Weekly news round-up
Trenching hazards claim a worker’s life just ahead of the national Trench Safety Stand Down; fatigued workers affecting a majority of businesses and OSHA makes changes in its Voluntary Protection Program. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
What Employees Really Want for Safety:
Ten Guidelines for Improving Safety Culture Based on Workers’ Feedback
For more than 20 years, our organization, Safety Performance Solutions (SPS), has provided safety culture training and assessment for hundreds of companies worldwide. During this time, we’ve heard many positive and negative comments from employees about how organizational safety is managed.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
A framework for productive aging and work
James Grosch PhD Deborah Hornback MS Juliann Scholl PhD Paul Schulte PhD
The aging of the U.S. population has led to a number of changes in the workforce, particularly a movement of the worker distribution toward older ages2, 4. By 2022, about one-third (31.9%) of Americans aged 65 to 74 years will still be working (Toosi 2013). The impact of a longer working life can be significant in both positive and negative ways.
Wisc. roofing workers exposed to falls
OSHA has issued citations to a Wisconsin roofing contractor for exposing its workers to fall and other safety hazards at two different job sites. Proposed penalties are $120,320.
A FairWarning story
Amid dramatic growth of U.S. drone fleet, federal safety oversight lags
June 14, 2018
As the nation’s fleet of small recreational and commercial drones keeps soaring — the government projects nearly 3 million will be in the skies by 2022 — safety concerns are rising even as federal enforcement stalls. The Federal Aviation Administration has collected 6,117 reports of potentially unsafe use of drones from February, 2014 through April of this year, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.
NSC survey: 90% of employers are negatively impacted by tired employees
Waking up to a hidden workplace hazard can improve employers’ bottom lines and employees’ wellbeing
June 13, 2018
A National Safety Council (NSC) survey found 90 percent of America’s employers have been negatively impacted by tired employees, with half saying they’ve had an employee fall asleep on the job. Fifty-seven percent of employers have experienced absenteeism, and another 32 percent report injuries and near-misses due to fatigued employees, according to the survey released today.
Fired safety director sues Tesla
June 13, 2018
A former safety director at auto manufacturer Tesla claims he was fired for bringing workplace safety concerns to management’s attention. Tesla claims he was fired for bullying other employees.
A Confined Space blog post
OSHA weakens Voluntary Protection Programs’ integrity
June 13, 2018
OSHA issued a new policy document last week for its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), weakening measures taken in the last administration that were intended to restore the program’s integrity which had been threatened by uncontrolled growth during the Bush administration.
CSB names an interim chief
June 13, 2018
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board announced yesterday that Dr. Kristen Kulinowski will serve as the agency’s Interim Executive Authority following the resignation of Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland.
Are you really you when you're hungry?
Hunger can lead to anger, but it’s more complicated than a drop in blood sugar, study says
June 12, 2018
What makes someone go from simply being hungry to full-on “hangry?” More than just a simple drop in blood sugar, this combination of hunger and anger may be a complicated emotional response involving an interplay of biology, personality and environmental cues, according to research published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
A NIOSH Science Blog post
Make one change for safety this National Safety Month
June 12, 2018
June is National Safety Month, an opportunity to help prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths at work, on the roads, and in our homes and communities. With this year’s theme, No 1 Gets Hurt, we are encouraging readers to think of at least one change you can make to improve safety this month.
Did heavy rain cause CSX train derailment?
June 12, 2018
It could have been worse. The crew of the CSX freight train that derailed last month in Virginia escaped injury, but the incident caused millions of dollars in damages to the train, the track and a bridge. A possible culprit: the 5 ½ inches of rain fell in the area during the ten days before the accident, and that subgrade fill was subsided from the track structure near a curve.
Trench Safety Stand Down coming up June 18-23
Resources available to help companies hold stand down events
June 12, 2018
The National Utility Contractor Association (NUCA), the Safety Ambassadors Club and OSHA will hold a Trench Safety Stand Down June 18-23. Participating companies will take a break during the workday to have a toolbox talk or another safety activity to draw attention to the specific hazards related to working in and around trenches/excavations.
APA: Suicide prevention should be a public health priority
June 11, 2018
The recent deaths of designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain “reflect a growing national crisis,” according to the American Psychological Association (APA) – and one that needs to be addressed with a multifaceted approach.
Unsafe drivers behind the wheels of school buses
June 11, 2018
Two school bus crashes in 2016 – in Maryland and Tennessee – had something in common, according to the National Transportation Safety Board: (NTSB) a lack of oversight when it came to making sure the bus drivers were fit to drive. The two incidents were included in a recently released NTSB Special Investigation report identifying recurring safety issues in school bus transportation safety.
A Confined Space blog post
19 Year-Old worker killed in Baltimore trench
June 11, 2018
Nineteen years is a short life, but that’s all that Kyle Hancock of Glen Burnie, Maryland will get. Hancock died, buried alive earlier this week in a 15-foot unshored trench. Rescuers worked almost 12 hours through a long, rainy night trying to recover his body.
A FairWarning story
FDA playing catch-up as JUUL and imitators give nicotine jolt to e-cig business
June 11, 2018
Teenagers from local high schools flock to Brooklyn Vape in downtown Brooklyn. The store is small – a single room with vape paraphernalia stacked to the ceiling in glass cabinets. Many of the teens walk awkwardly through the shop and ask the clerk, a man who goes by Ali and wouldn’t give his last name, if they can buy an e-cigarette.
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