Today's Safety News

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that for legal purposes, protective items are not different from ordinary clothing, so workers at a U.S. Steel Corp. plant do not have to be compensated for the time they spend “donning and doffing” them.

Hand injuries account for 80 percent of all occupational injuries. This is because the hands are engaged in almost all activities on the job. Can you imagine any occupation that does not make use of the hand? Hands are so important because of their utility.

Two nurses fired recently by Community Health Systems (CHS) say they were terminated for speaking out about rampant patient safety problems at the chain’s healthcare facilities. RNs Veronica Poss and Tim Thomas have been prominent RN public advocates at their respective hospitals in exposing what they describe as serious problems with patient safety, and calling for improvements.

Some construction workers at nuclear weapons facilities operated by the Department of Energy show symptoms of a chronic lung disease caused by exposure to beryllium, despite the fact that their exposure levels were relatively low.

About 4,000 residents of southern Manitoba who rely on natural gas furnaces found themselves coping with wind chills of -45 Celcius (-49 Fahrenheit) yesterday without heat, after a gas pipeline exploded in the Canadian province early Saturday morning, sending balls of flame hundreds of feet into the sky.

Hand pain has many causes, including injury and disease. Fortunately, many of those causes can be treated and the symptoms eased. Here are some of the most common conditions that cause hand pain:

The CDC is offering an online course to help healthcare workers better understand the scope and nature of violence that can occur in their workplace.

Imagine life without the use of your hands. Suddenly, basic tasks in the workplace and at home – from operating a torque drill to turning the ignition key in your vehicle – become major obstacles. Clearly, our hands are vital tools for performing a myriad of essential life and work functions, not to mention the fact that they are one of our primary points of contact with the world around us.

Think fast food is especially unhealthy? When it comes to sodium, dine-in restaurant fare is even worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like both types of eateries to reduce sodium in their menu items – and it has suggestions for how to do that.