Weekly news round-up
Mistakes in blood pressure taking that could result in an inaccurate reading; a combustible dust explosion that didn’t give employees much warning and lettuce that isn’t good for you. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
OSHA to hold stakeholder meetings on whistleblower issues
May 4, 2018
OSHA is inviting public participation in an upcoming stakeholder meeting on whistleblower practices and experiences related to the railroad and trucking industries. The two industries combined accounted for the largest number of whistleblower complaints filed with OSHA in 2017.
Cooperating with OSHA gets safety director fired
May 4, 2018
A safety director who was fired after providing a statement and safety documentation to OSHA for an investigation will receive $48,000 in back wages and compensatory damages from his previous employer. Jasper Contractors - headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, but performing roofing work in Florida – has agreed to the settlement with OSHA, which resolves a lawsuit filed under the anti-retaliation provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.
Inside the doomed Southwest flight: Alarms, smoke and vibrations
May 4, 2018
Southwest Airlines flight 1380 took off normally from LaGuardia Airport on the morning of April 17, 2018 – until there was a sudden change in cabin pressure, the aircraft tilted sharply and a “gray puff of smoke” was seen. Interviews conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with the crew of the troubled aircraft show how quickly a routine flight can turn calamitous.
Causes of workplace depression, and steps to prevent
May 4, 2018
If you find it difficult to motivate yourself to go to work, or you're finding yourself consistently feeling low on the job, you could be dealing with workplace depression. Let’s examine some causes.
In New England? Sign up for free air quality alerts
May 4, 2018
New Englanders can get a heads’ up on smoggy conditions that may affect their health with some free resources being offered by the EPA and their states. The warm weather up ahead brings with it an increased risk of ground-level ozone and fine particle air pollution (when combined, often referred to as smog).
Workplace hearing loss at epidemic levels
22 million workers exposed to hazardous noise each year, making hearing loss 3rd most common chronic physical condition among adults
May 3, 2018
May happens to be Better Hearing Month, but every month has become hazardous these days to the unprotected ears of millions of U.S. workers. On May 1, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) launched "Listen Today to Hear Tomorrow," a hearing loss prevention campaign to raise awareness and educate workers and employers.
Self-inspecting poultry facility cited for numerous violations
May 3, 2018
Food safety advocates say violations found by the USDA at a poultry processing plant show that allowing the industry to conduct its own inspections is a failure. Food & Water Watch released a letter from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) notifying one of the original plants in the HACCP-based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) – which piloted what was to become the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) that was implemented in 2014 – that the agency was withdrawing inspection, effectively stopping the plant from operating for one shift.
Security guard struck and killed by truck in unlit yard
May 3, 2018
California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) has issued four citations and $71,435 in penalties to Consolidated Disposal Services LLC, after a security guard at the company’s dumpster yard in Gardena was fatally struck by a truck while working in the early morning hours.
Workers exposed to cave-in dangers: company fights violations
May 3, 2018
An excavation contractor that exposed its employees to trench cave-in and other hazards is contesting the violations issued to it by OSHA – along with the proposed penalties of $454,750. An OSHA investigation found that while performing work on two municipal water project sites in North Dakota, Kamphuis Pipeline Company failed to:
A Confined Space blog post
OSHA and industry reach beryllium settlement
May 2, 2018
OSHA and the Beryllium industry have reached a settlement regarding changes in OSHA’s Beryllium standard for general industry. The changes, which mostly focus on clarifications of “ancillary requirements”dealing mostly with regulated work areas, hygiene (cleaning of workers and equipment) and medical management, will be phased in in two major stages.
Bus driver didn’t hit the brakes before fatal accident
May 2, 2018
The driver of a bus carrying a marching band that crashed in Alabama earlier this year was unresponsive just before the bus crashed into a ravine, according to an investigative update issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Error in date for injury, illness tracking reg fixed
May 2, 2018
Following a review of the requirements put in place in 2016 regarding the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” regulation, OSHA has taken action to correct an error that was made with regard to implementing the final rule.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
Fatal falls overboard in commercial fishing
May 2, 2018
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, with a work-related fatality rate 23 times higher than for all workers in 2016 1. Falling from a fishing vessel is a serious hazard responsible for the second highest number of fatalities in the industry after vessel sinking events.
7 mistakes that can give you an inaccurate blood pressure reading
May 1, 2018
Crossing your legs or even talking are among the seven common errors that can lead to inaccurate blood pressure readings, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). The organization is using May - National High Blood Pressure Education Month – to bring to light these measurement mistakes – all of which can lead to an artificially high reading:
Survivors of corn mill blast didn’t see it coming
May 1, 2018
Workers at a Wisconsin mill believed that conditions at the mill were “normal” just before a combustible dust explosion that killed five employees. That’s one of the startling findings of a Factual Investigative Update released by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which is investigating the May 31, 2017 incident at the Didion Milling facility in Cambria, Wisconsin.
From NIOSH:
Fifth Annual Stand-Down for Fall Safety
Building momentum for the next five years
May 1, 2018
Workers across the nation are participating in the fifth National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, during the week of May 7-11. With falls on construction sites the leading cause of death in the industry, employers are encouraged to stop all work at some point during this week and speak directly to their workers about fall hazards through talks, demonstrations and training to reinforce the importance of proper fall prevention.
Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2018
May 1, 2018
The AFL-CIO’s just-released annual report on the state of safety and health protections for America’s workers tallied up millions of work-related injuries in 2016 that resulted in billions of dollars in costs to the economy and revealed that workplace violence is now the second leading cause of death while on the job in the U.S.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
MSD research benefits surface stone, sand, and gravel miners
Valerie Coughanour MA, MFAJack Lu PhD, CPEJonisha Pollard MS, CPEEmily Warner MA
April 30, 2018
As of 2015, 80% of active surface mining operations were extracting stone, sand, and gravel. A majority of job-related tasks in surface mining require workers to maintain awkward postures, perform repetitive movements, and operate vibrating machinery.
Tired conductor’s error caused deadly train collision
April 30, 2018
The two crewmembers on the lead locomotive of the striking train jumped before impact. The engineer died, and the conductor was seriously injured. Nine locomotives derailed from the striking train.
CDC: Avoid romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona
…and if you’re not sure where it comes from, don’t eat it
April 30, 2018
Nearly a hundred people in 22 states have now been made sick from eating E. coli-contaminated romaine lettuce in the worst such outbreak since 2006, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of the 98 people affected have had symptoms so severe they required hospitalization.
Relying on visibility a factor in fatal Alaska plane crash
April 30, 2018
A flight crew’s decision to continue using visual flight rules when visibility was deteriorating due to weather conditions was a major factor in the October 2016 crash of an airplane near Togiak, Alaska that killed both pilots and the passenger.
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