Goodman Manufacturing, a Houston heating and cooling products manufacturer, deliberately failed to record 72 percent of work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred from January 2008 to March 2010, according to a statement released by OSHA Sept. 1. Proposed penalties total $1,215,000.
Despite the known dangers of tobacco use, 1 in 5 American adults continues to smoke cigarettes, and 4 in 10 nonsmokers were exposed to cigarette smoke during 2007-2008, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to a gaggle of reporters yesterday aboard Air Force One: “Well, look, obviously we’re looking at the report and there’s an active, ongoing investigation as to what went wrong that day in April. Our focus is on finding out -- and again, I talked about this yesterday -- we’ve got -- the blowout preventer is now -- we have the ability to look at it, add that to part of the investigation. And our job is to find out what went wrong and hold those responsible accountable for the damage that’s been done, and that’s what the administration will do.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday released updated 2009 fatality and injury data showing that highway deaths fell to 33,808 for the year, the lowest number since 1950.
OSHA has cited U.S. Minerals LLC of Dyer, Ind., for willfully exposing its workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust and not providing adequate breathing protection at its Baldwin facility. The company, which manufactures abrasive blasting and roofing materials from slag produced at coal-fired power plants, has been issued a total of 35 health and safety citations with proposed penalties of $466,400.
OSHA's National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) will meet Sept. 14-15, 2010, in Washington, D.C., to discuss updates on Gulf of Mexico oil spill response activities and OSHA initiatives, including Injury and Illness Prevention Programs.
From cancer to the common cold, almost every human malady has something to do with genes. In an effort to cash in on our growing understanding of the connection between genes and disease, more and more companies are marketing genetic testing kits directly to consumers, says a recent press release from Harvard Health Publications. Their promotional materials promise to guide you to a healthier life by predicting your unique risk for developing certain diseases. But buyer beware: while most scientists agree that personalized medicine is on the horizon, many doubt that it’s as close as the test kit makers would have you believe, reports the September 2010 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.
In an effort to prevent injuries and illnesses in fires that occur in college residence halls, off-campus housing or fraternity/sorority houses and to raise awareness of life-saving fire prevention knowledge as students return to school, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the ASSE Fire Protection Practice Specialty (PS) are providing free fire prevention and safety tip sheets, according to a press release.
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2010 Game Day Challenge, colleges across the country will compete to see who can reduce, reuse, and recycle the most waste, the agency announced in a recent press release. Registration for the competition is now open and the winning colleges will be announced in November.