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Drug testing for workers in safety sensitive positions, ergonomic injury prevention and a fracking hazard alert were among the week’s EHS-related stories posted on ISHN.com.

Eating one avocado a day as part of a heart healthy, cholesterol-lowering moderate-fat diet can help improve bad cholesterol levels in overweight and obese individuals, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

One factor behind the favorable job satisfaction found in the EHS ranks, according to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, could come down to the bottom line – salaries. Fifty-five percent of respondents expect “slightly higher” incomes in 2015, and 6% expect “much higher” salaries.

People exposed to asbestos from mining in Libby, Mont., show long-term changes in lung imaging and function tests, even with relatively low asbestos exposure, reports a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

According to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, EHS department staffing should remain stable in most organizations in the coming year. Expectations for overall EHS department headcounts in ’15: only 5% see headcounts shrinking “slightly” and a scant 1% plan on “significant decreases.”

The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has revealed plans for a major research effort to explore how nanotechnology is transforming our industry, and what implications this holds for worker safety. 

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) is looking for people outside of the association to help review revisions to the voluntary consensus standard, ANSI/ISEA 107-2010, the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear.

OSHA’s final rule requiring employers to notify the agency about workplace fatalities and severe injuries will be joined by other federal regulatory activity in 2015, according to Washington observers, who expect a number of regulations to be finalized during the last two years of the Obama administration.

According to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, job satisfaction and job security both receive high marks from about two-thirds of respondents – 63% express satisfaction with their current work and 65% feel secure in their jobs.

A new publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) highlights how workers in grocery stores can reduce strains and sprains when moving materials from the delivery truck to the sales floor.