Today's Safety News

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OSHA has launched a new educational Web resource which has extensive materials to help hospitals prevent worker injuries, assess workplace safety needs, enhance safe patient handling programs, and implement safety and health management systems. The materials include fact books, self-assessments and best practice guides.

Congress is using an omnibus appropriations bill scheduled to be voted on this week to remind OSHA of a 36-year-old Congressional exemption that keeps small farms out of the agency’s regulatory reach. The language added to the bill “makes crystal clear…that OSHA policies and inspectors better get in line with the law,” according to U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.).

Human resources policy in areas such as health insurance benefits, paid time off, and compensation are important "missing variables" in studies connecting health and business outcomes, according to a report in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has used reports produced by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as the basis of three short training videos that vividly illustrate some of the hazards of construction work.

A recent NIOSH study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine showed that more than 7.6% of working Americans reported that they were mistreated at their workplace in 2010, and this mistreatment was associated with a 42% increase in the number of missed work days, controlling for covariates.

OSHA’s proposal to improve the tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses will either improve worker safety or pose an undue burden on employers. Those are among the reactions being voiced by safety advocates and industry groups as OSHA holds public meetings on the proposal.

The company responsible for the chemical spill that caused the loss of water service to thousands of West Virginia residents is the target of 18 lawsuits – so far – and a temporary restraining order that prohibits it from destroying or removing evidence from its facility.

Our respiratory tracts are affected by the air we breathe, and changes in season, temperature and air quality can increase Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) symptoms. During the winter, cold air can trigger a reaction that constricts the airway and decreases air flow into the lungs.

Ozone is a gas that you cannot see or smell. Ozone occurs naturally in the sky about 10 to 30 miles above the earth's surface. Sometimes, this ozone is called "good ozone" because it forms a layer that protects life on earth from the sun's harmful rays. Ground-level ozone, on the other hand, can be bad for your health and the environment.

The Dec. 30^th train accident near Casselton, North Dakota caused an estimated $6.1 in damage – and promoted the evacuation of 1,400 residents. A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lays out the facts and figures behind the derailments and collision involving two BNSF Railway trains, but does not identify a cause.