A fuel standard rollback, coping with opioids in the workplace and wildfire safety tips were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Trump administration proposes freezing fuel economy standards

August 2, 2018

Fuel economy standards intended to combat climate change by reducing gas emissions are in for a rollback, if a proposal announced today by the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration goes into effect. Passed during the Obama administration, the standards were scheduled to become progressively tougher over time for new vehicles. The Trump administration proposal would freeze the standards at their 2020 levels for six years.

Tenn. worker killed by machine; company cited

August 2, 2018

An employee of a Tennessee tire plant was killed May 8 when he was caught in the moving arms of an assembly machine. According to a report by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), 33-year-old Ben Shew, a mechanic at Specialty Tires of Unicoi, had completed a welding repair on the machine while the power was locked out.

Four common workplace substances linked to prostate cancer

Jared Butt

August 2, 2018

A new Canadian study has linked four common hazardous substances to an aggressive form of early onset prostate cancer. The researchers from the University of Quebec studied nearly 2000 men who developed prostate cancer between 2005 and 2009.

What employers can do about opioid use among workers

August 2, 2018

Workplaces are not immune to the opioid epidemic in the U.S., which means employers are grappling with ways to manage and react to factors that affect their workforce and its health and productivity.

Citations follow five worker fatalities from explosion, fire

August 1, 2018

OSHA has cited Patterson-UTI Drilling, Crescent Consulting LLC, and Skyline Directional Drilling LLC for exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards after five employees suffered fatal injuries.

Suicide rates rising across the U.S.

August 1, 2018

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

The Powerhouse: Students’ contributions towards expanding and improving occupational safety and health content in Wikipedia

August 1, 2018

The history and motivation behind the efforts NIOSH is putting into expanding and improving occupational safety and health in Wikipedia was discussed in earlier NIOSH Science Blogs (May 19,2015 and July 25, 2018) and thru the NIOSH January 2017 eNews.

A Confined Space blog post

Weekly Toll: Workers killed on the job over the past two weeks

Jordan Barab

August 1, 2018

REDDING, CALIF. —The National Park Service reports a second firefighter has died while battling the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County. On Sunday morning, Capt. Brian Hughes of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots was killed. According to the National Park Service, 33-year-old Hughes was on the east side of the fire in an area with many dead trees when he was struck by one.

Staying safe amid wildfire danger

July 31, 2018

Still-raging wildfires in California have already claimed eight lives and destroyed countless homes and other buildings – and they are likely to be followed by more fires, say the experts. Extreme heat and breezy conditions are forecast for the week ahead. That and the bone dry landscape make residents who’ve escaped the worst so far unable to breathe a sigh of relief – yet.

A Confined Space blog post

Why they work for OSHA

July 31, 2018

Turns out today is the 12th anniversary of the 35th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Why do we care? Because on this day 12 years ago, OSHA had a little ceremony headed by then-Assistant Secretary Ed Foulke. I’m sure Ed was great, but the highlight of the event was 30+ year OSHA employee Bill Smith, performing a song he had written for the occasion called “To Work Another Day.”

Drunk driving takes a toll on and off the job

Brittany Cotton

July 31, 2018

Alcohol-related accidents can affect a workplace more than you might think. Not only are you at risk of being involved in an accident with an impaired driver if you drive for a living, but if you choose to drink and drive in your time away from work, you could put your career or future employment opportunities at risk.

Being overweight may change young adults’ heart structure, function

July 30, 2018

Even as a young adult, being overweight may cause higher blood pressure and thicken heart muscle, setting the stage for heart disease later in life, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation.

AIHA receives two dotCOMM awards

July 30, 2018

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) is pleased to announce they have received two dotCOMM awards, a Platinum award in for their second IH Heroes comic On the Fly and a gold award for AIHA's Annual Report.

Money available for mine safety training – apply NOW

July 30, 2018

Organizations who want help paying for mine safety education and training have until August 23rd to apply for a Brookwood-Sago grant. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced the availability of up to $250,000 in funding through the program, which supports training to help miners identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in their workspaces.

Recorder sheds little light on duck boat tragedy

July 30, 2018

The captain of a tourist duck boat that sank near Branson, Missouri July 19 briefed his passengers about how to use life jackets before the amphibious vehicle entered the water, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) technicians, who’ve been studying a recording from “Stretch Boat 7.” Seventeen people died when the amphibious vehicle sank in Table Rock Lake during a severe storm.

NYC has 5th construction fatality this year

July 30, 2018

A 28-year-old man who died July 12 was the fifth construction worker killed on the job in New York City in 2018, according to news sources. Angel Espinoza was killed when he was hit on the head by a beam that fell 12 stories from a scaffold that was being dismantled on the roof of a building in the city’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. Espinoza was part of a crew working on a residential building affiliated with Columbia University.