http://www.compliancehome.com/ ComplianceHome is one of the Web's largest library of resources for compliance management of HIPAA, SOX, FISMA, GLBA, FDA, COOP & COG, FFIEC, Basel II, OSHA and ISO 27002/17799. Visit our directories which are the best source on White papers, related news articles, resources on the web, training, webinars, conferences, rules & regulation overview, ask the expert, job and search on vendors, solutions & products. http://www.compliancehome.com/images/rsslogo.gif http://www.compliancehome.com/ en-us Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13691.html The Food and Drug Administration, the US regulator, is to unveil a pioneering mechanism this year that rewards pharmaceutical companies for their research into previously neglected diseases with vouchers for accelerated drug reviews. These vouchers highly valuable as they might speed up market access for new medicines can then be sold on to other companies, which can use them for any drug. The FDA is planning the launch of the priority review vouchers (PRVs) in August. The vouchers are designed to stimulate research into tropical diseases, for which there is little commercial market. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13691.html Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13690.html Discovery Laboratories Inc. said Monday that it received an approvable letter from the Food and Drug Administration for Surfaxin, its treatment for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, and that it could file a response with the FDA in six to eight weeks. The company said it believes the steps required to file a response to the approvable letter may be completed within that time and that the response may potentially be designated by the FDA as a class one resubmission with a review target of 60 days. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13690.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13689.html It was a frank answer to a blunt question about the Food and Drug Administration's ability to protect America's food supply.Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ticked off an FDA advisory panel's recent findings that food inspections in America had declined by 78 percent since the 1970s _ even as imports surged. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13689.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13688.html Insulin pumps are used by tens of thousands of teenagers worldwide with Type 1 diabetes, but they can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, a review by federal regulators finds. Parents should be vigilant in watching their children's use of the pumps, researchers from the Food and Drug Administration wrote. They didn't advise against using the devices. But they called for more study to address safety concerns in teens and even younger children who use the popular pumps. The federal review of use by young people over a decade found 13 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries connected with the pumps. At times, the devices malfunctioned, but other times, teens were careless or took risks, the study authors wrote. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13688.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13687.html As laws are being drafted to regulate the sale of alternative medicine, consumers are being warned against buying drugs off the Internet for personal use. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13687.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13686.html The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent Merck & Co a warning letter saying it has failed to correct a number of manufacturing deficiencies at its main vaccine manufacturing plant in West Point, Pennsylvania. The agency said Merck had filed an 'inadequate response http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13686.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13685.html Danbury Hospital tested and cleaned a carpet in an area of the hospital not used by patients after someone complained to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Testing by the hospital of the carpet in the office area of the Ambulatory Surgery Unit in the Duracell Building showed there were no problems, the hospital said. A complaint was made that the carpet in the office area is dirty and may contain infectious material and that poor ventilation in that area has led employees to develop sinus and respiratory problems. The hospital testing was sparked by a March 11 letter from OSHA to the hospital. David Squires, the acting area director of OSHA, said when the agency gets an informal complaint it sends a letter to those in charge of the building involved. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13685.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13684.html Corporate spending on compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's Section 404 fell sharply again last year, and so did overall auditor costs. But a 5-percent spurt in average audit fees cut deep into the savings, according to a new survey from Financial Executives International. The average cost for Section 404 compliance was $1.7 million during fiscal 2007, the FEI study said. While the group noted that direct comparisons with prior-year costs couldn't be made because of variations in the respondent pool, it suggested that the average compliance cost was around $2.9 million in 2006, and $3.8 million in 2005. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13684.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13683.html Following an assessment of United Airlines' O'Hare facilities by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), United is taking a number of steps to improve safety in employee work areas. United intends to evaluate OSHA's specific findings and will meet with OSHA to continue discussing the improvements the Company has made during and after the on-site assessment, which was completed in February. Specifically, United brought in a third-party safety expert to assist in making immediate facility repairs. These efforts included identifying and correcting concerns related to electrical wiring such as repairing damaged conduit and installing electrical outlet plates. Also, United acted on OSHA's concerns by installing new machine guards and removing fall hazards. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13683.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13682.html Federal authorities contend Chicago-based United Airlines committed dozens of violations of workplace safety standards at O'Hare International Airport. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $215,500 in fines, and United has 15 days to appeal. OHSA has issued 43 serious violations and four repeat violations. The serious violations concern fall protection, storage of fuel-gas cylinders and other issues. The repeat violations cover machine guarding and electrical issues. Local OSHA director Diane Turek says the problems shouldn't exist at any work site. United says it intends to evaluate OSHA's findings and is taking steps to improve safety in employee work areas. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13682.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13681.html In an April 29 Senate hearing, congressional lawmakers described OSHA as being dangerously ineffective in protecting workers, and claimed the agency's civil and criminal penalties in workplace fatality cases are too weak and fail to deter company violations. During the hearing, held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., called for Congress to strengthen current workplace safety laws, strengthen provisions for higher penalties and criminal prosecution and insist on stronger OSHA enforcement. The Occupational Safety and Health Act, created 37 years ago and signed into law by President Richard Nixon, successfully helped reduce workplace accidents and fatalities. Legislators and labor leaders argue that in recent years, however, OSHA has exercised lax oversight, causing workplace safety to suffer. Republican Senator Mike Enzi from Wyoming remained unconvinced that stronger criminal penalties and fines were http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13681.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13680.html A Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis revealed that it took OSHA and EPAs Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) more than 5 and 3 years, respectively, to release guidances, brochures and other communication products addressing the potential hazards of exposure to asbestos in automotive brakes. The GAO report recommended that both agencies develop time frames to more quickly deliver such information to the public. OSHA officials twice decided to not release drafts before the final posting because they needed more data to understand how pervasive asbestos is in brake products and to avoid causing unnecessary alarm, GAO said. And while it took OSHA longer to release its final product, the OPPTS process incorporated more steps to obtain input from external parties. It is important that communication products be issued in a timely manner, the report read. Timeliness is but one of a range of performance indicators that agencies may use to measure whet http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13680.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13679.html A study found that 64 percent of respondents said the issue is the top security concern. Despite increased awareness of access control issues, healthcare providers continue to struggle with security and compliance related to user access, according to the results of a survey conducted at the Health Information Management and Systems Society 2008 conference in February. The survey, conducted by enterprise provisioning and access control software vendor Courion at the show Feb. 24-28, revealed that 64 percent of respondents cited controlling user access to clinical systems as their top IT security concern. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13679.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13678.html Collecting millions of security incident alerts without the manpower to interpret them doesnt do much to improve security. Just ask health insurer Priority Health, whose security staffers had been drowning in alerts from the firms firewalls, intrusion detection system (IDS), and system logs, trying to separate real threats from the false alarms. Priority Health, which has 500,000 customers, was getting frustrated with the time-consuming and tedious process -- as were its auditors. So the firm, which provides health care insurance to 100 acute-care hospitals and over 12,000 doctors and other health care providers in Michigan, had to better integrate its security tools and the data it was generating. HIPAA-compliance pressure was on, too: Because of emerging HIPAA reporting regulations regarding log activity, we needed to monitor the activity on our systems and network more closely than we had in the past, says Tim Maletic, information security engineer at Priority Health. Priority H http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13678.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13677.html Information on thousands of UCSF patients was accessible on the Internet for more than three months last year, a possible violation of federal privacy regulations that might have exposed the patients to medical identity theft, The Chronicle has learned. The information accessible online included names and addresses of patients along with names of the departments where medical care was provided. Some patient medical record numbers and the names of the patients' physicians also were available online. The breach was discovered Oct. 9, but the medical institution did not send out notification letters to the 6,313 affected patients until early April, nearly six months later. The consequences of health care data breaches can be significant, said experts. Sensitive information can be used by employers, health insurers and other entities to discriminate. Additionally, thieves can use purloined information to obtain medical treatment and prescription drugs and to file false medical claims. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13677.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13676.html YOU MAY FEEL confident enough to pay your bills and do your taxes online, but what about posting and maintaining your entire medical history? That's a question many consumers will face as a growing number of employers, health insurers and other companies begin offering personal health records, or PHRs. These electronic records serve as a repository for an individual's medical history. For a cost of up to $200 (although many are free), PHRs will keep track of the doctors you've visited and the medications you've taken, as well as your allergies, cholesterol level, immunizations and even your family's medical history. You, and anyone else you grant permission to, can access all of the information via the web. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13676.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13675.html Governing the flow of protected health information between research organizations and public health surveillance organizations creates many questions concerning each party's legal and ethical responsibilities, particularly in a suspected epidemic. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as the Common Rule, which promulgates rules for protecting study participants in federally sponsored research programs, provide regulations safeguarding protected health information. Both HIPAA and the Common Rule are focused toward the individual and mandate compliance nationwide. Public health law, however, is focused on the well-being and safety of the entire population. Unlike HIPAA, public health law is legislated by individual states rather than by the federal government and has no unifying mechanism for balancing privacy rights against public safety. The proper interaction between and appropriate application of HIPAA, the Common Rule, and public health law during a http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13675.html Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13674.html On Friday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $215,000 in fines against United Airlines for alleged multiple serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards discovered during an inspection of the carrier's O'Hare Airport workplace completed last February. OSHA cited United for 43 serious violations and four repeat violations. OSHA spokesman Scott Allen said the heftiest fines are typically levied for repeat violations. OSHA cited United for a variety of hazards ranging from hazardous energy control procedures to electrical hazards and storage of oxygen and fuel-gas cylinders. In a statement Friday, United said it is taking immediate steps to improve safety in employee work areas at O'Hare. The airline said it had already brought in a third-party expert to correct certain concerns related to electrical wiring. The carrier also said it had already installed new machine guards and removed fall hazards. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13674.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13673.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final analysis of certain flavors of http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13673.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13672.html Defying a presidential veto threat, the House has approved legislation requiring tougher controls on combustible dust in the workplace, which can cause fatal explosions. Such dust was blamed for the 2003 blast at CTA Acoustics in Corbin, Ky., that killed seven and injured 37. In the last two years, combustible dust has caused 67 explosions and fires. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13672.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13671.html During the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) this May 4 - 10, American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) occupational safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professional members, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) - Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, the American Red Cross, 72 corporations and associations representing all industries, 150,000+ businesses and millions of people will provide tools, best practices and solutions on how to increase workplace safety. Due to the efforts of many, millions of people go to and return home safely from work every day. However, in the U.S. alone, 5,840 workers died from on-the-job injuries in 2006 and millions more suffered workplace injuries and illnesses. These can be prevented. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13671.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13670.html Thanks to a http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13670.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/Basel-II/Articles/abstract13669.html http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/Basel-II/Articles/abstract13669.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13668.html olution with New Version of IT Business Management (ITBM(TM)) Suite 29/04/2008 13:00:00 Business Wire eco-friendly goals of an organization. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13668.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FFIEC/Articles/abstract13667.html Corporate IT executives need to beware the seven dirty secrets of the security industry that can undermine the safety of business networks, a security expert told attendees at Interop Las Vegas. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FFIEC/Articles/abstract13667.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13666.html All it took was a quick Internet search to yield private medical information on more than two dozen Rio Grande Valley children. Until Thursday, the Web site of a children's rehabilitation clinic had a link to spreadsheets containing the full names, phone numbers and insurance status of about 25 patients. The information was in a backup folder linked to the Web site, not on the site's main page. But a link to the data pops up in a search using Google. An employee at a federal health agency discovered the information during a routine Internet search, and tried to alert the clinic, as well as a reporter. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13666.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Regulations/abstract13665.html The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is explained in detail in this article. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Regulations/abstract13665.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13664.html A recent series of privacy breaches involving medical records at NIH, the University of California-Los Angeles Hospital System, Johns Hopkins University and others could undermine the health care industry's efforts for widespread adoption of electronic health record systems, the Wall Street Journal reports. The number and array of hospital employees who can quickly access EHRs has raised concerns about patient privacy protections, but hospitals are reluctant to restrict access too tightly to avoid creating obstacles to care delivery, especially in emergencies. Nonetheless, Johns Hopkins has added encryption software to its computers and increased employee education efforts about privacy, while UCLA plans to roll out changes that limit what kind of information in a patient's record hospital employees can access. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13664.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13663.html Today, data governance is all the rage. With Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II, corporations must face the fact that corporate data is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. It is ironic that the corporations that had embraced the concept of an enterprise data warehouse (EDW) had the least difficulty in adapting to the new regulatory requirements for data. Conversely, organizations that had rejected and obfuscated the EDW for years had (and are still having) the most problems with Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II. It is with this background that the need for data governance has been recognized. There are many facets to data governance. One facet is the day-to-day administration of the data. This includes the tasks of making sure data is loaded properly, making sure that the mechanisms for ensuring transaction and data update are in place and are followed, making sure that data is accessible when it needs to be accessible, making sure that data is available during the promised hours of availability, http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13663.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13662.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration aims to hire more than 1,300 biologists, chemists, pharmacologists and other staff members by October as part of a major expansion, the agency said on Wednesday. The hiring effort, first reported by Reuters, comes as the agency is under growing pressure from Congress to improve operations and existing staff is stretched thin. The new hires will add to the current FDA work force of more than 10,000 employees who regulate food, drugs and other products that account for a quarter of U.S. consumer spending. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13662.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13661.html Federal drug regulators believe that a contaminant detected in a crucial blood thinner that has caused 81 deaths was added deliberately, something the Food and Drug Administration has only hinted at previously. F.D.A.s working hypothesis is that this was intentional contamination, but this is not yet proven, Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administrations drug center, told the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in written testimony given Tuesday. A third of the material in some batches of the thinner heparin were contaminants, and it does strain ones credulity to suggest that might have been done accidentally, Dr. Woodcock said. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13661.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13660.html Following a recent publication in this paper regarding 12 logging companies been barred by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), additional 5 logging companies have been added to the list by the Concession review Committee. The five include: Cavalla Timber, Exotic Timber Corporation Enterprise incorporated and Nature Liberia Incorporated. Others include: Salami Mohammed Incorporated and Timber Management Corporation. It can be recalled that the twelve logging companies' bar was imposed when it was discovered that they operated outside of the threshold behavior criteria and were found to have been overtly involved in at least one of the following actions: support to militia, participated in, or facilitation of, arms for timber, or otherwise aided or abated civil instability. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13660.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13659.html The government is evaluating a new version of OxyContin the potent painkiller sometimes called http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13659.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13658.html The Food and Drug Administration approved for marketing AngioScore Inc.'s balloon catheter device, the company said Thursday. Fremont-based AngioScore, which develops angioplasty catheters for use in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, said the FDA cleared the device for balloon dilatation of lesions in the iliac, femoral, ilio-femoral, popliteal, and infra-popliteal arteries, and for the treatment of obstructive lesions of native or synthetic arteriovenous dialysis fistulae. The catheter received initial FDA 510(k) clearance for the treatment of infra-popliteal peripheral arterial disease in September 2005. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13658.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13657.html Democrats seeking to boost funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found support Thursday from a key federal employees union. The president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 150, 000 federal employees, said the recent move by a bipartisan group of senators urging their budget panel colleagues to hike FDA funding shows http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/FDA/Articles/abstract13657.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13656.html A company that handles freight in Worcester faces a nearly $29,000 fine after a fatal industrial accident. Paul Harding of Spencer was killed in December when a large tire on a crane he was working on blew. The blast sent the Intransit Container employee several feet into the air. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week alleged six safety violations in connection with the death. Among them: failing to adequately train workers and failing to ensure that tires are deflated before they are removed from vehicles. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13656.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13655.html A Government Accountability Office report posted Wednesday compares the way OSHA and EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) developed communications to alert auto repair workers about exposures to asbestos in automotive brakes. Both agencies took years to complete their products -- no suprise to OSHA watchers -- but the time lags differed. OSHA took 5.5 years to publish its asbestos Safety and Health Information Bulletin, while OPPTS took 3.5 years to publish its final asbestos brochure. OSHA officials http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13655.html Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13654.html The manager of a Pole Lane Road beryllium/copper foundry declined to comment on fines of $169,200 proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13654.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13653.html In an April 29 Senate hearing, congressional lawmakers described OSHA as being dangerously ineffective in protecting workers, and claimed the agency's civil and criminal penalties in workplace fatality cases are too weak and fail to deter company violations. During the hearing, held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., called for Congress to strengthen current workplace safety laws, strengthen provisions for higher penalties and criminal prosecution and insist on stronger OSHA enforcement. The Occupational Safety and Health Act, created 37 years ago and signed into law by President Richard Nixon, successfully helped reduce workplace accidents and fatalities. Legislators and labor leaders argue that in recent years, however, OSHA has exercised lax oversight, causing workplace safety to suffer. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13653.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13652.html After an investigation into the death of a worker last December in Worcester, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a citation saying Intransit Container Inc. committed six http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13652.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13651.html A company that handles freight in Worcester faces a nearly $29,000 fine after a fatal industrial accident. Paul Harding of Spencer was killed in December when a large tire on a crane he was working on blew. The blast sent the Intransit Container employee several feet into the air. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week alleged six safety violations in connection with the death. Among them: failing to adequately train workers and failing to ensure that tires are deflated before they are removed from vehicles. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13651.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13650.html A state investigation into the tragic vineyard worker's death earlier this month is under way. However, no information will be released until the case is closed, which by law Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has six months to complete. Kate McGuire, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Industrial Relations, the umbrella for Cal/OSHA, said on average investigations take two to three months to complete. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13650.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13649.html A Government Accountability Office report posted Wednesday compares the way OSHA and EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) developed communications to alert auto repair workers about exposures to asbestos in automotive brakes. Both agencies took years to complete their products -- no suprise to OSHA watchers -- but the time lags differed. OSHA took 5.5 years to publish its asbestos Safety and Health Information Bulletin, while OPPTS took 3.5 years to publish its final asbestos brochure. OSHA officials http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/OSHA/Articles/abstract13649.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13648.html Protiviti Inc., a leading global provider of internal audit and risk and advisory services, has released the fourth edition of its resource guide about Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Internal Control Reporting Requirements. The guide answers 258 frequently asked questions about Section 404 and other related topics, addresses new guidance and standards issued in 2007 by the SEC and the PCAOB. The book also includes topics related to foreign filers and U.S. domestic non-accelerated filers and takes into account lessons learned since the guide's third edition was published in 2004. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13648.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/ISO-27002-(17799)/Articles/abstract13647.html THERE are a number of emerging issues that modern organisations are facing increasingly frequently. It is important that business decision makers are aware of these so they can be prepared to deal with them. Data including work documents, databases and email are imperative for the day-to-day running of any organisation. However, as applications become more sophisticated, the volume of data continues to grow. Add to this legal requirements, such as the necessity to retain your data, and the need for extensive and reliable storage methods is of paramount importance. Off-site hosting and remote data back-up has become essential to cater for this exponential growth of data. Companies should recognise that by backing up their data with automated remote methods using private networks or even the internet, they can overcome many problems associated with traditional techniques. Also, if this data is stored in a secure, ISO 27001-accredited offsite location, they will be relieved of the burden http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/ISO-27002-(17799)/Articles/abstract13647.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13646.html The security market continues to grow unabated, and with new business areas frequently arising, along with the increasing amounts of data that companies amass (and the growing legislation requiring them to keep it secure), there seems little chance of things slowing down. A review conducted by IDC has estimated that over 80 percent of all security software in Australia and New Zealand was sold through the channel in 2007. Senior analyst for security solutions, Patrik Bihammar, confirms that the channel is crucial to the security vendor community as it is the frontline of understanding customer needs as they often own the customer relationship. Unlike the enterprise market in which vendors can closely manage the relationships with their largest clients, the majority of SMBs are managed indirectly through partners, he said. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13646.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13645.html The cost of complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2007 was less than in previous years, according to a new survey. The seventh annual Financial Executives International Sarbanes-Oxley compliance survey included 168 companies with market capitalizations above $75 million. The average cost for Section 404 compliance was $1.7 million. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13645.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13644.html Corporate spending on compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's Section 404 fell sharply again last year, and so did overall auditor costs. But a 5-percent spurt in average audit fees cut deep into the savings, according to a new survey from Financial Executives International. The average cost for Section 404 compliance was $1.7 million during fiscal 2007, the FEI study said. While the group noted that direct comparisons with prior-year costs couldn't be made because of variations in the respondent pool, it suggested that the average compliance cost was around $2.9 million in 2006, and $3.8 million in 2005. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13644.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13643.html The total average cost of Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance reached $1.7 million last year, according to a newly released survey. Financial Executives International polled 185 companies to gauge their experiences with Section 404 internal control audit compliance in fiscal 2007. The organization found that total audit fees for U.S. accelerated filers averaged $3.6 million, a slight increase of 1.8 percent from the previous year. Companies reported requiring an average of 11,100 people hours internally to comply with Section 404 in 2007, a decrease of 8.6 percent from the previous year. An average of 1,244 external people hours were required to comply with Section 404 in 2007, a decrease of 13.7 percent from the prior year. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/SOX/Articles/abstract13643.html Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13642.html Hospital or first-time doctor visits all start with the same clipboard. Use it to fill out sensitive personal information and scrawl a signature on the dotted line after several pages of legal jargon. That information may not be securely stored away, however. Recent scandals reveal security breaches in the medical records of celebrities such as Britney Spears, George Clooney and Farrah Fawcett. So what about us non-celebrities? How secure is our personal information? Not very may be the answer, experts say. They cite information leaks, relaxed federal controls and medical records programs operating over the Internet as potential culprits. http://www.compliancehome.com/resources/HIPAA/Articles/abstract13642.html