To remind Americans to practice sun-safe behaviors on Memorial Day weekend and the rest of summer, EPA’s SunWise Program and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day.” Skin cancer is largely preventable; however, new cases of melanoma, the most deadly of skin cancers, continue to rise at a faster rate than the seven most common cancers, according to the EPA.
In a letter to Jordan Barab, acting director of OSHA, AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario urges the agency to take immediate action to protect healthcare workers, responders and other at high risk from workplace exposure to the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
"OSHA's Process Safety Management standard contains specific requirements that are essential to the safety and health of workers in the petroleum refining industry, and it is crucial that employers follow these safety and health requirements," said Stephen Boyd, OSHA's area director in Dallas. "If Delek had followed OSHA's standards, it is possible this tragic accident could have been avoided."
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that it has paid more than $400 million in compensation and medical benefits to Colorado residents under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).
The alleged failure to protect its employees from potential trenching and excavation hazards has brought H & H Plumbing & Utilities Inc. $46,200 in proposed penalties from OSHA following an inspection at the company's worksite in Edmond, Okla., according to an agency press release.
President Obama yesterday – for the first time in history – set in motion a new national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States, according to a White House press release.
As part of this past weekend’s coordinated heat illness prevention inspections triggered by the area’s high temperatures, the Department of Industrial Relations’ Cal/OSHA took action against two farm labor contractors and shut them down for violations of the heat illness prevention regulations designed to safeguard employees, according to an agency press release. Jose Alfaro Labor Contractor and Estrada Farm Labor Services, both working in the Stockton/Farmington area, were shut down after investigators found that their provisions for shade and water were inadequate, and they had no heat illness prevention training and no emergency response procedures.
The stars of stage and screen — actors, musicians, Broadway performers, comedians, writers and crew — are voicing their support of the Employee Free Choice Act in a new online video called “Artists4WorkersChoice” (www.artists4workerschoice.org), according to an AFL-CIO press release. Many have Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards and nominations, and they have one thing in common — they’re all union members, and they all share the experience of working every day for a living, struggling to find jobs and pay the bills.
President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Thomas Frieden, currently Commissioner of the New York City Health Department, as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, according to a White House press release.
The National Business Group on Health (NBGH) issued the following statement regarding proposals from some policymakers that would increase taxes on American workers’ health benefits to finance health reform. NBGH represents 300 large employers — including 60 of the Fortune 100 — providing health benefits to over 55 million Americans: