FR protective clothing was a HOT topic in 2018 – from how to wear it during extreme heat and extreme cold, to what private industry can all learn from the Navy’s FR program. A back-of-the-hand protection standard for work gloves, how work boots are getting lighter (but staying strong) and the need to protect first responders from fentanyl exposure were among the top PPE stories of 2018:
Confined space safety, hazards in the oil and gas industry and how workers compensation exposure data can be useful to the safety profession were among the top industrial hygiene stories of 2018.
Stories related to construction industry safety ranged this year from hazard-specific (spray foam insulation, concrete drilling) to regulations (silica, crane operator certification) to developments that affect construction safety in a more general way, like the workforce shortage or the legalization of marijuana in many states. Here’s a look back at 2018 articles:
A staffing company fraudulently sells OSHA training certificates, how to use training to get your workers in “The Zone” and how virtual reality is being used to train first responders were among the top safety training stories of 2018.
A new warning about the skyrocketing rates of e-cigarette use among young people, a film crew member killed in New York City and 2017 work-related fatality statistics from the BLS were among the week’s top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released this week show that the incidence rate for non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the meat and poultry packing and processing industry reached an all-time industry low.
Cal/OSHA has cited a manufacturer of cannabis products for multiple
serious safety violations following an explosion that seriously injured a worker.
On June 19, an employee of Future2 Labs Health Services was working alone inside a
128-square-foot portable storage container in Watsonville, using propane to extract oil
from cannabis leaves.
Working on electrical equipment exposes a worker to electric shock and arc flash hazards. Unlike many safety concerns, these hazards simply can’t be eliminated or avoided as working on or around energized equipment is often required for some tasks, such as using a meter to test for voltage or rack a breaker.
With a growing number of states legalizing marijuana, causing a rapid increase in the cannabis industry workforce, increasing attention is being given to the health and safety of those involved in the cultivation and distribution of the substance in its various forms. One potentially serious health risk is from occupational exposure to mold.
The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) reports struck-by falling objects result in hundreds of fatalities annually and thousands of injuries. In 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 255 fatalities and 47,920 injuries from dropped objects in the United States.
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