Canada cracks down, construction activity picks up and a TV report throws flooring safety into doubt. Those were among the top EHS- and public health-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Psychology key to cancer prevention, treatment
Psychology has played, and will continue to play, a critical role in cancer prevention, treatment and control, according to the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association. In a special issue of American Psychologist® entitled “Cancer and Psychology,” researchers review the many contributions of psychological science to cancer research, screening, medical adherence, prevention and quality of life, among other related topics.
Occupational injuries can send workers’ families into poverty
OSHA report shows high cost of workplace accidents
A new report from OSHA shows how workplace injuries and illnesses can force working families out of the middle class and into poverty. Adding Inequality to Injury: The Costs of Failing to Protect Workers on The Job explores the heavy costs of occupational injuries on workers, their families and the economy.
March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month
By Mandy Savage
“You’ll shoot your eye out kid,” Santa replies in the 1980s movie classic A Christmas Story, when Ralphie asks for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. That phrase has become synonymous with eye safety in a joking manner.In reality, personal protection equipment (PPE) isn’t laughable when thousands of people are blinded, injured, or killed each year from accidents that could have been prevented or minimized if appropriate PPE had been used.
School employee fired after raising concerns about asbestos removal
OSHA sues district for whistleblower retaliation
OSHA has filed suit against the Idaho Falls School District, after an employee was fired for questioning whether the timeline of a construction project at a school allowed for the safe removal of asbestos.
Better midlife fitness may slow brain aging
People with poor physical fitness in their 40s may have lower brain volumes by the time they hit 60, an indicator of accelerated brain aging, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle 2015 meeting.
OSHA puts new workers' rights video online
OSHA has produced a new video describing the workers’ rights to a safe workplace. Viewers of the video are directed to www.osha.gov/workers for more information. There’ll they’ll learn about:
Lumber Liquidators story raises safety concerns for many
The construction industry and homeowners are reevaluating the safety of materials distributed by a top supplier after a scathing report by CBS News program “60 Minutes.”
Kansas worker has toes amputated after grain bin accident
He walked into the grain storage bin on his own two feet, but left in an ambulance. A 35-year-old employee of the Beattie Farmers Union Cooperative had to have all the toes on his left foot amputated after his foot became entangled in an auger that was inadvertently turned on while he was cleaning out a bin.
Tree service owner gets prison term for teen worker’s death
Former Florida tree service owner John Wilkes was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Construction recovery continues
CPWR data shows downturn is “in our rear-view mirror”
The first-ever Quarterly Data Report just released by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) contains both current and projected information for construction industry employment.
ASSE settles into new digs
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has officially moved into its new headquarters in Park Ridge, Illinois – just two miles from its previous location.
NFPA gets ready for wildfire season
Resources target firefighters and residents
To help communities prepare for and reduce their risk of wildfire damage, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), with generous funding and support provided by State Farm®, has launched the Year of Living Less Dangerously from Wildfire campaign aimed at residents and fire departments in an effort to keep wildfire safety top of mind for people living in the nation’s highest risk areas.
1.1 billion people at risk of hearing loss
Some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues such as nightclubs, bars and sporting events, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Michigan shipyard fined $242,000+ for OSH violations
-Many of them repeats
Once again, OSHA has found workers at Basic Marine, Inc. in Escanaba, Michigan exposed to dangerous amputation hazards while operating press brakes because safety mechanisms were not in place. The machines cut large metal pieces weighing up to 450 tons.
'Unacceptable practices' at Virginia coal mine
Poor ventilation was only one of the hazardous conditions found by Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspectors during a special impact inspection last month at Mill Branch Coal Corp's Osaka Mine in Wise County, Virginia.
USPS to pay $229,000 in whistleblower case
He started working for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier in 1995. Managers praised his work consistently and regularly promoted him, eventually to management positions. His career led him to become a Postal Service safety specialist, where he excelled as he provided safety advice at more than 300 small postal facilities and area offices throughout Washington.
Snow-laden roofs in New England endanger lives of untrained, ill-equipped shovelers
A relative of a badly injured teen who fell through a skylight while shoveling snow on the rooftop of a Westwood, Mass., business said it’s time for everyone to get off the roof — it’s just too dangerous, according to an article in the Boston Herald.
Canada using more criminal charges for OSH violations
Will the threat of jail really improve workplace safety?
Reducing workplace accidents, injury, and death is the purpose of Canadian Occupational Health and Safety ("OHS") laws in every province, federally under the CanadaLabour Code, and the Bill C-45 amendments to the Criminal Code ("Code").
Calif. strengthens heat illness prevention standard
Cal/OSHA’s recent revisions to the state’s heat illness prevention standard are expected to take effect in time for the upcoming growing season -- and over agriculture industry objections.
