Today's Safety News

RSS

A trio of top occupational safety associations is urging Congress to “champion the safety and health of America’s workers” by supporting funding for OSHA and NIOSH, saving vital programs and blocking what it calls “troubling policy riders.”

Federal prosecutors this week filed criminal charges against a Massey Energy executive in connection with illegal practices at mines owned by Massey Energy – the company that operated the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine, site of the worst mining disaster in U.S. history.

A man reportedly seeking money for drugs walked into a Whip-In convenience store in Garland, Texas in May, allegedly doused 76-year-old Nancy Harris with a flammable liquid and then set her on fire – after cleaning out the cash register.

With workplace tragedies such as the recent factory fires in Bangladesh killing more than 100 people last weekend and in Pakistan killing more than 300 workers in September, the American Society of Safety Engineers  (ASSE) and the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (the Center) urge corporations to implement effective safety management programs and practices in their supply chains to help prevent these disasters from happening.

Thirty of America’s 50 largest cities are now covered by laws that prohibit smoking in all indoor areas of private workplaces, restaurants, and bars, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

OSHA has cited Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. with three safety violations for failing to protect workers from unexpected start-up of machines at its Beardstown, Illinois pork processing facility. Proposed penalties total $114,000. OSHA initiated an inspection upon receiving a complaint alleging hazards.

Occupational injuries and fatalities in the construction industry cost California residents $2.9 billion between 2008 and 2010, a new Public Citizen report shows.

At least one advocacy group is hoping that, with the presidential election out of the way, the Obama administration will move to strengthen health, safety, and environmental protections that got stalled during the administration’s first term.

Citing inadequate control over environmental hazards following 9/11, a NY congressman is urging the EPA and Federal Emergency Management Agency to take an active role in making sure people cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy stay safe.

In yet another repercussion of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has blocked BP from entering into any new contracts with the federal government.