Safety training for young temp workers, a new name for the ASSE and an article from ProPublica about occupational injuries and immigration were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
They got hurt at work. Then they got deported.
How insurance companies use a Florida law to get undocumented immigrants arrested and deported when they get injured on the job — and what it means in Trump’s America
By Michael Grabell Howard Berkes
At age 31, Nixon Arias cut a profile similar to many unauthorized immigrants in the United States. A native of Honduras, he’d been in the country for more than a decade and had worked off and on for a landscaping company for nine years. The money he earned went to building a future for his family in Pensacola, Florida. His Facebook page was filled with photos of fishing and other moments with his three boys, ages 3, 7 and 8.
Airline workers worried about “toxic fume events” on planes
Jet fuel is a fairly common smell in the passenger cabin when a plane is preparing to taxi. Far less so is the aroma of dirty socks, rancid cheese, or a wet dog— unpleasant signs that engine oil vapors have seeped in, too.
A reminder from Rockford Systems LLC:
View the 2017 solar eclipse safely
A solar eclipse will be visible across North America on Monday, August 21, weather permitting. During a solar eclipse, the moon blocks part or all of the sun. The whole continent will experience a partial eclipse lasting 2 to 3 hours.
Green America applauds CEOS who dropped out of President Trump’s advisory councils
Green America applauded the CEOs of major corporations who dropped out of President Trump’s Strategy & Policy Forum and Manufacturing Council, forcing the president to disband both councils today. After the President refused to specifically condemn the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who brought terror to Charlottesville, VA, and equated their actions with opponents of racism, Green America issued a statement calling on corporate CEOs involved in the American Manufacturing Council to drop their membership.
ASSE members approve new name in landslide vote
ASSE to become ASSP
The world’s oldest professional safety society, founded more than 100 years ago, will adopt a new name following a historic membership vote that was overwhelmingly in favor of the change. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will become the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) next year when it unveils a redesigned website in conjunction with Safety 2018 in San Antonio. The switch was approved by 74 percent of voting members.
Mass. psych hospital ignores workplace violence hazards, citations
A Massachusetts behavioral health facility faces $207,690 in proposed penalties from OSHA for violations found while conducting a follow-up inspection. On June 29, 2017, OSHA issued UHS of Westwood Pembroke, Inc. – doing business as Lowell Treatment Center – a notification for failure to abate violation involving workplace violence.
Here's what 3 companies do to protect workers from heat stress
Aegion Coating Services LLC provides corrosion protection for structures and facilities around the world. The company’s Corrpro subsidiary has a heat management campaign that provides heat illness prevention training and weekly bulletins on heat management topics relevant to the company’s scope of work.
NTSB investigates fatal apartment bldg blast
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened the public docket Monday as part of its ongoing investigation of the Aug. 10, 2016, apartment building explosion fueled by natural gas in Silver Spring, Maryland.
NHTSA helps raise awareness of child heatstroke in cars
Although National Heatstroke Prevention Day may have passed (July 31), the danger of heatstroke is still present – especially for young children who are left unattended in cars.
A Confined Space blog post
Serial violator blames OSHA penalties for layoffs
Aluminum Shapes, a New Jersey company, has the rare distinction of being the subject of one of only ten enforcement-related press releases issued during the first six months of the Trump administration. What did they do to earn this honor and the $1.9 million penalty that came with it?
Virginia State Police helicopter crash cause a mystery
There was no distress call from the Virginia State Police helicopter that crashed in a wooded area outside of Charlottesville, Virginia Saturday after documenting the violent demonstrations and protests in the city.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
High blood pressure and obesity in miners
Little is known about the cardiovascular risks for miners in the US as most research to date has focused on respiratory illness. Potential mining-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, noise, vibration, temperature extremes, and shift work combined with personal risk factors can put miners at greater risk of poor cardiovascular health.
What you should know about safety distribution’s digital destiny
Competing with Amazon and adapting to new buyers
Why is Amazon Business (www.amazon.com/business) selling safety products along with many other industrial supplies? “We heard from business customers that they love the convenience of shopping online, and want to an experience at work that is similar to how they shop at home,” an Amazon spokesperson told ISHN’s For Distributors Only in an exclusive interview.
Roofing workers had harnesses – but they weren’t tied off
OSHA has again cited a North Florida roofing contractor for failing to protect its workers from the risks of dangerous falls and other hazards at two St. Augustine work sites.
Higher income people tend to be “Weekend Warriors” with fitness
New research led by American Cancer Society (ACS) in collaboration with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Georgia State University used activity monitors to find that higher income individuals are more likely to be “weekend warriors,” getting most of their activity on only a few days a week, and also spend more time in sedentary pursuits. The study appears in Preventive Medicine.
Robert L. Sumwalt III, becomes 14th NTSB Chairman
Robert L. Sumwalt III was sworn in as the National Transportation Safety Board’s 14th chairman during a brief ceremony held here Thursday. Sumwalt’s nomination for a two-year term by President Donald Trump was confirmed by the Senate Aug. 3. Sumwalt has been serving as the agency’s acting chairman since March 31, 2017, and has been a NTSB member since August 2006.
NIOSH, Tulsa testing new safety training program for young workers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Workforce Tulsa is testing a new training program in the Oklahoma city aimed at improving workplace safety and health practices among young temporary workers.
