Technology to enhance machine guarding safety and enhance field operations and new forms of foot protection are the top occupational safety and health products of the week.
Heat stroke prevention, working safely while pregnant and an oil refinery fire in Texas were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Although the injury and illness rate for poultry workers remains higher than for all private industry workers, new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the rate is trending downward.
The BLS reported that there were approximately 230,000 poultry processing workers in 2016. That year, there was an incident rate of 4.2 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time equivalent workers; higher than the rate for all private industry workers, which was 2.9 per 100.
They may have been on to something. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) believes that having the right amount of knowledge helps protect workers from harmful levels of chemicals. For this reason, NIOSH recently released a report on occupational exposure banding to assess chemical hazards in the workplace.
Rockford Systems, a premier provider of machine safeguarding and combustion safety solutions, today launched the next generation of its Detect-A-Finger® drop-probe device to better safeguard riveting and welding machinery to help operators avoid finger and hand injuries.
Alcumus, a leading UK-based software-led risk management solution provider, backed by the private equity firm Inflexion, is pleased to announce it has completed a majority investment in eCompliance, a Canadian-based workplace safety SaaS business.
OSHA has cited Pukall Lumber Company Inc. – a lumber mill in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin – for exposing employees to multiple safety hazards following a worker fatality. The company faces penalties of $348,467.
An employee suffered fatal injuries when caught in an outdoor bark conveyor belt in January 2019. OSHA cited Pukall Lumber for two willful violations for failing to implement energy control procedures, and ensure the conveyer had adequate guarding to prevent employees from coming in contact with the moving parts.
After multiple violent attacks on registered nurses – and just ahead of upcoming contract negotiations –nurses this week held a demonstration in front of Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, California to demand that a workplace violence prevention proposal be included in their contract.
"Registered nurses go to work with the goal of helping our patients heal. We must be allowed to do this in the safest possible environment."
ExxonMobil sent 66 of its employees and contractors for medical evaluation yesterday after an explosion and fire at one of its Texas oil refineries. News sources say an estimated 37 people sustained minor burn injuries.
The incident at the Baytown facility, which processes propane and propylene, occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for approximately 5,000 area residents.