OSHA is using – what else? – social media to reach young people who may soon be working in summer jobs. The goal: to give them tips in staying safe in the workplace. Because teens with little or no experience may not always recognize the hazards in their workplaces, they are especially vulnerable to occupational injuries and fatalities.
OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will run a social media campaign through May 17 (with the hashtag #MySafeSummerJob) to educate young workers how to protect themselves on the job.
In rural America, where agricultural workers are dying at rates higher than those of coal miners, farmers often take risks that are no longer tolerated in other work environments. But in Minnesota and other Midwestern states, virtually no one is protecting small farmers. Safety programs have been dismantled, funding has disappeared and in most states rules prevent inspectors from visiting farms with fewer than 11 workers — which is where most of the fatal accidents are happening.
"Providing workers with fall protection is not optional"
April 15, 2019
An Ohio-based construction company failed to ensure that workers used fall protection while doing roofing tasks, leading to a worker sustaining a serious injury, according to an OSHA inspection following the incident.
The agency has cited Hiebert Bros Construction LLC for exposing employees to fall hazards after the worker was injured from a 26-foot fall at a construction worksite in Gainesville, Florida.
The 2017 deaths of two CSX Transportation workers were the result of their decision to walk on an active Amtrak train track in Washington, D.C., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a report issued Tuesday. Investigators found that while the conductors were likely aware that the two tracks were active, they may have chosen this more comfortable way to walk back to the front of their train because no Amtrak trains had passed through the area for about an hour.
A worker who was replacing a roof at a Jefferson County, Kentucky high school died March 28 after falling through the roof. News sources say 40-year-old Fredy Godoy-Mendoza died shortly after 5 p.m. at Waggener Traditional High School.
Godoy-Mendoza was reportedly employed by a roofing contractor.
In Pacoima, California, a forklift operator was killed March 31, when he was struck by a car while making a delivery.
A special highlight at A+A 2019, International Trade Fair with Congress for Safety, Security and Health at Work, will be the new international START-UP ZONE in Hall 10 promoting young, creative, future-oriented companies. “From health Apps, VR goggles to high-tech textiles – there are no limits to the potential themes at this zone."
The construction workers who participated in a recent poll on behalf of Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) have some very complicated attitudes towards automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Some 31 percent said they fear that their jobs were at risk from automation, but far more – 46 percent – worry that their safety is at risk from their non-human co-workers.
In 1735, Benjamin Franklin wroteExternal that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We might think he was referring to health and medicine—not so. Mr. Franklin was recommending a metal enclosure to prevent bits of hot coals from starting a building fire. He also recommended training and equipping firefighters.
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) have formalized a memorandum of understanding that outlines how the organizations will collaborate on advancing workplace safety and health over the next five years.
ASSP President Rixio Medina, CSP, CPP, and KOSHA President Dooyong Park signed the agreement at a global workplace safety and health sustainability event in Paris.
A Wisconsin pallet manufacturer has again been cited by OSHA after a follow-up inspection found employees continued to be exposed to wood dust. Avid Pallet Services LLC faces penalties of $188,302 for repeated, serious, and other-than-serious safety and health violations.
Inspectors determined that the Beloit, Wisconsin, pallet manufacturer failed to implement sufficient engineering controls to limit dust exposure, as well as train employees on the health hazards of wood dust.
