Weekly news round-up
Distracted walking injures Apple employees, the NFPA works on a standard to address active shooter response and black lung disease comes roaring back. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
The engineers behind NIOSH’s respirator approval process
February 23, 2018
This week is National Engineers Week which is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) employs over 200 engineers and engineering technicians who identify, evaluate, develop, and implement engineering control technology to prevent occupational disease and injury.
NTSB: Truck hit by train tried to cross track when gates were down
February 23, 2018
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the January 31 in Virginia collision between a garbage truck and an Amtrak passenger train indicates that witnesses said the garbage truck entered the crossing after the gates were down.
Here’s what obscures the real cost of work-related injuries
February 23, 2018
Workers’ compensation costs may not reflect the true cost of work-related illness and injury, according to two new studies that crunched the numbers on how work-related injuries affect companies’ health care costs – even when workers comp is available.
Bringing attention to tech that could save your home
February 23, 2018
Two organizations dedicated to fire prevention have chosen a day on which a technology that can do just that will be the focus. The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) have designated May 19, 2018 as Home Fire Sprinkler Day. Home fires claim the lives of seven people each day.
Fired safety whistleblower gets back pay
February 22, 2018
A worker who was fired after notifying OSHA about safety hazards will get back wages and a clean record, under a settlement reached between the agency and Environmental Management Specialists Inc. (EMS) of Steubenville, Ohio.
From NIOSH:
Severe black lung disease found in many former coal miners
February 22, 2018
NIOSH researchers, in partnership with staff from a network of federally funded black lung clinics in Virginia, have reported the largest cluster of severe black lung disease ever described in the scientific literature, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
A NIOSH Science Blog post
Coming soon to a workplace near you: Field-based respirable crystalline silica monitoring
Emanuele Cauda PhD Lauren Chubb DrPH Valerie Coughanour MA, MFA
February 22, 2018
The NIOSH Mining Program aims to eliminate mining fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through relevant research and impactful solutions. More than 65 engineers work in the NIOSH Mining Program representing many disciplines including chemical, electrical, mechanical, industrial, mining, software, and general engineering.
Ala. worker dies in a "preventable tragedy"
February 22, 2018
The death of a 45-year-old woman who was pulled into a plastics recycling machine has resulted in citations and penalties for an Alabama company. Emergency responders who arrived at ABC Polymer Industries LLC shortly after 6:41 p.m. on April 16, 2017 found that Eva Saenz of Alabaster, Alabama had sustained fatal injuries after being pulled into an industrial machine.
Surprising number of health care workers have hearing loss
February 21, 2018
Up to 31 percent of the workers in the Health Care and Social Assistance (HAS) sector have experienced hearing loss, according to a new study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Herbal supplement blamed for salmonella epidemic
February 21, 2018
The CDC is warning people to avoid taking the popular yet controversial herb kratom. Already in the FDA’s crosshairs for its opioid properties, kratom has now been identified as the culprit behind a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than two dozen people in 20 states. Eleven of those were affected to an extent that required hospitalization.
Driver flees after causing construction workers to end up in trench
February 21, 2018
A bizarre early morning accident in San Diego last week left two construction workers with serious injuries and a motorist on the lam. The incident in the Bay Ho neighborhood of the city began at 12:30 a.m., when a motorist struck and dragged a hose near a construction site.
Mining safety regulation kicks in next month
February 21, 2018
The deadline by which underground coal mine operators must equip continuous mining machines with proximity detection systems is fast approaching. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued an alert to remind the mining industry that the deadline for installing the life-saving technology is March 16, 2018.
Fire danger persists for Polaris off-road vehicles
February 20, 2018
In recent years, Polaris Industries, the leading producer of off-road vehicles, has recalled hundreds of thousands of its trail machines due to a fire danger. The hazard is linked to at least three deaths and three dozen injuries ranging from minor scrapes to limbs burned so badly amputation was required.
NFPA fast-tracking a standard response to active shooters
February 20, 2018
A rise in active shooter incidents and the escalating impact of hostile events has prompted the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to process NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events as a provisional standard, which means it would be available for use as early as April, 2018.
Ky. employee electrocuted on the job
February 20, 2018
A company with a troubled track record on safety experienced a workplace fatality last week, when an employee died in an apparent electrocution. The Feb. 15 early morning incident at Carbide Industries in Louisville, Kentucky claimed the life of 38-year-old Patrick Childers, according to news reports.
A Confined Space blog post
It’s always something: Dispatches from the front lines of the battle for workplace safety
February 20, 2018
Black Lung is Back: After almost being eradicated in the late 1990, black lung is back, with a vengeance. Epidemiologists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health say they’ve identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported, according to an NPR story. “When I first implemented this clinic back in 1990, you would see … five [to] seven … PMF cases” a year, says Ron Carson, who directs Stone Mountain’s black lung program.
Feds developing plan to reduce childhood lead exposure
February 19, 2018
The EPA, cabinet members and a host of federal agencies – all part of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children -- gathered last week to hear the EPA’s strategy for reducing childhood lead exposure and associated health risks.
NTSB issues urgent safety recommendations in wake of two rail accidents
February 19, 2018
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued three urgent safety recommendations last week, acting upon the agency’s findings in two ongoing railroad accident investigations. The Federal Railroad Administration received one urgent safety recommendation based on NTSB findings in the agency’s investigation of the Feb. 4, 2018, collision of an Amtrak train and a CSX train near Cayce, South Carolina.
Distracted walking leads to collisions at Apple HQ
February 19, 2018
At many companies, employees complain of hitting the glass ceiling as they try to advance their careers. At Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, glass walls are the problem. Apple Park opened to employees in April, 2017 – while construction was still ongoing – but giving workers early access apparently didn’t help them acclimate themselves to their new surroundings.
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