The Safety Blog

Ergonomics for Electrical Workers: Safety When Using Tools for Installation and Repair

greg — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:08:14 +0000

Case # 1: A day in the construction site is another ordinary one for Billy. He has no problem drilling holes on a wall until the drill bits and hole saws get stuck while the drill spins. Later, he suffers from severe wrist and elbow injury.

Case #2: Meet Carlos, another electrical worker. For the day, he’s tasked to repair the circuits of an electrical wire that lines the lower portion of a wall. This requires him to kneel for hours on end while working on the repairs. Just when he thinks he could finally finish the job, he feels this killing sensation in his knees and, before long, they go numb.

Case #3: Olga meets her own misfortune when she presses the trigger of a nail gun several times using only one finger. She pays no attention to the swelling of her finger until it becomes painful and, later, immobile.

Photo by Álvaro Daniel González Lamarque

All the cases above share one thing. No, it’s not just the fact that each situation can happen to electrical workers on the job. Also, these cases can be avoided with proper training in performing tasks while using tools. Whether workers are installing or repairing equipment or other materials, they must put in mind one thing: tools are designed to provide them with ergonomic advantages, thus they should apply caution and give importance to this science.

Ergonomics for Electrical Personnel

Ergonomics basically puts the comfort and safety of the worker on the priority list. With training in ergonomics while using tools, employees can:

1. Control or eliminate hazards that may cause them injuries or fatalities on the job.

2. Avoid discomfort, pain or fatigue even while performing a task for a long period of time.

3. Understand that they should never use poorly designed tools or inappropriate ones for the task at hand.

4. Eliminate mistakes in using tools that may cause them discomfort, pain or fatigue.

So what are you waiting for? You better read on and learn about the ergonomic guidelines for electrical employees if you don’t want to end up suffering like any of the examples above.

Hand Tools

Hand tools are basically that. They’re tools, designed to make tasks easier for you. But some of them are just inappropriate for the task you have to perform. Others may be just what you need, only they’re poorly designed, making your job even more unbearable, if not dangerous.

Here are safety measures for using electrical hand tools so that you don’t compromise safety and comfort while finishing your task:

As much as possible, wear fitted gloves to avoid contact stress, which happens when short handles of hand tools rub or press against the palm or fingers.

When a task requires you to apply repetitive or prolonged force exertion, it’s best that you make use of power tools.

Photo by Derek Benjamin Lilly

Make sure your tools have padded grips and handles that extend across the whole palm of the hand.

As much as possible, your tools must “promote neutral posture of the wrist and hand”. For example, while bent-handled tools can be designed to promote differing work positions and angles, an inline tool is ideal to use on horizontal surfaces at about waist height; and a pistol grip is best for vertical surfaces at about waist height.

When you have to use hand tools for an extended period of time, break your work time into sessions. You can do this by taking breaks and/or rotating tasks among other co-workers.

Portable Power Tools

Though easier and faster to use than hand tools, portable power tools may be so heavy you have to exert extreme effort to counteract torque forces. Other tools, like jackhammers, can result in hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).

Power tools may also cause discomfort, pain and fatigue when workers assume awkward or incorrect postures while using them. The same thing can happen when workers don’t know the proper orientation of power tools.

Safety guidelines with portable power tools:

Keep hands warm and dry all the time.

Use tools with an in-line grip for horizontal surfaces and a pistol grip for vertical surfaces.

Ensure that you use the trigger-levers on power tools, which can accommodate three fingers instead of only one.

Photo by Kevin

As much as possible, electrical workers should arrange the work to make sure they can stand upright while using the tool with the elbows close to the body.

Sit on a stool or chair to keep yourself from crouching and kneeling when working on lower areas. If you really have to kneel while working, protect your knees by wearing kneepads.

Make sure all cutting surfaces of tools are sharp and lubricated.

Keep cutting surfaces of tools sharp and lubricated.

Use overhead or under-tool supports for heavy tools.

When reaching higher work areas, make use of regular ladders, platform ladders or lifts so that you can keep your arms as close to your body as possible.

Tool Belts

Tool belts, no matter how indispensable, can be the cause of extreme discomfort and fatigue of workers. If workers don’t apply caution in loading their tool belts and using them while working, they may end up getting contact stress while performing important tasks on the job.

Photo by Emily Roesly

Here are tips to follow to avoid contact stress caused by tool belts:

Consider using a mobile tool box or a bucket-style tool bag instead of a tool belt.

As much as possible, reduce the number of tools in the bags to reduce the weight you have to carry.

Choose tool bags with padded belts and suspenders so you can evenly distribute the weight of the load between the shoulders and the waist. Make sure also to arrange the tools inside the bags to achieve this same effect.

Drilling Holes

Discomfort, fatigue, and pain are common problems experienced by electrical personnel when drilling holes on surfaces. Not only do they often have to work extended periods of time, they usually have to drill holes on floors, floor joists, and rafters, making them bend while performing their task. Also, there is the risk of having hand-arm-vibration syndrome (HAVS) because of regular exposure to the vibration of hand-held power tools.

Photo by Jane M. Sawyer

Following are guidelines in eliminating the hazards of drilling holes:

When drilling large holes, use an angle drill.

Use a torque bar to help absorb the shock of a stuck bit.

Use bit extensions to help minimize reaching.

Wear kneepads when tasks require prolonged kneeling.

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This article was written by Safety Consultants with Safety Services Company, we provide Construction, Manufacturing, and General Industry Safety Programs to over 100,000 clients across the United States and Canada. For more information on a custom safety program for your company, please contact us by clicking here.

Equipment and Vehicle Safety: Tips on Using All Terrain Vehicles (ATV)

eric — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:19:52 +0000

All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) are among the most useful land vehicles ever invented. Designed to combat the hazards of different kinds of terrain, they can be used in almost every worksite there is. Not only do they make traveling easier for drivers, they are also safe to use when transporting loads or cargo.

While making trips safer, ATVs are not completely free of hazards. In fact, in the past 10 years, more than 800,000 accidents are attributed to this type of vehicle. Such accidents include onsite movement, unsafe machines, worksite debris and loss of control.

Here are some safety measures for using All Terrain Vehicles at the workplace:

Inspect the ATV before using it, paying particular attention to tire condition, steering, braking, and suspension systems.

Workers must always drive at speeds appropriate to the weather and terrain.

While an ATV is designed for almost every terrain, it is not recommended that you use it on paved surfaces. Such surfaces can greatly affect its control and safe handling.

Never carry passengers on an ATV.

Never exceed the weight limit of the ATV.

Ensure that items you haul with the ATV meet the specifications indicated by the manufacturer in the manual.

Evenly distribute the weight of items you haul with the all terrain vehicle.

Workers must always wear DOT-approved helmets when riding all terrain vehicles.

The use of safety goggles, gloves and boots depend on existing environmental conditions.

Never drive ATVs on public roads unless you’re licensed to do so.

Always watch out for holes, nails, wire, tools, foot traffic, electrical lines, and other moving vehicles.

Never make any modifications on the ATV, unless approved by the manufacturer.

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Proper PPE for Health Care Workers: Protection from Hazardous Drugs

greg — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:45:41 +0000

Just imagine 8 million people losing their lives in a single accident. Wouldn’t it be a big tragedy? Surely, a whole country, if not the whole world, would be mourning. While the health care industry has never caused a disaster as big as this, it actually exposes about 8 million workers (at least in the United States) to the possibility of getting hurt or killed every single day. This is all because of working with or close to hazardous drugs.

Health care workers exposed to the hazards of drugs include physicians, nursing personnel, veterinary personnel, operating room personnel, maintenance workers, shipping and receiving personnel, laundry workers, and waste handlers. Whether they’re handling containers, touching contaminated areas, cleaning spills, and compounding, administering, or disposing of hazardous drugs, they are at risk of suffering from different health conditions. These conditions can be anything from skin rashes and blindness to cancer and birth defects.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that employers protect their workers by providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate to their exposure. Every company must also have a safety program that provides workers with proper training, retraining, and periodic testing of their knowledge of the proper use of PPE.

Administrative Controls and Engineering Controls

But before we go into the requirements for each kind of PPE for hazardous drugs, let’s talk about controls first. NIOSH recommends that exposure to hazardous drugs be minimized first through the use of controls. They can be in the form of engineering controls or administrative controls.

Engineering controls include:

Class II or III biological safety cabinets (BSC)
Closed system transfer devices
compounding aseptic containment isolators
needleless systems

Administrative controls include:

Management policies
Implementation of work practices
Training programs to reduce worker risk

A safety program must also include a medical monitoring program. With it, employers implement a secondary form of prevention that works by determining indicators of exposure or early disease. PPE comes into the picture when it is not feasible to use engineering and/or administrative controls or when other control measures are not practical or available.

PPE

Here are guidelines recommended by NIOSH in the proper selection, use and care of PPE:

Assess the exposure of your work area to hazardous drugs. Select PPE based on the assessment.
Make sure that each PPE fits and functions properly. They should also be made of material appropriate for the level of exposure to hazardous drugs.
Wearing and removal of PPE must follow both local hospital procedures and manufacturer’s instructions.

Respirators

NIOSH-certified N-95

protection from airborne particles
insufficient against direct liquid splashes
no protection against vapors and gases

Surgical N-95 respirator

Provides a combination of the respiratory protection of an N-95 respirator and the splash protection of a surgical mask

Full-facepiece chemical cartridge-type respirator

Protection for large spills

Eye and Face Protection

Safety measures for the use of eye and face protection:

Wear goggles and face shields at the same time to secure a full range of protection against splashes to your eyes and face.
Safety glasses or eye glasses with side shields do not provide sufficient eye protection.
One good alternative for eye and face protection is a full-facepiece respirator.

Gowns

General guidelines in the selection and use of gowns:

Gowns should have long sleeves with tight fitting cuffs.
They must not have seams or closure where drugs could pass through.
Compared to non-coated gowns, disposable gowns made of polyethylene-coated polypropylene or other laminate materials offer better protection.
After each use, dispose of the gowns to minimize risk of hazardous drug exposure.
Never wear gowns outside compounding or administration areas.

Gloves

Safety tips on selecting and using gloves:

Follow the test information indicated by the glove manufacturer to make sure your safety gloves have the appropriate permeation resistance.
Always check gloves for defects before use.
Change gloves regularly. NIOSH recommends that changes be done from 30-60 minutes.
Always use powder-free gloves to avoid contamination of work area and absorption of hazardous drugs.
When administering, compounding, and disposing of hazardous drugs, always use two pairs of gloves. Make sure to wear the inner glove under the gown cuff and the outer glove over the cuff. When using gloves with long cuffs, place them over the cuff of the gown.
Turn gloves inside-out when removing double gloves.
Before wearing gloves and after removing them, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Carefully remove and dispose of gloves when they are damaged, or if you suspect or know of their contact with a hazardous drug.

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Telecommuting Causes Higher Productivity, Reduced Costs, Better Health and Safety of Employees

debbiedebbie — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:51:53 +0000

Imagine living in the age of holos where you have the option to work from home every single day of your life. Of course you can travel and go on a vacation anytime because you’d always be virtually “on the field” or present wherever it is that you have to work. Just think about the possibilities. You never have to stand next to hustling traffic while working as a flagger. Neither do you have to drag yourself to work 5 or more days a week when you have to organize your office files or attend meetings and even seminars.

Every time you’re needed at work, you’ll just be present to co-workers as this hologram that can walk with them through corridors or seat with them and chat over lunch. You could even operate forklifts, work with hot asphalt or mix chemicals while sitting on your dining chair because, yes, everything seems like this virtual reality game you have to play to accomplish your tasks on the job.

Photo by Darren Hester

Unless you’re a vampire, you won’t have the chance to see the world with such techie workplace conditions in your lifetime. It’s not that bad, though. If your work can be done anywhere with only a laptop and an Internet connection, then sulk no more. You’ll be doing yourself and your company a favor by working from home.

Telecommuting is found to be beneficial to companies that allow their employees to commute either full-time or part-time. This is a finding discovered by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Through a survey conducted by the association, they found that companies who offer their employees the option to telecommute have improved employee health, greater productivity and reduced costs. If that’s not a win-win situation, I don’t know what is.

More than two-thirds of survey respondents shared that the option to commute part-time or full-time caused higher productivity in their organizations. This is said to be the result of spending less time getting to and from work.

“With ‘anywhere’ connectivity, faster broadband options, and high-quality video and online conferencing choices, the opportunity for virtual offices is greater today and more affordable for businesses of all sizes and shapes,” said CompTIA president and CEO Todd Thibodeaux.

About one-fourth of the respondents said their organizations experienced better employee health with workers having reduced stress levels, which are attributed to traditional commuting.

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Safety with Loads: Tips on Using Hand Trucks, Carts and Dollies Properly

greg — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:46:56 +0000

Back injuries are a common problem caused by carrying or moving loads. While using delivery trucks can make the task easier and faster, it becomes impractical when loads just have to be transported a short distance.

This is where hand trucks, carts, and dollies come into the picture. With these tools, workers can transport light or heavy loads faster, without worrying about back injuries or gas consumption.

Photo by Kevin Rosseel

Safety Measures

As with carrying loads by hand and with vehicles, handling loads with hand trucks, carts and dollies can pose hazards if they are not used properly. Avoid accidents by following these safety tips:

Use the two-wheel hand truck only when handling light loads. Always use the four-wheel hand truck for heavy loads.

Always make sure the weight is evenly distributed on all wheels of a hand truck, cart or dolly, especially with four-wheeled hand trucks with side railings.

Before use, inspect center ladder section, cross bars and vertical bar for cracks and other defects/damage.

Check all welds before moving loads.

Never pull a cart, dolly, or hand truck. Always push it when moving loads.

Never try to upend four-wheeled hand trucks.

As much as possible, break down large loads into smaller ones.

Secure loads with heavy-duty nylon belts. Inspect these belts before use to make sure they are not frayed, worn-out or damaged.

Always use a ratchet belt tightener with auto rewind to keep loads from shifting or slipping.

When climbing or descending stairs, always use stair crawlers.

When raising or lowering a load, never use your back. Instead, make use of the mechanical or hydraulic lifting mechanisms of the tool.

Personal Protective Equipment

Even with a dolly, cart or hand truck, you are not protected from other hazards that a load may pose, as well as some conditions in the work area that may cause accidents. Here are some suggested PPE for different situations:

1. Leather gloves

You may need this when handling large heavy objects/materials with rough or sharp edges.

2. Back belt

This is helpful in supporting your lower back while pushing dollies, carts or hand trucks with loads. Make sure to wear it on your lower back.

3. Protective footwear

You might need this PPE when your work area exposes you to foot injuries like falling/rolling objects or pointed materials that can pierce the sole.

4. Special boots, shoes or foot guards

You may need special designs of footwear when there are slip or trip hazards in the worksite. Examples of this footwear are non-skid soles and steel-toed boots.

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Safety Guide for Flaggers

greg — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:12:55 +0000

Orange cones, barricades and flashy arrows. These are things you’d likely see on a part of the road whenever certain operations are being done near vehicle traffic. In most cases, too, you’d see one or two people in flashy vests monitoring the traffic flow. These people are called flaggers.

Flaggers make sure that vehicles and pedestrians can move safely and quickly through or around temporary traffic control zones. They also have another responsibility. That is, to keep workers and on-site equipment safe during operations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that flaggers and traffic control devices be provided when signs, signals and barricades are not enough to protect workers, equipment, pedestrians and vehicles.

Photo by Michael Connors

While having flaggers is proven to be effective in preventing accidents, they are actually the ones exposed most to hazards on the road. Because of this, certain precautions must be followed by flaggers.

General Requirements

With the hazards that come with the task of flagging, flaggers must take note of the following requirements:

1. Training

Flaggers must be trained in safe traffic control practices to be able to ensure the safety of everyone, including themselves.

2. Good physical condition

Flagging is physically taxing work that may last for many hours. For this reason, flaggers must be physically fit. They must particularly have good vision and hearing.

3. Alertness

Danger is always around the corner so flaggers must always be mentally alert. This is especially true at night when pedestrians and vehicles might miss spotting signs, signals and other important traffic control devices. Flaggers must also be ready to respond to emergencies that may happen any second.

High-visibility Clothing

Flaggers must wear high-visibility clothing so that pedestrians and vehicles can see them easily even from a far distance. During daytime, the flagger’s vest, jacket or shirt should be orange, yellow, yellow-green or a fluorescent version of these colors.

Photo by Kevin Rosseel

For nighttime work, these similar outer garments must be retroreflective and colored orange, white, yellow, yellow-green, silver, or, again, a fluorescent version of these colors. Clothing at nighttime must also be visible at a minimum distance of 1,000 ft.

Flagger Stations

The location of the flagger station must be far enough ahead of the work zone. This way, approaching vehicles have sufficient time to stop before entering the work zone. When setting this distance, variables like pavement type & conditions, approach speed, friction factors, and tire capabilities should be considered. It’s best that the flagger has an escape route that they can use in case a vehicle breaks traffic rules.

The flagger should either stand in the barricaded lane or on the shoulder adjacent to the traffic being controlled. A “spot” construction is an exception; and in this case the flagger must take the space on the shoulder opposite the barricaded section.

The flagger station must never be in the path of oncoming traffic. Flaggers may only move into the lane after the traffic has stopped and only when they need to be visible to other traffic or when they have to communicate with a driver.

Hand-Signaling Devices and Flags

Flaggers are required to use devices that help them make hand signals to vehicles. These devices are STOP/SLOW paddles, red flags, and lights. Among these devices, the STOP/SLOW paddles should be the primary and preferred hand-signaling device. Flags should only be used during emergency situations.

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5 Distractions that Cause Workplace Hazards

debbiedebbie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:28:34 +0000

In a perfect world, employees don’t have to worry about breaking their shoulder bone, falling off scaffolds, or catching a grave lung disease. They’d be provided with excellent training not only once but regularly.

Besides being comfortable and self-cleaning, their PPE could be worn in a matter of seconds and would have built-in chemical radar and radiation detector. When a vehicle is about to hit an employee or fire threatens to gobble them up or suck the life out of their lungs, this bubble would suddenly blow up from their PPE and safely enclose them. Being resistant to impacts, fire, chemicals, toxic gases and all negative vibes in the world, the bubble is an ultimate lifesaver that equates to having an immortal life on the job.

Okay I went a bit overboard there. You get the idea. Every employee wishes for a job where they’re provided with training and PPE that ultimately shield them against all hazards in their workplace.

Distractions and Hazards

Then again, any premium training and state-of-the-art PPE would be useless if a worker couldn’t manage to exorcise one of the most threatening factors on the job: distractions. That’s right, statistics shows that distractions are a major culprit in many workplace injuries and fatalities.

Here are 5 kinds of distractions that may put your life on the line:

1. Mental Distractions and Inattention

Have you ever replayed in your mind unpleasant scenes at home while operating equipment on the job? Perhaps something big happens to you this weekend and you’re anticipating its wonders while literally climbing on a ladder. Maybe one or two times you’re mixing chemicals and you decide to have a little chat with a co-worker. No harm in that right? Think again.

Photo by Scott Liddell

Mental distractions often lead to inattention. You could miss noticing that pedestrian racing close to your forklift just because you’re too engrossed over that argument you had with your wife. Whether you’re worrying, daydreaming, or chatting, mental distractions can be likened to hazards or defects in machines that you need to secure with “guards”. Will yourself to tag these mental distractions with a NO ENTRY sign, close the “door” and focus on the work at hand.

If that’s all too hard to do, then you may consider taking a break and getting some fresh air to blow those distracting thoughts away or finishing that nice chat with a co-worker. If the work is urgent, then you could tell yourself to forget about personal matters first and deal with them later by coming up to a co-worker (possibly your supervisor) and sharing with them your difficulty in getting rid of that thing (or person) that tortures you to the very core of your being.

2. Poor Housekeeping

Apparently if godliness is next to cleanliness, safety is next to the latter as well. Just imagine how distracted you’d be if your workstation is cluttered with all your personal stuff, unsorted files, bolts, screws, wires, food wrappers and other junk. Visual clutter can easily translate itself to mental clutter. It would be easy to miss that obstruction in the conveyor operations when dust and all these crumpled papers mess up with your focus.

Photo by Hillary

So befriend that broom and sweep all those visual distractions before they do something nasty. Throwing those junk and sorting your files are big steps to trashing all the horrible hazards that could befall you. Remember, too, that poor housekeeping says a lot about your attitude towards safety, quality, and production.

3. Machinery

Those big, fat monsters you call your techie friends can be distracting and destructive, too. Don’t be fooled. Think twice before permanently choosing a place for your workstation. Make sure it is at a safe distance from machines, heavy equipment, electrical circuits, busy foot traffic, and obstructions or slip/trip hazards.

Photo by RoganJosh

4. Hearing

Sure, listening to music is fine. It keeps you entertained, boosts your mood. But even Elvis Costello’s melodramatic voice or Sisqo’s hippest lyrics can cause you an arm.

Before donning those headphones, ask your supervisor if this is acceptable or safe. If not, then for the love of your life, you’d have to say goodbye to that music playlist you worked so hard to compile.

Photo by markemark

Now wearing earmuffs or earplugs is a completely different story. When noise levels in your workplace are too tough for your eardrums to handle (accurate measures must be done to determine this), then you should talk to your supervisor. The same thing should be done when you think noise keeps your attention off your tasks. If installing appropriate engineering controls is not feasible, you should do well with a good pair of earmuffs or headphones.

5. Long/Unkempt Hair

Imagine a tabloid running this headline, “Man Gets Paralyzed Because of His Long Hair”. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But you won’t think so after realizing that too many accidents have actually happened in the past just because somebody was fixing their hair while operating equipment, carrying a load, driving a vehicle, etc.

Whether you have a receding hairline or hair that competes with Rapunzel’s, it’s easy to understand that loose and flowing hair can get in one’s face and eyes and obstruct their view. This becomes an even bigger hazard when a worker fixes their hair while carrying on a task. So if this distraction applies to you, do yourself a favor and tie your hair back or keep it under a hat.

Photo by Gracey

Dealing with Workplace Distractions

In a perfect world, distractions don’t exist. Come to think of it, if the world were perfect, there’s no such thing as danger. We don’t even have to work to be able to live comfortably.

But since we’re stuck in this imperfect side of the universe, all we can do is do our job and do it safely. Of course, that means getting rid of everything that can make us lose or lack focus.

While some factors in the workplace can play a role in causing distractions, the fact remains that more occupational hazards spring from unsafe acts than from unsafe conditions. In truth, much of the safety of employees lies in their hands. So think straight, follow safe procedures and you don’t have to worry about hurting yourself before each work day ends!

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Public Comments Welcome: Rulemaking on Minimum Electrical Approach Distances

greg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:33:16 +0000

Something’s brewing again within the four walls of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This time it concerns the proposed rulemaking on electric power generation, transmission and distribution work, as well as electrical protective equipment. But this process is not exclusive to OSHA members and officials.

The agency recently invited the public to take part in this rulemaking by sharing what they know about the subject. That is, they need public comments related to “how close an employee (or a conductive object that an employee is contacting) may get to an energized circuit part”.

Photo by Scott Liddell

The proposed rule was not published recently, though. On June 15, 2005, OSHA published the proposal, which included revisions on minimum approach distances (MADs). The revisions even came with MAD tables that can serve as tools in determining how close an employee or conductive object is to an energized part.

Unfortunately, after the rulemaking was finished, the technical committee responsible for developing the tables in the consensus standards (that served as bases of the proposal) discovered an error in their calculation of minimum approach distances for certain voltages.

This is the very reason why OSHA is reopening the rulemaking record for this topic. They are open to public comments until November 21, 2008. You may send them through e-mail at http://www.regulations.gov.

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