Weekly news round-up
Steel safety goes global, nutrition label changes will cut your daily recommended salt intake and what doctors shouldn’t do for workers injured on the job were among the week’s top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com:
Severe injury at Texas manufacturing co. was only the latest
OSHA charges company with creating a “dangerous work environment”
An OSHA inspection into an incident in which a worker’s arms being crushed while he was operating an unguarded machine uncovered information about two other incidents at the same facility; both of them involving severe injuries to employees while operating similar machinery.
SeaWorld questions ethics of OSHA investigator
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is requesting the U.S. Department of Labor investigate the conduct of OSHA investigator Lara Padgett, alleging she violated the ethics code for government employees, according to a report by CNN. Padgett investigated SeaWorld for safety violations after the death of a veteran trainer killed by a 12,000-pound orca in February, 2010, according to CNN.
Patient falls off OR table: System error or human error?
An anesthetized patient fell to the floor headfirst from an operating room table during a laparoscopic appendectomy in Scotland. The table had been tilted into an extreme head down position to facilitate the operation. Fortunately, no injury occurred.
Are webinars still relevant?
When the economy crashed, the meeting planning industry took a hit. At the time, many organizations were forced to rethink the traditional meeting format. Enter in virtual meetings and webinars. Now that the economy is slowly getting better, so is the ability to bring back face-to-face meetings. Ironically, it coincides with webinar platforms performing at their highest level to date. This leaves webinar operators pondering a very important question: During this day and age, where do webinars belong?
Updates proposed for nutrition labels on food packages
"Added sugar" added, salt daily value lowered
Would having the calories-per-serving in VERY LARGE numbers influence your decision to purchase – or not purchase – a food item? You’ll get the chance to find out, if the FDA’s bid to revise the Nutrition Facts labels found on packaged foods is successful.
Worker’s foot severed at Wisconsin job site
County Materials Corp. cited multiple times since 2001
An amputation at a job site has resulted in 18 serious safety citations against a Wisconsin precast concrete product manufacturer – many of them for violations of OSHA’s standards on cranes and derricks in construction.
Women in construction?
A Myth Buster from the U.S. Department of Labor
Myth: Jobs in the construction trades are only for men. Not true: Women work construction, too. While the overall representation of women in the trades is small at 2.5 percent, more than 40,220 women work as construction laborers, more than 19,500 women work as carpenters, and nearly 26,700 women work as painters.
NAOSH Week 2014: May 4-10 – “Make Safety A Habit”
North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, or NAOSH Week, occurs every year during the first full week of May. Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day (OSHP Day) falls on the Wednesday of that week. ASSE urges everyone to get involved in NAOSH Week in an effort to better educate the public about the positive benefits a safe workplace provides not only for workers, but for their families, friends, businesses, their local communities and the global community.
AIHce 2014 Advance Program now available online
Early registration deadline is March 14
The AIHce 2014 + Stewardship Advance Program is now available online. This compact guide highlights the entire education program and will assist attendees in planning their conference agenda.
Public health experts aim to reduce costs, improve worker health care
Initiative says certain tests, treatments are unnecessary - and some even harmful
Workers who perform safety-sensitive jobs, like operating motor vehicles, forklifts, cranes, or other heavy equipment, should not be prescribed opioids for treatment of chronic or acute pain.
Wisc. worker made ill by chlorine gas exposure
After danger was known, company didn’t move other workers out of area
An aluminum plant worker sickened by hazardous chlorine gas while changing cylinders brought OSHA inspectors to Beck Aluminum Alloys Ltd., which operates Beck Aluminum Racine, for a close look at the company’s Racine, Wisc. plant.
No place for complacency in fall prevention
Contractors have been put on notice: ensure you use fall protection systems, or face fines. In May 2011, a WorkSafe WA inspector observed a self-employed roofing contractor working on a roof at a construction site in Mandurah. He had been engaged by a roofing company to fit all the roofing material, including flashing and capping.
Statement by Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels on death of former assistant secretary
Joe Dear "made a series of lasting impacts"
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels today issued the following statement on the passing of former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph Dear: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Assistant Secretary Joe Dear. While he served in many roles throughout his life, Joe was always a tireless advocate for worker safety and health.
Top worker safety training topics
Safety Culture- Recognize and correctly use key terms and concepts relating to safety culture. Identify the components of a positive safety culture and rate your own company's effectiveness in each of the component areas. Define the necessary elements of management commitment and support. Understand the importance of well-defined safety roles & responsibilities
N.J. spa agrees to correct hazardous conditions after worker fatality
Korean-style sauna exposed workers to excessive heat
Super King Sauna NJ LLC has agreed to correct all hazards found through a July 2013 investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a 68-year-old employee died while working in a Bulhanjeungmok, a Korean-style sauna known for extremely high temperatures.
Global steel association announces upcoming Steel Safety Day
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has announced plans for a Steel Safety Day that will focus on the safety and health of the people who work in the steel industry. The event is timed to coincide with World Safety Day, International Labour Organisation event which is held each year on April 28.
OHS going from reactive to proactive, survey finds
Even small firms are changing their approach
In a recent international survey of nearly 4,000 professionals, 76 percent said they go above and beyond what is required by law and regulations when it comes to managing health and safety at work. Fully 90 percent of respondents said OHS has become an integrated part of today’s corporate strategy.
Former OSHA chief Joe Dear dies at 62
Joseph A. Dear, 62, who was appointed by President Clinton to run OSHA in 1993, died on February 26 in Sacramento, CA. The cause was prostate cancer, according to a statement issued by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), where Mr. Dear worked as the chief investment officer.
Motives and barriers for learning
Why do we participate in learning? You can probably come up with a long list of reasons on your own, but as a lowly student, your opinion doesn't count! Here's what some of the BIG GUYS have come up with:
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