Weekly news round-up
Drinking water safety, the aftermath of a refinery disaster and the Trump administration’s spring regulatory agenda were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
A Confined Space blog post
Fraser Shipyards: Playing “catch-up” kills workers
No matter how terrible an incident, no matter how many workers are injured or killed, there are a few constants you can always depend on.
Lessons learned from tragedies at sea
The lessons learned from the investigation of 27 major, maritime accidents involving loss of life, injuries and property damage are detailed in the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Safer Seas Digest 2016, released online yesterday.
Mich. truck driver charged in on-the-job death of co-worker
The death of one man working in a roadside construction zone and serious injury to another have led to reckless driving charges against the co-worker who struck them with his truck.
AIHA protests OSH funding cuts
Proposed budget cuts for federal agencies devoted to worker health and safety are being met with protests by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), which says they’ll have a negative effect on both worker safety and productivity.
A FairWarning story
New lookup to tell you what’s in your water
Want to know what hazards might be lurking in your local water supply? An updated online database launched today by the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization, provides some answers.
NTSB: SUV driver caused car-train collision
An SUV driver’s actions are the probable cause of a deadly 2015 collision between the SUV and a Metro-North commuter train at a grade crossing in Valhalla, New York, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found Tuesday.
Cal/OSHA, Chevron reach settlement in 2012 Richmond refinery fire
Company will replace piping, institute safeguards
Cal/OSHA and Chevron have reached a settlement agreement for a comprehensive plan that will improve safety at the Chevron Richmond refinery and for surrounding communities. The agreement meets and exceeds California’s landmark regulation to reduce risk at refineries, which was approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board in May and is currently pending approval by the Office of Administrative Law.
CDC: 100+ million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes
More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report finds that as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans – 9.4 percent of the U.S. population –have diabetes. Another 84.1 million have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years.
ACGIH® announces release of two-tier under study list
ACGIH® announced today the release of its two-tier Under Study list pursuant to changes previously made to its TLV®/BEI® Development Process.
How to reduce speeding-related crashes
The NTSB has a plan
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday released the results of its safety study on reducing speeding-related passenger vehicle crashes on the nation’s roads.
A Confined Space blog post
Weekly toll: Not coming home from work
Police say a construction worker was found dead, pinned in an elevator shaft after he returned to his worksite to retrieve something he’d forgotten. Stephen Simpson, 53, a Brooklyn resident, was pronounced dead Sunday after fellow workers discovered his body pinned in the shaft of the 56-story Manhattan luxury building at West 41st Street and Tenth Ave.
Modular construction can help reduce the fatal four accidents
The most common accidents reported from construction sites, named the “Fatal Four” by OSHA, were responsible for 64.2 percent of construction worker deaths in 2015: falls, struck by an object (“injuries produced by forcible contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment”), electrocution, and caught-in or –between hazards (can-ins, pulled into machinery, crushed by two pieces of machinery, etc.).
New Nevada law mandates “Move Over” when encountering DOT workers
July marks the first time that drivers in Nevada have been required to give wide berth to Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) workers, thanks to the “Move Over” Law that took effect on July 1.
From NIOSH
Computer simulation shows more job control = less stress
A computer simulation of system dynamics modeling showed that greater job control and lower job demands had the greatest impact on perceived stress among nursing home aides, NIOSH-funded investigators report in the journal BMC Health Services Research. System dynamics modeling is a method for researching complex relationships.
Detroit electrical worker falls to death at arena construction site
An electrical worker died June 28 after falling 75 feet at the new Little Caesars Arena construction site in Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press. Detroit Deputy Fire Commission Dave Forell said the man was in cardiac arrest when emergency crews arrived. The 46-year-old victim was found in the bleacher section.
A Confined Space blog post
OSHA: What’s On Your Regulatory Agenda?
The Office of Management and Budget released its Spring (very, very late Spring) Regulatory Agenda yesterday. The Regulatory Agenda is what it sounds like: a plan and timeline for each agency’s regulations, what the next steps are and when they are expected. The Regulatory Agenda is released every Spring and Fall.
Traveling abroad? Protect yourself against measles
With the peak summer travel season under way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reminding travelers to Europe and other global destinations to take steps to protect themselves against measles amid outbreaks of the disease.
Kids feel electric current in water, raise alarm
A group of schoolkids on a field trip noticed something strange when swimming at Martha’s Vineyard, an island near Cape Cod, Massachusetts popular with vacationers.
After 60 citations in 6 years, NJ workplace still unsafe
A Camden County, New Jersey aluminum manufacturing company with a long history of noncompliance with OSHA standards has once again been cited by the agency – this time for 51 safety and health violations, with proposed penalties of $1,922,895.
CPR training - coming to an airport near you
Amid record-high airline travel this summer, the American Heart Association (AHA) is debuting Hands-Only CPR training kiosks at select international airports across the United States, providing even more opportunities for travelers to learn how to save lives.
OSHA rulemaking takes a big hit in Trump’s regulatory agenda
The spring regulatory agenda released last week by the Trump administration showed the president making further inroads into dismantling a regulatory environment that he described during his campaign as “burdensome” to business.
Lifting equipment linked to fewer injuries among nursing home workers
Injuries among nursing home workers significantly decreased after the start of a safety program that included mechanical lifting equipment and training on how to use it, according to a NIOSH-funded study at the University of Massachusetts Lowell published in the journal Safety Science.
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