A worker’s high-profile death at a baseball stadium, workplace violence at a car dealership and not all types of sitting are equally bad for your health. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Late June construction fatalities run the gamut

June 27, 2019

A recent spate of construction deaths in the U.S. illustrate the dangers faced by workers in the industry – in a variety of circumstances. A fall from a highway killed a worker in Harris County, Texas June 21. News reports say the man, a subcontractor with Choctaw Construction who was from Mexico, fell to his death at the Highway 288 expansion project being developed by Blue Ridge Transportation.

Georgia manufacturer exposes workers to hazmat, struck-by hazards

June 27, 2019

OSHA has cited Woodgrain Millwork Co. – operating as Woodgrain Distribution Inc. – for exposing employees to chemical and struck-by hazards at the company’s distribution facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The company faces $125,466 in penalties. The agency cited the wood molding, window, and door distributor for failing to provide employees with eye, face, and hand protection to prevent exposure to chemical injuries, and provide a functioning eyewash station for employees handling corrosive chemicals.

Surviving cancer…but experiencing chronic pain

June 27, 2019

A new report finds about one in three cancer survivors (34.6%) reported having chronic pain, representing nearly 5.4 million cancer survivors in the United States. The report, appearing as a Research Letter in JAMA Oncology, finds one in six survivors (16%), representing about 2.5 million people in the U.S., reported suffering from high impact chronic pain that restricts daily functioning. Those rates are about double the rates in the general population.

Atlanta Braves sued over beer cooler death

June 27, 2019

The Atlanta Braves are being sued by the widow of a man who died in a walk-in beer cooler at SunTrust Park – a death her lawyers attribute to problems in the cooler known to the Braves prior to the incident. Marvin Todd Keeling, a beer tap inventor, died while installing beer taps in the cooler at SunTrust Park on June 26, 2018.

CSB urged at meeting to resume policy of naming victims’ names

June 27, 2019

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will be reviewing a recent policy change, after testimony at its public meeting on Tuesday from occupational health experts and worker advocates opposed to the agency’s decision to stop naming accident victims in its reports. CSB Interim Executive Kristen acknowledged “a lot of passion around this subject,” and said that she’d asked the agency’s general counsel to review the policy and to report back with recommendations.

Zookeeper injured by rhino; zoo cited by OSHA

June 26, 2019

OSHA has cited the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida for an incident earlier this year in which a zookeeper was seriously injured by a rhinoceros. News reports say Archie, a 50-year-old male Southern white rhinoceros, struck the zookeeper with his horn. She was treated for her injuries at a local hospital and released after several days.

Federal agencies perform "crashworthiness" test of jet

June 26, 2019

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) performed a crashworthiness test last week on a Fokker F28 aircraft at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Facility in Hampton, VA. The Fokker F28 is a regional jet that is used on short to medium-haul flights to transport passengers from hubs to regional airports.

Binge watching may increase your heart disease risk

June 26, 2019

Binge watching TV may be a greater risk factor for heart disease and premature death among African Americans than sitting at a desk job, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association. According to the author, these latest findings suggest that television-watching may be the most harmful sedentary behavior.

Workplace violence leaves 3 dead at California car dealership

June 26, 2019

A shooting at a San Francisco Bay car dealership yesterday left three people dead – two of them employees. News sources are reporting that a gunman killed two workers and then himself at the Morgan Hill Ford Store. Morgan Hill police were called to the scene just after 6 p.m. When they arrived they found the gunman already dead, with a handgun lying next to him. 

NTSB blasts FRA for delaying railroad safety rule

June 25, 2019

The release off a final report on a fatal 2017 Amtrak train derailment gave the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) an opportunity to voice its frustration over repeated delays of a final rule that was published in 2016. Implementation of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 270, “System Safety Program,” has been stayed six times and is currently deferred to September 4, 2019.

NTSB issues report on deadly Amtrak passenger train derailment

June 25, 2019

On December 18, 2017, at 7:34 a.m. Pacific standard time, southbound Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) passenger train 501, consisting of 10 passenger railcars, a power railcar, a baggage railcar, and a locomotive at either end, derailed from a bridge near DuPont, Washington.

Man arrested for shooting postal worker

June 25, 2019

An arrest has been made in the case of a Louisiana letter carrier who was shot and killed while bringing mail to the home of his assailant, but the motive – if there was one – remains a mystery. News reports say 32-year-old Michael Gentry was arrested in the incident, which occurred in Shreveport.

Age, income affect workplace health program participation levels

June 25, 2019

A new study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that close to 47% of workers have access to workplace health promotion programs, and among those with access, only 58% of workers take advantage of them. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

How do vaping, the environment, lifestyle impact long-term lung health?

Millennial lung health will get its first focus with $24.8 million grant

June 24, 2019

Does vaping have a long-term impact on someone’s lungs? Does the air quality where a person grows up put them at higher risk for respiratory conditions later in life? These are among the issues that will be examined in a large, first-of-its-kind longitudinal study of lung health led by Northwestern Medicine scientists in partnership with the American Lung Association (ALA).

Transportation Secretary Chao: Safety is #1 priority

June 24, 2019

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao delivered the keynote address at the 2019 U.S. Department of Transportation Safety Summit in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, June 20, 2019. Here is Secretary Chao’s speech: Let me give a shout out to our Department of Transportation employees across the country who are watching this important Safety Summit from your offices.

Workers at risk for measles

June 24, 2019

The rise of measles cases overall in the U.S. has been widely reported on and includes, this year alone, outbreaks in California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Although the disease was thought to be eradicated in the United States at the start of the 21st century, a resurgence has occurred in recent years, attributed in part to a resistance to vaccinations that stems from a study linking vaccinations to autism which has since been discredited.

Starting with small changes gets Calif. manufacturer big safety improvements

Company works with Cal/OSHA, On-Site Consultation Program

June 24, 2019

When it came to improving their safety and health management system, a California materials technology company found that getting employees actively involved in moving toward a safety culture was a challenge. "For us, progress started with making small changes, gradually adding more changes once prior changes had been successfully implemented," said Angela Rayfield, Human Resources Manager of Luxfer Superform.