OSHA has cited Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for exit and storage hazards at a store located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The national discount retailer faces $296,861 in penalties. Responding to a complaint, OSHA inspectors found blocked emergency exits, unsecured compressed gas cylinders, unsanitary bathrooms, electrical panels not properly maintained and materials stacked unsafely. OSHA cited Dollar Tree for two willful, one repeat and two other-than-serious violations for these conditions.

In the United States, the number of acres burned each year from wildland fires has grown, increasing work-related risks to wildland firefighters. One invisible risk is carbon monoxide (CO), produced from the burning of fuels, such as in fires or from gasoline-powered engines. In a recent study led by Scott Henn, NIOSH industrial hygienist, he describes conditions that increase this risk.

All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. A fatality must be reported within 8 hours. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.

In 2018, NIOSH, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contracted the National Academies of Science (NAS) to conduct a consensus study on improving the cost-effectiveness and coordination of occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance systems.

Equipment that monitors noise and can help reduce occupational expose to it and a device for preventing contact with pinch points were this week’s top products of the week.

Firefighters’ deaths lead to a lawsuit against a construction company; nurses get the recognition they deserve and new studies show what we’ve known all along: staying active can help you live longer.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expanding its highly successful weather camera safety program to Colorado. The FAA has entered into a cost-reimbursement agreement with the State of Colorado Division of Aeronautics to install weather cameras on 13 Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) in mountainous areas, beginning in the spring of 2020.

What is risk assessment? Do you check for rain before deciding to carry an umbrella? Doing so is an example of risk assessment, which describes a process for answering three basic questions on a particular hazard:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) announced changes to the self-insurance process for coal mine operators that it says will better support the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. The Black Lung Benefits Act requires each coal mine operator to secure the payment of its potential benefits liability by either qualifying as a self-insurer or by purchasing and maintaining a commercial insurance contract.

Distracted driving occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off your primary task: driving safely. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.