Climate-related occupational hazards have historically received little attention. In 2009, NIOSH began work to address this gap and developed a framework to identify climate-related occupational hazards.
Heat gets plenty of attention as a danger for those who have to work outdoors – or indoors in certain types of facilities. However, lightning strikes can also severely injure and kill workers.
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released a new assessment of the growing public health threat of climate change. The report, “The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment,” identified the many ways in which climate change is already threatening the health of all Americans and the significant public health challenges it is expected to create.
Although Winter Storm Jonas is now a part of history, the possibility of severe winter weather still exists this season. The Electrical Safety Foundation International reminds the public that electrical dangers associated with downed power lines, portable generators, and submerged electrical equipment can still cause injuries and deaths once a snow or ice storm has ended.
While the flooding has abated in South Carolina, extreme weather is always a possibility throughout the U.S. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is reminding residents that danger may linger in your home even after the storm has passed.
On March 25, 2015, I was driving, on government business, on highway 412 from Arkansas towards Tulsa, Oklahoma. I knew there was a forecast of severe weather and I was trying to get to a hotel in Tulsa before a storm developed.
The third annual workplace safety survey by Staples revealed that only half of employees believe their workplaces are prepared for emergencies, and one in five employees report slipping, tripping or falling at work as their biggest safety concern.
While severe weather poses risks at the time it’s occurring, the aftermath of a storm can be risky as well, according to an article on nonfatal injuries during the week after Hurricane Sandy in this week’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Report.
The EPA today released a new policy statement on climate change adaptation to help the nation prepare for and respond to the impacts of a changing climate. The policy commits the Agency to work with states, tribes, and local communities to increase their resilience to extreme weather events and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
