The BLS releases 2016 occupational fatality statistics, U.S. teens are smoking cigarettes less but vaping more and an Amtrak train derailment in Washington State claims lives. Here are the top stories of the week:
One safety agreement to cover 20 grain facilities in six states
Action prompted by multi-fatality incidTent
December 22, 2017
OSHA and Bartlett Grain Company LP have signed a comprehensive settlement requiring the company to implement safeguards, training, and audit procedures at its 20 grain handling facilities in six states. The agreement resolves contested citations issued by OSHA in April 2012 after six individuals were killed and two injured as a result of an Oct. 29, 2011, explosion at the Atchison grain elevator.
December 22, 2017
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) and the Occupational Hygiene Training Association® (OHTA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that details several areas of future collaboration. AIHA and OHTA plan to build on current collaborative efforts to promote better standards of occupational hygiene practice throughout the world.
Cold, flu symptoms expected to rise during holiday season
December 22, 2017
From December 25 to January 1, the South Central, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, and Southeast regions will get hit harder by the flu and colds than other regions of the country, according to projections by WebMD, a leading source of online health information. Using a combination of geo-location data and self-reported information from consumers experiencing influenza-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and cough, identified the top five cities expected to be hardest hit: Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Fort Smith, AR/ Fayetteville, AR/ Springdale, OK/ Rogers, OK; San Diego, CA; and Charleston, SC.
APHA says tax bill will undercut public health
December 21, 2017
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is warning that tax legislation approved by Congress “will create a dangerous environment for public health in which millions fewer Americans are insured, key health programs and agencies are desperately underfunded and income inequality is dramatically worsened.” In a statement, the APHA said the legislations’s repeal of the individual health insurance mandate will cause deep automatic cuts to key health programs like Medicare and the Prevention and Public Health Fund.
NIOSH engineer recognized for his ambulance safety video series
December 21, 2017
A video series intended to make ambulances safer for both the patients being transported in them and the EMTs tending to those patients has garnered its creator a new honor. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) safety engineer James Green should be used to the accolades by now. The merit award he just received from the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC) is the latest of four awards he’s wracked up for the seven-part video series he created about ambulance crash test methods.
Keeping employees safe during holiday rush
December 21, 2017
As retailers and other businesses temporarily increase staffing levels to accommodate heightened seasonal consumer demand, the U.S. Department of Labor is reminding employers of the necessity of complying with federal labor laws related to safety, pay, and benefits. “The busy holiday shopping season places heavy demands on employers and employees, particularly in the retail, warehouse, and delivery sectors."
A Confined Space blog post
The Weekly Toll: More workers not coming home
December 21, 2017
Firefighter battling SoCal wildfire dies from ‘thermal injuries, smoke inhalation’ SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A firefighter died Thursday while working a colossal wildfire burning in coastal mountains northwest of Los Angeles that has become the fourth largest in California history. Cory Iverson was an engineer with a state fire engine strike team based in San Diego. Iverson, 32, is survived by his pregnant wife and a 2-year-old daughter, said Fire Chief Ken Pimlott of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Somber anniversary puts spotlight on bridge safety
December 20, 2017
Federal state and local officials gathered last week in Point Pleasant, West Virginia to commemorate a tragedy. Fifty years ago, during rush hour on Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge connecting Ohio and West Virginia collapsed into the Ohio River, sending 46 people to their death. Investigators later determined that the collapse was caused by a crack in an eyebar in the bridge’s suspension chain.
ASSE: Risk-based approach will help bring down fatality rate
December 20, 2017
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) says it’s ready to use its network of members and stakeholders to help address fatal occupational injuries that increased for the third straight year according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data showed that there were 5,190 workplace fatalities in the United States in 2016, up 7 percent from 2015.
A Confined Space blog post
Workplace fatalities rose in 2016
December 20, 2017
In the unlikely event that anyone out there was thinking that workplace fatalities were fading into the past, check out the newest Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries that was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today. According to BLS, 5,190 fatal work injuries died on the job in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries reported in 2015 and the third year in a row the number has increased.
BLS: 2016 work fatal work injuries highest since 2008
Workplace violence deaths up 23 percent
December 20, 2017
There were a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries reported in 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported yesterday. This is the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) since 2008.
Good news, bad news about U.S. teens & substance use
December 20, 2017
While opioid overdose rates remain high among adults, American teens are misusing opioid pain medications less than they did a decade ago. That’s the good news from the 2017 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders in schools nationwide. The bad news? More kids are “vaping” – and they’re not really sure what’s in that mist that they’re inhaling.
Don’t fly your drone over these government facilities
National security concerns cause FAA to tighten restrictions
December 19, 2017
At the request of U.S. national security and law enforcement agencies, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is using its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 99.7 – “Special Security Instructions” – to address concerns about unauthorized drone operations over seven Department of Energy (DOE) facilities.
Amtrak train that derailed was speeding
December 19, 2017
The train that derailed outside Tacoma, Washington early yesterday, killing three people and injuring scores more, was going 80 miles an hour in a section of track designed for 30-mile-an-hour speeds, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the incident. News sources say that while rounding a corner and heading toward a bridge, the train jumped the tracks and slammed into a ditch, spewing some of its 12 cars across a highway where they came into contact with five cars and two trucks.
What you need to know about the electronic data submission deadline
December 19, 2017
OSHA has announced that it will continue accepting 2016 OSHA Form 300A data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) until midnight on December 31, 2017. The agency says it will not take enforcement action against those employers who submit their reports after the December 15, 2017, deadline but before December 31, 2017, final entry date.
Fired asbestos whistleblower gets $173K settlement
December 18, 2017
A jury and judge have ordered Albany-based asbestos abatement and demolition company Champagne Demolition, LLC and its owner, Joseph A. Champagne, to pay $173,793.84 to a former employee who was fired in June 2010 after reporting improper asbestos removal practices at a school worksite in Gloversville, New York. On June 10, 2010, an employee of Champagne Demolition, LLC informed company management of the improper practices. The employee was fired the next day and subjected to verbal threats and legal action.
Busting myths about the common cold
December 18, 2017
You cannot get a cold by being cold and you can’t cure a cold with antibiotics. These are just two of the misconceptions about the common cold that persist, despite efforts from the health care community to dispel them. The great interest in the illness is understandable. In the U.S. alone, adults average two to three colds per year and children get even more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lessons an ICU nurse learned from a serious injury
December 18, 2017
Nurse Carmelita Kinjo was eager to begin her night shift in the intensive care unit at the Veterans Administration hospital where she worked. As her thoughts turned to the evening that lay ahead of her and the patients she would tend to, she slipped on a wet floor. Someone had forgotten to replace the sign warning that it was wet. Kinjo fell backward, hitting her head and slamming into a wall.
Workers at N.H. company exposed to mercury
December 18, 2017
Workers who were dismantling a mercury boiler in Portsmith, New Hampshire were exposed to high levels of mercury, according to OSHA inspectors who took action following workers’ complaints. In response, OSHA cited Manafort Brothers, Inc. of Plainville, Connecticut for two willful and six serious violations concerning mercury, respirators, protective clothing, and sanitary conditions. The construction contractor faces penalties of $329,548.
A Confined Space blog post
“We were supposed to have another 20 years.” Death in the trench
December 18, 2017
“Touching” “Infuriating” and hopefully “Educational” and “Motivating” are all words that come to mind reading this amazing article, Death in the Trench, by veteran investigative reporter Jim Morris. You should probably stop here and read it, but I can’t help providing a few reasons why. Morris, writing for the Center for Public Integrity, tells the story of the 2016 death of Jim Spencer, buried alive in an 8-foot deep trench.
