Felony charges in a worker’s death, why our traffic fatality numbers are so high and OSHA fines to increase. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Worker survives 126-foot fall from wind turbine in Kansas

A worker fell more than 12 stories from the top of a wind turbine in Kansas, and was conscious and talking when emergency personnel arrived, authorities said.

Worker killed in lift accident under West Seattle bridge

One of two workers who fell out of an elevated man lift parked under the West Seattle Bridge has died. The accident happened shortly early on a Friday morning. The arm of the lift, which was raised at the time of the accident, was struck by a box truck traveling on an off-ramp.

Construction boss indicted for manslaughter after fatal fall

The owner of a Bensonhurst, NY construction company and his businesses have been indicted on manslaughter and other charges stemming from an incident at a Coney Island construction site in April 2015 that left a 50-year-old construction worker dead, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson and Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters announced.

Women's long work hours linked to serious health risks

Women who put in long hours at work face a much higher risk of serious diseases, according to new research from the Ohio State University.

NIH to study pregnant women in areas affected by Zika virus

International effort to enroll approximately 10,000 women

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz (Fiocruz), a national scientific research organization linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, have begun a multi-country study to evaluate the magnitude of health risks that Zika virus infection poses to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants.

How we could cut motor vehicle crash fatalities in half

About 90 people die each day from motor vehicle crashes in the United States, resulting in the highest death rate among 19 high-income comparison countries. Our nation has made progress in road safety, reducing crash deaths by 31 percent from 2000 to 2013.

Report: OSHA’s “discounts” let unsafe employers off the hook

A new report is sharply critical of the way OSHA lets noncompliant employers off the hook by reducing the fines the agency has leveled against them.

NTSB heads to Fla. to investigate crash of bus carrying ag workers

A go-team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is en route to Florida to investigate a bus accident Saturday that killed five people and injured 25.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Suicide among former NFL players

Doug Trout MD, MHS

The question of whether football players are at higher risk of suicide than the general population has been raised in the popular and scientific literature. In 2012, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a paper primarily focused on death from heart disease among former National Football League (NFL) players (see related blog NFL Players Tackling Heart Disease).

Fly Safe: Prevention of loss of control accidents

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and general aviation (GA) groups’ #FlySafe national safety campaign aims to educate the GA community on best practices in calculating and predicting aircraft performance, and in operating within established aircraft limitations.

24 foot fall kills NJ warehouse supervisor

An OSHA investigation into a New Jersey workplace fatality found numerous safety violations at the facility. The agency issued one willful, one repeat and six serious violations against the man’s employer, Wei-Chuan U.S.A. Inc.

Europe contemplates a digital future

“We are living through a digital revolution,” believes Gunther Oettinger, European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society. Digital services are transforming every sector of our lives. At the final session of the second day of the ETUC-ETUI Conference on Shaping the New World of Work in Brussels, the Commissioner predicted that in the future, “anything that can be digitalised will be digitalised”, covering up to 90% of goods and services.

Top 5 reasons people don’t get screened for colorectal cancer

American Cancer Society, Anthem Foundation tackle testing obstacles

Living a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, but regular screening is also important. Testing can often find colorectal cancer early, when it’s most treatable, or sometimes even prevent it altogether. For that reason, the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Anthem Foundation are working together to encourage all men and women to get screened beginning at age 50.

OSHA penalties to be adjusted for inflation after August 1

Maximum penalties for OSHA violations are set to increase for the first time since 1990 as part of overall federal penalty adjustments mandated by Congress last year. The increases were announced Thursday by the Department of Labor, which issued two interim rules covering penalty adjustments for several DOL agencies, including OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration and Wage and Hour Division.

NIOSH research on aerial lifts leads to virtual simulator

Last month, NIOSH and its partners asked construction workers and employers to take part in the second National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. This event calls for work to pause so workers can focus on activities to prevent falls.