A startling diet development, the OSH usefulness of workers comp data and more teens may be doing hazardous work. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

OSHA cites tool manufacturer after employee suffers amputation

August 17, 2018

OSHA has cited ArtiFlex Manufacturing for exposing workers at its Wooster location to amputation hazards after an employee suffered a partial finger amputation. The company faces $213,411 in proposed penalties.

The “safety triangle:” A useful, yet complicated, theory

August 17, 2018

Occupational safety and health specialists study past work-related illnesses and injuries to understand how to prevent future ones. More than 80 years ago, the occupational safety and health pioneer Herbert Heinrich used this approach to devise the so-called “safety triangle.”

Deadly mud: How a pipe blowout killed five Oklahoma oil workers

August 17, 2018

A blowout and massive fire at an oil well in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma January 22, 20118 occurred shortly after drilling crew members removed the drill pipe from the well in a process known as “tripping,” according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which has found that that conditions existed that could have allowed a gas influx into the wellbore during the tripping operation.

Workplace rudeness goes home, affects children

Incivility in the workplace associated with more negative parenting behaviors at home, study says

August 16, 2018

When people are rude to their coworkers or treat them badly, they probably don’t realize the unintended victims in that encounter could be the coworkers’ children. Women who experience incivility in the workplace are more likely to engage in stricter, more authoritarian parenting practices that can have a negative impact on their children, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Public health leaders oppose Kavanaugh for Supreme Court

August 16, 2018

The nation’s leading public health organization has come out in opposition to President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Supreme Court. In a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary accompanying an assessment of some of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s decisions, the American Public Health Association (APHA) said; “We are deeply concerned by many of Judge Kavanaugh's views and previous decisions related to public health.”

A Confined Space blog post

Dispatches from the front lines of the battle for workplace safety: Short stuff

Jordan Barab

August 16, 2018

Poison Food, Poisoned Workers: Eyal Press of The Intercept writes about chronic health problems that have plagued Jessica Robertson since she began working as a part-time U.S. Department of Agriculture poultry inspector at a turkey processing plant, most likely from peracetic acid which is used to remove bacteria from the carcasses of chickens and turkeys.

Health groups fuming over illegal new ecigarettes

Teen-friendly products introduced without FDA review

August 16, 2018

Six leading public health and medical organizations today urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop the sale of new electronic cigarette products that have been illegally introduced in recent months without the agency’s prior review and authorization. These include numerous products similar to the Juul e-cigarettes that have become wildly popular with teens across the United States.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Beyond determining compliance: How can workers’ compensation insurers’ exposure data be improved and used?

Taylor Shockey MPH, Steve Wurzelbacher PhD, Libby L. Moore PhD

August 15, 2018

One Comment

The workers’ compensation system can be used for more than processing work-related illness or injury insurance claims. The data collected through this system provide valuable information to identify how these injuries and illnesses happen, so that they can be prevented.

A diverse diet may not be the healthiest one

August 15, 2018

Encouraging people to eat a wide variety of foods to ensure they meet all their dietary needs may backfire, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) that provides an overview of recent scientific studies.

Call 811 before you dig

Reduce accident risk with one phone call

August 15, 2018

Roughly 38 million people will commence with a digging project this year without first having underground utility lines marked, and a line is damaged once every nine minutes because someone started digging without first calling 811.

BNSF train spills 230K gallons of crude oil into river

August 15, 2018

Excessive rainfall that washed out a portion of the track was one of the factors in a June 22, 2018 train accident that released more than a quarter of a million gallons of crude oil into the Little Rock River, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

DOL may loosen rules on hazardous work for teens

August 14, 2018

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) move to allow more 16- and 17-year-olds to work in hazardous jobs is drawing fire from Democratic lawmakers who say the proposal would put the health and safety of young workers at risk.

Hole in the hull sinks ship, endangers crew

August 14, 2018

A shrimp boat captain’s decision to continue a journey even though his ship had a hole in the hull was what caused the demise of Lady Damaris, a trawler that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 2017. That determination by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was based on an investigation into the June 22 incident, which fortunately did not result in any injuries or fatalities.

Opioid abuse in the workplace

Can employers help address America’s opioid epidemic?

Robert M. Robenalt

August 14, 2018

The opioid crisis has led to significant challenges for Americans, and employers are not immune. Some have noted the crisis as being one of the greatest challenges currently facing the country. It has been documented that nearly as many Americans (50,000) died of opioid-related overdoses in the last year alone as Americans who died in the Vietnam War.

It's not too late to participate in Safe + Sound Week

August 14, 2018

Although Safe + Sound Week began yesterday, there’s still time for your company to join the 900+ businesses in the U.S. that are participating in it. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event aimed at raising awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces.

California fires send towers of smoke into the atmosphere

August 13, 2018

At least 17 large fires are burning across California, and dozens more throughout other Western states, destroying hundreds of thousands of acres, sending toxic pollutants into the air and contaminating water supplies. The air quality in certain areas — particularly near California's massive Mendocino Complex Fire in the northern part of the state — is among the worst officials have ever seen.

Two workers killed in collapse of concrete barrier

August 13, 2018

The deaths of two Florida workers in a trenching incident have resulted in $33,259 in proposed fines for their employer, Archer Western Construction Inc. The two workers were crushed when a section of a concrete highway barrier collapsed on them as they removed a storm drain system at a Miami worksite.

EPA rule may expand asbestos use

August 13, 2018

The Environmental Protection Agency has a proposal on the drawing board that critics say could expand the use of asbestos — an industrial material known to cause cancer and lung disease. Since the health hazards of asbestos emerged 40 years ago, use of the material has dropped dramatically across the globe. By 2013, more than 60 countries had implemented partial or full bans of asbestos.

Minnesota goes on air quality alert

August 13, 2018

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a statewide air quality alert in early August due to smoke spreading across northern Minnesota and southern Minnesota. Smoke from wildfires in western Canada will continue to affect Minnesota. Air Quality Indices in the orange category spread eastward across northern Minnesota Friday, making air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups.

What we don’t know about exercise – and should

August 13, 2018

Most Americans know – by now – that exercising is good for you. What many of us don’t know – according to a new study – is that not exercising can raise our risk of certain types of cancer, such as colon and breast.