Weekly news round-up
Reality TV claims a worker’s life, another refinery explosion, another train derailment and finally – some good news about the Ebola epidemic. These were among the top OSH and public health-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
MSHA adds two new tools to help track violations
Online enhancements expected to boost compliance
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) launched two new online tools this week to assist operators, miners, MSHA and others in tracking violations of standards commonly associated with mining deaths and frequently found by federal mine inspectors in examinations of underground coal mines.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
Occupational exposures to new drycleaning solvents
There are about 36,000 commercial drycleaning shops in the United States. Most are owner-operated small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. In addition, some drycleaning shops may be owned and staffed by individuals with limited English language skills and/or may be marginally profitable– factors that may create additional barriers for the owner-operator to maintain a safe and healthy workplace.
AHA: Make women’s heart disease a research priority
The latest gender-specific research on heart disease continues to show differences between women and men, yet gaps remain in how to best diagnose, treat and prevent this number one killer of women, according to studies published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
NSC supports OSHA’s Fall Safety Stand-Down
Program promotes fall prevention in the workplace
Hundreds of construction workers die each year and thousands more face debilitating injuries due to falls in the workplace. To bring greater attention to this problem, the National Safety Council is supporting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on a Fall Safety Stand-Down taking place May 4-15, 2015.
Turning trash into energy can be dangerous for workers
Employees at Covanta Energy Bristol Inc. exposed to combustible dust, fire, electrical hazards
Covanta Energy Bristol Inc. in Bristol, Conn. Faces $80,100 in fines after an OSHA inspection conducted in response to a complaint.
Speaking at AIHce
Mountain climber, OSHA’s Michaels talk leadership, the “fissured workplace”
The woman who led an all-women’s mountain climbing team up Mt. Everest will talk about leadership principals in the AIHce 2015 Opening General Session on Monday, June 1.
OSHA issues hazard alert for reality tv shows
The death of a sound technician who was shot while working on the television show “COPS” has led to OSHA issuing a hazard alert letter for reality show producers.
Recipients will be recognized at AIHce, May 30—June 4, in Salt Lake City, Utah
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) yesterday announced the recipients of the 2015 AIHA awards, which honor individuals who provide significant contributions to the industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety profession.
“COPS” crew member killed during filming
AIHA to select OEHS Professionals at Mark of Excellence Awards event
With winter evidently nowhere near being over in much of the United States, winter hazards – like slippery roads and surfaces --remain a concern. OSHA offers tips for employers on how to control hazards at workplaces impacted by winter weather.
Union demands more protections for workers
Last week’s explosion and fire at the ExxonMobile refinery in Southern California underscores the need for improved safety conditions to protect both workers and communities, according to the United Steelworkers (USW).
More than 85 cities have signed up for program
Mayors and team leaders from 85+ cities are preparing to attend a Safer People, Safer Streets Summit in March, as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) “Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets” – an initiative intended to make bicycle and pedestrian safety a priority on the nation’s roads.
Public health
Use of the same syringe or needle to give injections to more than one person is driving the spread of a number of deadly infectious diseases worldwide. Millions of people could be protected from infections acquired through unsafe injections if all healthcare programs switched to syringes that cannot be used more than once.
A new study suggests that current estimates significantly underestimate the number of Americans who die from cigarette smoking. The Surgeon General estimates that each year, smoking kills about 480,000 Americans.
Because Reynolds Nationwide did not test the atmosphere and properly ventilate the air in food transport tankers before allowing workers to enter, those workers risked potentially lethal suffocation caused by dangerous fumes, according to OSHA, which has levied $179,000 in fines against the company.
Train struck a truck
New sources are reporting that a commuter train derailed in Ventura County, California early this morning, injuring dozens of people, including crew members. The accident occurred when the train collided with a produce truck that was on the tracks.
Event will be May 4-15, 2015
Every day in this country, construction workers fall. One wrong step and they're tumbling down a steeply pitched roof, sliding or dropping off an unstable ladder, or left hanging from a scaffold. The difference between an unexpected stumble and tragedy is simple: fall protection.
The CDC’s Rapid Isolation and Treatment of Ebola (RITE) strategy is helping to end the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, according to new data reported in this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA), is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™, honoring companies that have shown dedication to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss through excellent hearing loss prevention practices in the work environment.
Winter hazards (still) need to be dealt with
USW: California refinery explosion shows need for safety improvements
Fed effort to improve bicycle, pedestrian safety gaining momentum
WHO calls for worldwide use of "smart" syringes
Tobacco may cause more deaths than currently estimated
Confined space hazards endanger workers in Ohio
Dozens injured in Cal. train derailment
OSHA gets ready for second Construction Fall Safety Stand-Down
Ebola containment strategy succeeding in Liberia
NIOSH and NHCA present 2015 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™
“We go to CPR training every year, and we’re always told that we’ll use it more away from work than at work,” said Arty Mayfield of Vacaville, California. “This is what we do. This is what we’re trained to do.”
Oklahoma-based Seaboard Foods LLC faces $51K in fines
After a targeted inspection in October 2014, OSHA issued seven serious citations against Seaboard Foods, a pork-processing facility based in Guymon, Oklahoma. Proposed penalties are $51,000.
Line crew’s safety training saves infant’s life
Pork processors exposed to corrosive chemical
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