“If we don’t take action now, these families in Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, Colorado, North Dakota and New Mexico will begin receiving health care termination notices at the end of October. Without congressional action to keep this from happening, they will spend their holiday season worrying about whether or not they will have to choose between their life-saving medications and putting food on the table."
OSHA reveals the most-cited safety and health violations of the year, research links flavored e-cigarettes to the youth vaping epidemic and the NSC announces plans to issue an opioid help kit for employers. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured this week on ISHN.com.
A former employee of a subcontractor at Brookhaven National Laboratory has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the lab manager and the manufacturers of a cleaning solvent he claims caused his cancer.
Joseph Marino, who worked as a computer technician at the Upton, New York lab in 1999 and 2000, has been diagnosed with clear cell renal carcinoma.
Delivery service UPS, Inc. has been cited for failing to protect employees working in excessive heat after an employee suffered heat-related injuries near the Riviera Beach, Florida, facility. The employee required hospitalization after becoming ill while delivering packages on a day when the heat index ranged between 99 and 105 degrees.
The company faces $13,260 in penalties, the maximum penalty allowed by law for a serious violation.
Mesothelioma cancer is the most fatal among asbestos-related diseases. The cancer presents itself 20 to 50 years after exposure and may originate in the lungs, heart, or abdominal cavity. The disease will begin to form after inhalation or ingestion of airborne asbestos particles. Due to the generic symptoms a patient may experience, late stage diagnosis is a common occurrence among mesothelioma patients.
In March, 2019, United Piping, Inc, a pipeline construction company based in Duluth, MN and founded in 1997, surpassed a milestone – two million man hours worked without a lost-time injury. Key to this achievement in a hazardous industry is UPI Piping’s strong culture of safety values and practices.
Some 59 percent of fire stations in the U.S. are not equipped with exhaust emission control systems, which are critical for mitigating firefighter exposure/keywords/13730-occupational-exposure to diesel fumes. Exposure to these fumes can increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, cardiopulmonary disease, respiratory disease, and lung cancer. Many firefighters sleep in fire stations because they work extended shifts – an arrangement which increases their chance of exposure.
More than 130 organizations signed a petition (PDF) sent to OSHA, demands for stronger protections for workers exposed to extreme heat. Joining the petition were former OSHA Directors Dr. Eula Bingham and Dr. David Michaels, former California/OSHA Director Ellen Widess, heat illness prevention researcher Dr. Marc Schenker and 89 other individuals.
OSHA may “broaden the circumstances” under which certain employers would be permitted to comply with its Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction, according to a request for information and comment issued by the agency last week.
OSHA is looking for information on additional engineering and work practice control methods to effectively limit exposure to silica.
Worker injuries linked to opioid-related deaths and suicides, a Total Worker Health report card and heat-related illness takes a toll on construction workers. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
