Weekly news round-up
OSHA changes inspection tactics, storm clean-up hazard warnings and safety professionals of the future were all featured in stories posted on ISHN.com this week.
MSHA initiative to combat 'deadliest month' for miners
Safety alert addresses seasonal preparation incidents
Historically, October is the deadliest month of the year in the metal and nonmetal mining industry. Since 2000, 51 fatalities occurred during the month, many of which involved powered haulage and machinery accidents at a time when mines prepare for seasonal changes.
Public health experts support stronger air quality standards for ozone
"Would provide significant health benefits"
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is endorsing the EPA rule that would strengthen national air quality standards for ozone pollution. Today’s proposal would lower the standard for ground-level ozone, or smog, to 70 parts per billion.
Airport workers get infectious disease control training
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has begun training for airport workers, in order to equip cabin cleaners, janitorial workers, baggage handlers, security officers and wheelchair attendants with the tools necessary to better tackle infectious diseases.
OSHA cites Brooklyn contractor for fatal worker fall
J&M Metro General Contracting Corp. failed to provide lifesaving protections
Vidal Sanchez fell to his death at a Brooklyn work site on April 1, 2015. It should not have happened. The 51-year-old laborer, who worked for Brooklyn-based J&M Metro General Contracting Corp., fell while raking freshly poured concrete at the unprotected 6th floor edge of a building under construction at 360 Neptune Ave. in Brighton Beach.
AIHA partners with HazCom organization
The American Industrial Hygiene Association®(AIHA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AIHA Registry Programs, LLC and the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC).
Nanomaterials present new OSH questions
Nanotechnology is transforming many industries, including construction. Nanomaterials are incredibly small - between 1 to 100 nanometers or about a million times smaller than the length of an ant. At this size, materials can take on new properties.
Bankruptcy lawyers strip cash from coal miners’ health insurance
Workers often bear the brunt of the coal industry’s decline. One case stands out: 208 Indiana miners, wives and widows whose health care may fall to financial engineering.
There was plenty in the complex deal to benefit bankers, lawyers, executives and hedge fund managers. Patriot Coal Corp. was bankrupt, but its mines would be auctioned to pay off mounting debts while financial engineering would generate enough cash to cover the cost of the proceedings.
State OSHA plan enforcement cases now online
Want to see what your state-level OSHA agency has been up to? OSHA has a new webpage that shows state plan enforcement cases with initial penalties above $40,000, on a state by state basis. Site visitors can click on a map to get information about citations issued starting January 1, 2015.
AIHA throws support behind “quiet” legislation
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has submitted a letter of support for legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, (D-New York-6th District). The legislation, H.R. 3384, the "Quiet Communities Act of 2015," would reestablish and reauthorize funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Noise Abatement and Control.
OSHA is urging North Carolina residents - emergency workers, employers and the public – who are struggling to clean up from the impact of Hurricane Joaquin to be aware of the hazards they may encounter and take steps to stay safe.
Be careful of cleanup hazards
Physical activity: more is better for heart failure prevention
Doubling or quadrupling the minimum federally recommended levels of physical activity lowered the risk of developing heart failure by 20 percent and 35 percent, respectively, according to research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
In the United States, about 82,000 chemicals are available to use, often in the workplace. Since little is known about the harmful effects of these chemicals—either alone, or combination—research is needed to determine safe chemical exposure levels for workers.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released a report on heavy equipment thefts in 2014. This report, co-produced with the National Equipment Register (NER), examines heavy equipment theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and profiles that data according to theft state, theft city, theft month, equipment manufacturer, equipment style (type) and year of manufacture.
CDC has launched its redesigned Healthy Pets Healthy People website, with expanded information about diseases people can catch from pets, farm animals, and wildlife. Users can now search alphabetically by animal and learn which zoonotic diseases they may carry.
Both were fired after the incidents
A leading supplier of fast food and supermarket chicken is facing more than $1.4 million in fines this year for worker safety and health violations, including several that led a teenaged worker to suffer the amputation of his lower leg.
At OSHA, we gather a lot of numbers. They tell us about the health and safety of U.S. workplaces and help us measure our progress in reducing injuries and illness. But numbers don’t always tell the whole story, and that’s definitely true in the case of inspections.
Earlier this year, Millennials (those age 18 to 34) passed Generation X to become the largest segment of the American labor force. As more Baby Boomers retire, this trend will accelerate. In fact, Deloitte reports that Millennials will comprise a staggering 75% of the global workforce by 2025.
No word from El Fargo since Hurricane Joaquin encounter
After the discovery over the weekend of a 225-square-mile debris field containing the remains the cargo ship El Fargo, the U.S. Coast Guard said it will continue to search for survivors.
A subcontractor and general contractor were cited for safety violations by OSHA after a worker plunged to his death from a four floor apartment complex in in New Braunfels, Texas.
Biomarkers could clarify chemical exposure levels
Theft of heavy equipment up – a little
CDC unveils redesigned healthy pets healthy people website
Teen worker loses leg, co-worker loses fingers at Case Farms
OSHA to change the way it plans inspections
The rise of the young professionals
33 crew members of cargo ship believed lost at sea
36-foot fall kills construction worker in Texas
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