Today's Safety News

RSS

The percentage of positive drug tests among American workers has increased for the first time in more than a decade, fueled by a rise in marijuana and amphetamines, according to an analysis of 8.5 million urine, oral fluid and hair workplace drug test results by Quest Diagnostics.

Ensign United States Drilling (S.W.) Inc. has been cited by OSHA for two repeat safety violations for exposing workers to possible hazards during oil well explosions. The repeat violations were cited for failing to correct deficiencies found during a 2011 investigation.

While severe weather poses risks at the time it’s occurring, the aftermath of a storm can be risky as well, according to an article on nonfatal injuries during the week after Hurricane Sandy in this week’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Report.

Safety software, FR apparel and management and portable lighting are among the top EHS-related products featured this week on ISHN.com.

Ebola continued to make headlines this week. Also among the top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com: new report on child laborers, mining and tree trimming fatalities and a global tobacco treaty.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has described the potential exposures and health risks associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in a new report. The report reviewed current scientific information and evaluated the effects of chemicals used in e-cigarettes and emitted from them.

Reports of three separate fires at a Wisconsin coatings company led to an OSHA inspection – and the issuance of citations for eight safety violations. Many of the violations against Quest Specialty Coatings were cited under OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standards, which contain specific requirements for managing highly hazardous chemicals in work processes.

Before I talk a bit about our energy and environmental future, let’s take a look at a lesson from the past. Most of you won’t remember this as I do, but in the 60’s, industries and business were growing. Suburbs were sprawling up and the automobile was a symbol of the American dream - “a chicken in every pot and a car in every driveway.” The auto industry set the pace of the American economy.

A U.S. physician who just returned from Guinea has tested positive for the Ebola virus, according to news sources, who say that Dr. Craig Spencer, 33, had been in the West African country working for Doctors Without Borders.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration has fined Star Mine Operations, LLC $1,077,800 following its investigation into the deaths of two miners at Revenue Mine on Nov. 17, 2013. The underground silver ore mine is located in Ouray County, Colorado.