Today's Safety News

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Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and pediatricians are frustrated that large numbers of U.S. teens are not receiving HPV vaccinations – something that can prevent a sexually transmitted disease which is often linked to cancer.

Some states in the U.S. are far more dangerous for workers than others – but they are not necessarily the states where the most dangerous industries are based. Writing in Time Magazine, Gary Belsky describes the surprisingly wide variation in workplace injuries rates from state to state – even within the same industries.

Last year, OSHA Director of Construction Jim Maddux delivered a presentation on OSHA’s new campaign to prevent fatal falls at the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Engineers. When he finished, one of the conference leaders rushed over, eager to introduce Maddux to representatives from another agency with a similar mission of stopping falls in construction: Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower.

Seven workers were injured last night – three of them critically – when dozens of explosions and a fire ripped through a propane tank servicing plant in central Florida. Residents living within a mile of the facility were ordered to evacuate their homes.

If safety is not in your job description, are you obligated to mention unsafe work conditions? That was one of the topics that appeared in the responses to a story featured on the ISHN website on July 18: “Safety pro asks, ‘Who can fight for my rights?’”

Workers at a Mira Loma, California warehouse that ships goods for Walmart launched a two-day strike last week to protest alleged unsafe working conditions and retaliation against workers who complained about those conditions.

Despite having a short swimming season, the Great Lakes have a significant number of drownings each year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP). So far in 2013 there have been 44 drowning deaths; 17 in Lake Michigan, 13 in Lake Erie, 9 in Lake Ontario, 4 in Lake Superior and 1 in Lake Huron.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) are in the process of creating a U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to lead discussions on the creation of a new occupational health and safety (OH&S) standard for global occupational health and safety.

Are you in the transportation industry and not satisfied with your company’s safety culture? The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a forum to address that very topic on September 10 and 11 in Washington D.C.

Innovative techniques and the latest researcher in smoking cessation will be on the agenda at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in August. Researchers will examine how smokers respond to dramatically reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes, text messages that can help smokers curb cravings and how medication may be a key to helping women avoid lighting up when stressed.