Global Safety News

RSS

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh announces publication of factory inspection reports: Just over one year ago in May 2013, ready-made garment (RMG) industry global brands and retailers and two global unions and their national RMG affiliates signed an unprecedented agreement to make RMG factories safe in Bangladesh.

A newly formed alliance seeks to serve as a global source for information, guidance and knowledge on indoor environmental quality. A memorandum of understanding creating the Indoor Environmental Quality Global Alliance was signed Sunday, June 29, at ASHRAE’s 2014 Annual Conference in Seattle, Wash.

Each year, the U.S. spends nearly $9,000 for the health of every American -- far more than what the governments of other countries spend on the health of their citizens – yet life expectancy and health outcomes are generally worse for Americans than for citizens of other developed nations in North America and Europe.

ISO 45001 is the number given to ISO’s effort to create a standard for an occupational safety and health management system. This project is well underway, but before the status update, let me begin with some background on occupational safety and health management systems.

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) has taken note of Reuters’ article of June 24, 2014 titled “Insight – Inspection tensions add to Bangladesh garment industry’s woes."

The seeds have been planted and are being cultivated for the development of a global occupational health and safety standard. I am participating as a U.S. delegate and member of the U.S. leadership team on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the new OH&S standard – ISO 45001.

 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. 

A recent survey on Europe’s aging workforce reveals that 45% of those who are 50+ would prefer to work less, compared with 11% who would like to work more. The remaining respondents were satisfied with the volume of weekly hours they currently work.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says raising taxes on tobacco products will encourage users to stop and prevent other people from becoming addicted to tobacco. Based on 2012 data, WHO estimates that by increasing tobacco taxes by 50%, all countries would reduce the number of smokers by 49 million within the next 3 years and ultimately save 11 million lives.

 The Labour Minister of Greece said workplace accidents cost his country more than a billion euros a year – and that doesn’t include the cost of treatments and permanent disability benefits.