facility. STUDY SAMPLE: A large dataset (> 10 000 measurements over 20 years) from eight facilities operated by a multinational aluminum manufacturing company was studied. RESULTS: Overall, exposures declined across locations over the study period. Several facilities demonstrated substantial reductions in exposure, and the results of mean noise levels and exceedance fractions generally showed good agreement. The results of analyses at the individual level diverged with analyses by facility and exposure group within facility, suggesting that individual-level analyses, while challenging, may provide important information not available from coarser levels of analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Validated metrics are needed to allow for assessment of temporal trends in noise exposure. Such metrics will improve our ability to characterize, in a standardized manner, efforts to reduce noise-induced hearing loss.

Evaluation and comparison of three exposure assessment techniques.

This study was conducted to verify the performance of a recently developed subjective rating (SR) exposure assessment technique and to compare estimates made using this and two other techniques (trade mean, or TM, and task-based, or TB, approaches) to measured exposures. Subjects (n = 68) each completed three full-shift noise measurements over 4 months. Individual measured mean exposures were created by averaging each subject's repeated measurements, and TM, TB, and SR estimates were created using noise levels from worksites external to the current study. The bias, precision, accuracy, and absolute agreement of estimates created using the three techniques were evaluated by comparing estimated exposures with measured exposures. Trade mean estimates showed little bias, while neither the TM nor the SR techniques produced unbiased estimates, and the SR estimates showed the greatest bias of the three techniques. Accuracy was essentially equivalent among the three techniques. All three techniques showed poor agreement with measured exposures and were not highly correlated with each other. Estimates from the SR technique generally performed similarly to the TM and TB techniques. Methods to incorporate information from each technique into exposure estimates should be explored.

A review of crane safety in the construction industry.

The complex, dynamic, and continually changing nature of construction work has been recognized as an important contributor to the high rates of injuries and fatalities in the industry. Cranes are a central component of many construction operations and are associated with a large fraction of construction deaths; in fact, estimates suggest that cranes are involved in up to one-third of all construction and maintenance fatalities. Safety and health professionals serving the construction industry need adequate training and knowledge regarding available crane safety devices and procedures so that they may insure these techniques are effectively utilized during construction operations. This paper reviews available information on crane-related injuries, currently available safety devices, and commonly used crane safety procedures. Recommendations for improved crane injury prevention and future crane safety research are given.