Occupational Safety

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The winter holiday season is a festive and eventful time, yet statistics show that home fires and electrical incidents increase during this time of year. In the spirit of the season, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is reminding homeowners of safety tips and providing free resources to help them prevent household fires and accidents caused by improper cooking and heating practices.

Robert MacLean, a former federal air marshal, carries a lot of baggage. Twice dismissed by his bosses at the Transportation Security Administration, he has been criticized for being “paranoid” and not being a team player. But you don’t get to be the nation’s most prolific aviation safety whistleblower without having a track record. And today, MacLean says, warning signs of ineffectual air safety regulation are blinking red.

They’re powerful, easy to operate and allow workers to perform tasks taster. They’re also a leading cause of injury among residential carpenters. Of the 37,000 emergency room visits each year related to nail gun injuries, 60% are occupationally-related. While puncture wounds to the hands and fingers are the most common, nail guns are also responsible for serious injuries – and even fatalities.

An employee of an Iowa hog operation has died of his injuries, a month and a half after being burned in a workplace fire. News reports say 38-year-old Jorge Orozco died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Burn Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Many of us already drive personal or company vehicles with automated features such as lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking. While automation clearly improves safety, it also presents new issues for safety professionals. Companies need to integrate policies on vehicles with automated features into their current fleet safety management systems.