portal at www.regulations.gov, or by
mail or fax.
The OSHA press release announcing
the interim final rules is available at
www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.
show_document? p_table=NEWS_
RELEASES&p_id=18264. For more information about whistleblower protections,
visit www.whistleblowers.gov.
New Wiki Provides Global Crisis
Information
In January, National Public Radio (NPR)
launched Crisis Wiki, a directory of re-
sources for disaster response and emer-
gency preparedness. Inspired by
Hurricane Wiki, Crisis Wiki originally ad-
dressed only relief information related to
the earthquake in Haiti; however, it has
grown to include resources that can be
used in any disaster. The wiki also provides local, state, national and international emergency preparedness resources
before a crisis takes place.
On its home page, Crisis Wiki lists
emergencies from the Haiti earthquake in
January 2010 to the most recent. In the
volunteers section, active emergencies are
listed with links to additional wiki pages
that contain information on that disaster,
including lists of needed resources and
information about what the public can do
to help. Like other wikis, Crisis Wiki can
be edited and content can be added.
Access Crisis Wiki at www.crisiswiki.org/
Main_Page.
Germany: Occupational Accidents
Rise Slightly
Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt
für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, or
BAuA) reports that workplace accidents
are on the rise, according to national
surveys. Among BAuA’s findings are the
following:
• Skin diseases, musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs), noise-related hearing loss and
respiratory disorders are among the
most common occupational diseases.
• Emerging risks for workers include
interruptions at work and time
pressures.
• Back pain, MSDs of the neck and
limbs, fatigue and headaches are
workers’ most commonly reported
health problems.
• Eleven percent of workers have work
weeks that last from 48 to 60 hours.
• Women are exposed to higher time
pressures and more frequent interruptions than men.
A summary, in English, of BAuA’s
findings is available from the European
Agency for Safety and Health at Work at
http://osha.europa.eu/ en.Th e BAuA
website is www.baua.de/cln_137/de/
Startseite.html.
NIH, BP Fund Gulf Spill Study
A multi-year study of potential health effects from the Gulf oil spill is scheduled
to begin this fall, the National Institutes
