Pedestrian safety, a move to ban asbestos, drones’ potential risk to national security and #MeToo in the workplace were all in the news this week on ISHN.com.
Home fire death rate higher than in 1980
Fire Prevention Week, October 7-13, works to educate public about ways to stay safe
September 28, 2018
If you have a home fire today, you are more likely to die in it than you were in 1980, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This startling fact is attributed to several factors, including the way homes are built and the contents in them.
A Confined Space blog post
Don’t want to be incinerated in your sleep? Too bad
Jordan Barab
September 28, 2018
As those of you who read my posts on the Lac Megantic disaster where 47 people were incinerated by a “bomb train” that derailed in the middle of town, brakes on trains are complicated and often fallible safety devices. This is how they work: A brake pipe runs the length of the train which supplies air to reservoirs mounted on each of the cars.
Wisc. worker caught in meatpacking machine
September 28, 2018
A Wisconsin meatpacking company faces nearly a quarter of a million dollars in penalties after an employee suffered serious injuries from being caught in an unguarded machine. OSHA has cited JBS Green Bay Inc. - based in Green Bay, Wisconsin - for one willful and 10 serious violations, and faces proposed penalties of $221,726, which includes the maximum penalty for the willful violation.
Report from abroad:
Racism a problem in EU workplaces, experts say
September 27, 2018
Workers in Europe are regularly exposed to racism and xenophobia at the workplace, according to experts attending a recent trade union seminar in Brussels, who said racism does not always take the form of subtle discrimination but can also include explicit abuse. Delegates at the seminar, which was organized by the European Trade Union Confederation and European Trade Union Institute, shared their experiences of discrimination and debated what unions can do to tackle the problem.
#MeToo at work
Alexandra I. Zelin
September 27, 2018
Despite its seriousness, sexual harassment prevention training inspires entire (albeit, tongue-in-cheek) episodes in popular American television shows, including The Office and NCIS, and memorable skits in many other venues, including Saturday Night Live. With all of this attention, it is easy to believe that sexual harassment prevention training is no longer needed.
OSHA intros ag hazmat exposure program in farm states
September 27, 2018
OSHA has launched a new program to address hazards from exposure to fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) and agricultural anhydrous ammonium. The Regional Emphasis Program (REP) will be effective in the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Truckers’ group wants HOS changes
September 27, 2018
An organization representing truckers says federal Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations intended to reduce fatigue and improve safety have actually done the opposite. HOS rules are aimed to reducing driver fatigue that can cause accidents by limiting the number of driving hours per day, and the number of driving and working hours per week.
Air Canada jet nearly lands on planes awaiting takeoff
September 26, 2018
An airline crew’s failure to pay attention to important pre-flight information was behind a near-miss at San Francisco International Airport on July 7, 2017. That’s the conclusion of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on how an Air Canada flight mistakenly lined up with a taxiway instead of the runway it was cleared to land on. Four airplanes were on that taxiway, waiting for clearance to take off.
Psychologically healthy workplaces honored
September 26, 2018
The American Psychological Association (APA) has announced the recipients of this year’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Honors (PHWH), given to organizations from across the United States and Canada that have created a work environment where employees and business thrive.
Danger at the country club
Worker killed in lawnmower accident
September 26, 2018
An OSHA investigation into a worker fatality at an Ohio country club uncovered a host of safety violations. The Rocky Fork Hunt and Country Club in Gahanna, Ohio, which has what it describes on its website as “175 scenic acres of landscaped grounds, dense forest, hills and fields” was the site of a fatal accident after a lawnmower a worker was operating tipped over.
Better tech could make pedestrians safer
September 26, 2018
Making sure headlights are aimed where they should be aimed and incorporating collision avoidance technology are two ways to improve pedestrian safety in the U.S., according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The steady increase in pedestrian fatalities caused by vehicle crashes – which have risen every year since 2009 – caused the NTSB to issue a Pedestrian Safety Special Investigation Report based on its investigations into 15 highway crashes between April 24 and Nov. 3, 2016 in which vehicles struck and killed pedestrians. Some 5,987 pedestrians were killed in 2016 because of vehicle crashes.
Asbestos ban sought by mesothelioma activists
September 25, 2018
More than 95,000 signatures will be on a petition delivered to Congress tomorrow, urging the EPA to “Ban Asbestos in the U.S. Now, Without Loopholes or Exemptions.” That delivery is timed for Mesothelioma Awareness Day, an effort to bring attention to mesothelioma, a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos and the inhalation of asbestos particles.
Editorial
Should certain applications of asbestos be used again?
Charles MacGregor
September 25, 2018
Back when Nixon was in office, asbestos was one of the first carcinogens regulated under the Clean Air Act of 1973. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush largely banned use of asbestos in the United States.
A FairWarning story
Mistrial declared in high-stakes Johnson & Johnson talc-cancer case
Myron Levin
September 25, 2018
A mistrial was declared today after a California state court jury deadlocked on whether Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the asbestos-related cancer of a woman who blamed her illness on longtime use of contaminated baby powder. Soon after starting a sixth day of deliberations, jurors in Los Angeles Superior Court told Judge Margaret L. Oldendorf that they were at an impasse, with eight of 12 favoring an award of damages to the plaintiff, Carolyn Weirick.
A Confined Space blog post
Scott Mugno: Rising from the dead?
Jordan Barab
September 25, 2018
While Rod Rosenstein and Brett Kavanaugh may be on their way out, OSHA nominee Scott Mugno and other Department of Labor nominees may be on their way in according to intrepid Bloomberg reporter Chris Opfer.
Crane op compliance date is up ahead
September 25, 2018
After a yearlong delay that OSHA said it needed to address stakeholder concerns, employers in the construction industry must comply with a requirement for crane operator certification in the Cranes and Derricks Construction Standard as of November 10. Crane operators are certified (29 CFR 1926.1427), demonstrating sufficient knowledge and skill of the machines they’ll operate through both written and practical tests.
Ga. peanut company violates settlement, hit with $309K fine
Great Southern Peanut has multiple confined space violations
September 24, 2018
A Georgia peanut processing facility that failed to live up to its formal settlement with OSHA faces $309,505 in proposed penalties. OSHA says a follow-up inspection it conducted at the Leesburg worksite as part of that agreement found that Great Southern Peanut LLC failed to:
AIHA on OSHA tracking rule: proceed with caution
September 24, 2018
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is in favor an electronic submission requirement in OSHA’s proposed rule for the tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses – but it wants a worker privacy study conducted before the rule is finalized. In a letter sent to the agency’s Director of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Amanda Edens, AIHA Director of Government Relations Mark Ames offered recommendations on the rule.
Law could let feds shoot down suspicious drones
September 24, 2018
A new bill would give feds the legal authority to shoot down drones that are deemed “credible threats” to national security. The problem – say critics – is that the bill doesn't define credible threats or specify target areas. It may also allow the federal government to sidestep laws requiring authorities to get courts for permission to conduct surveillance.
Mediterranean-style diet may lower women’s stroke risk
September 24, 2018
One of the largest and longest-running efforts to evaluate the potential benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet in lowering risk of stroke found that the diet may be especially protective in women over 40 regardless of menopausal status or hormone replacement therapy, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.
