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Your heart may be older than you are – and that’s not good. According to a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Vital Signs report, 3 out of 4 U.S. adults have a predicted heart age that is older than their actual age.

Haulage machinery in underground coal mines – such as shuttle cars, ram cars and scoops – would have to be equipped with technology that prevents miners from becoming struck, pinned or crushed, as per a proposed rule from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

In separate incidents less than two weeks apart, two employees sustained disabling injuries at Primex Plastics Corp. in Oakwood. Both workers had their middle and ring fingers amputated as they removed material jammed in shearing machines that cut plastic.

The oil boom in North Dakota and elsewhere has claimed the lives of dozens of oil field workers. Fatalities from the boom are drawing renewed attention from government scientists.

Institute for Safety and Health Management (ISHM), an accredited provider of certifications for EHS professionals, has elected three health and safety professionals with experience in emergency response, oil and gas, and OSHA compliance to its board of directors.

During 2003–2013, the U.S. oil and gas extraction industry experienced unprecedented growth, doubling the size of its workforce and increasing the number of drilling rigs by 71%. To describe fatal events among oil and gas workers during this period, NIOSH analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), a comprehensive database of fatal work injuries.

During 2003-2008, 648 oil and gas extraction workers were killed on the job (onshore and offshore, combined), resulting in an annual fatality rate of 29.1 deaths per 100,000 workers, over seven times the rate for all US workers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatality in the oil and gas extraction industry. They make up 29% of all fatalities in this industry. The majority of fatalities are workers from well servicing companies.

There is a lack of existing information regarding the variety and magnitude of chemical exposure risks to oil and gas extraction workers. To determine if risks are present, NIOSH wants to develop partnerships with the oil and gas extrac¬tion industry to identify, characterize and (if needed) control workplace chemical exposures.

A recent ruling by a Colorado judge could have implications for the nation’s oil and gas industry. The Denver Post reported in late July that Administrative Law Judge Peter Cannici ruled that the death of a Weld County (Colorado) oil and gas worker was caused by exposure to hydrocarbons. The ruling comes as federal health officials take a closer look at “tank gauging,” or measuring oil levels after opening a tank hatch — commonly known as a thief hatch.