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Ladder safety came in for a fair amount of attention during 2014. Federal agencies like OSHA and NIOSH produced ladder safety materials in several languages. Among the resources that can help safety professionals keep workers who use ladders free from injury:

If you find that you are struggling to hear others speak or often need to turn up the volume on a TV or radio and you work in an environment where the noise level is frequently above the 80dB level, then you may be suffering from a case of industrial deafness. Industrial deafness is grouped into four main types temporary loss of hearing, permanent loss of hearing, acoustic trauma and tinnitus and the difficulty hearing can be a percentage of full hearing in one or both ears, or if suffering from tinnitus there will be the sensation of external noise when no external noise exists.

From contentions that OSHA is turning radical to disagreements over the meaning of the term, “safety culture,” the ISHN Blog served as a forum for a wide range of opinions. Here are some of the most-viewed posts of 2013:

Construction deaths rose even as overall occupational fatalities in the U.S. decreased. OSHA finally unveils its silica rule. OSHA inspectors kept busy at construction sites around the country. These were among the top construction-related stories featured on www.ISHN.com in 2013.

The Hearing Loss Association of America believes seniors with hearing loss should not have to scrimp and save, or go without basic needs, to just be able to hear. Seniors on fixed incomes, seniors who depend on Social Security and Medicare, seniors who don’t qualify for Medicaid or who live in states that don’t provide hearing aids through Medicaid, should not have to choose between hearing and their other basic needs.

Listening to a kid’s toy scream, “Amarillo—yellow! Verde—green!” for hours is a special kind of misery. While many parents veto loud toys because they’re annoying, the Sight & Hearing Association is asking parents to consider another reason: hearing damage. The St. Paul, Minn., organization just released its annual “Noisy Toys” list in advance of Christmas. Taking the top spot is a toy marketed for 3-month-olds:Baby Einstein’s Take Along Tunes.

The West Fertilizer plant explosion in Texas garnered a great deal of attention from ISHN.com visitors. Also on their reading list: temp worker safety, confined space tragedies and arc flash hazards. Here are the most-read Facility Safety stories of the year:

OSHA has cited Houston-based Piping Technology and Products Inc. for four repeat and three serious violations after a worker was injured in June from being struck by a broken die piece on a mechanical press. Proposed penalties total $199,800.

Despite the government shutdown the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) did manage to conduct special impact inspections at nine mines during October that resulted in 120 citations and ten orders being issued.

Excessive and prolonged exposure to loud noise in the workplace can cause workers to be susceptible to cases of industrial deafness. According to the Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom) more than one1 million U.K. employees are currently at risk of suffering from future industrial deafness due to the conditions in which they currently work.