Weekly news round-up
Another chemical plant explosion in the U.S., fallout from the Philadelphia building collapse and a 100+ company involvement in a CDC workplace wellness program are among the week’s top stories this week from ISHN.com.
Manufacturers worried about rising health care costs
Sector remains "stuck in neutral"
Manufacturers’ concerns over health care and insurance costs are mounting, according to the second quarter National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)/IndustryWeek Survey of Manufacturers released this week.
NIOSH: Employers should have a heat plan in place
New bulletin offers guidance
Outdoor workers in agriculture, construction, and other industries are exposed to a great deal of exertional and environmental heat stress that may lead to severe illness or death.
Blast and fire at La. chem. plant kills one, injures scores of people
Ethylene and propylene produced at facility
One person was killed and more than seventy injured in an explosion and fire this morning at a Louisiana chemical plant, according to news sources. The blast took place at the Williams Chemical Plant in Ascension Parish.
AHA: Kids should be taught CPR
Bill would fund training for “next generation of lifesavers”
The American Heart Association (AHA) is backing a bill introduced in Congress this week by Representative Lois Capps (D-Calif.) that would fund CPR training in schools.
Philly toughens up demolition regs to improve public safety
Potential unsafe practices reported to city weeks before fatal collapse
In the wake of a building collapse that killed six people and injured 13 others, Philadelphia has moved swiftly to tighten regulations on contractors who work on demolitions.
Safety inspector who surveyed collapsed Philly building commits suicide
Six died in tragedy
The safety inspector who surveyed a Philadelphia building before it collapsed last week has committed suicide, according to news sources. The collapse killed three workers and three patrons. Thirteen others were buried in rubble and were rescued.
Mine company accepts “flagrant violation” in worker’s death
Equipment not de-energized
A mine worker who died because of a missing part on a circuit breaker was the subject of a $211,002 settlement reached last month with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the U.S. Lime Co., the worker’s employer.
Study: work environment affects workers’ mental health
Assignments without resources, conflicting roles cause distress
Employees who face high emotional demand and conflicting roles are more likely to report psychological distress — placing them at higher risk of mental health disorders and reduced productivity, reports a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Newer construction workers get help in avoiding injuries
NIOSH guide focuses on material handling hazards
Young and less experienced home building workers are the intended audience for a new publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which is intended to help them avoid injuries.
Company earns new fines for failing to abate hazards
Old hazards recurred, new ones identified
A NY architectural hardware manufacturer may have been hoping that OSHA inspectors would not return for a follow-up visit when they decided to not abate hazards cited at their facility. S.A. Baxter LLC now faces $117,920 in additional fines, for failing to correct safety conditions found during an initial inspection at the company’s Chester, NY manufacturing facility.
CDC partners with 104 employers for National Healthy Worksite Program
Initiative aims to prevent chronic disease, improve worker productivity, control health costs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will work with employers in eight counties across the nation in a National Healthy Worksite Program -- a new initiative aimed at reducing chronic disease and building a healthier, more productive U.S. workforce.
Court rejects industry challenge to styrene inclusion in carcinogen report
NTP met criteria
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected chemical industry challenges to an agency's decision to list the chemical styrene in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens as "reasonably anticipated" to be a cancer-causing agent. A major styrene trade association and a manufacturer of the substance had sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for including styrene in the report.
Workplace accidents around the world
Mining, construction, oil and gas industries dangerous all over
An engineer in Scotland who was fired after being injured on the job has been awarded £70,000 (about $100,000) by a court in Edinburgh. David Hynds suffered a spinal injury when a one ton cutting tool fell on him, trapping him between a girder support and the ground.
Heat warnings -- not just for workers
Heat-related deaths on rise in U.S.
While extreme storms like tornadoes and hurricanes get most of the media attention, a far simpler weather condition – heat -- is much deadlier. Heat kills an average of 658 people every year -- more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined. In the disastrous heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died. In the heat wave of 1995 more than 700 deaths in the Chicago area were attributed to heat. In August 2003, a record heat wave in Europe claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.
Want a safer car? There’s an app for that
NHTSA Unveils 'SaferCar' App for iPhones
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is offering an app for iPhones and iPod Touches that will provide real-time safety information about vehicles, notify consumers about recalls and even help them install child seats.
Safety hazards at an explosives factory earn co. hefty fines
OSHA finds multiple violations of process safety management standards
OSHA has cited Austin Powder Co. with 51 health and safety violations carrying proposed fines of $258,000 for multiple violations of OSHA's standards for process safety management at facilities that use highly hazardous chemicals.
How to operate an unsafe bus business
Start with an eight-square-foot hole in floor of bus
The Boston-based Lucky Star bus company ran out of luck last week when it was given an “imminent hazard out-of-service order” by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The feds say any further movement of Lucky Star’s vehicles must be accomplished by towing.
Mississippi holds firm on safety measures at oil, gas sites
Law prompted by tragic accident upheld in court
The Mississippi Supreme Court last week upheld a Forrest County law requiring fencing, gates and warning signs at oil and gas sites – an ordinance passed after a 2009 accident that killed two teenagers.
Single-unit trucks a big danger in accidents
-Yet they’re exempt from many safety rules
While big rigs would seem to be more dangerous to passenger cars in roadway accidents, single-unit trucks actually cause a disproportionate number of passenger vehicle fatalities, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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