When fire erupted on a passenger vessel cruising Florida’s Pithlachascotee River earlier this year, all aboard had to jump from the burning vessel and wade – or crawl - ashore. One person died and 14 others were transported to area hospitals. The Island Lady was so badly damaged it was declared a total loss.
A tricky thing, disciplining employees. Every safety pro has a story about discipline:“I had to terminate a woman in 1987 because her body odor was so repulsive, affecting other workers (and her boss… me),” says a pro who requested anonymity. “I remember progressive discipline... You bet I asked the HR manager for assistance.”
An Amazon warehouse wall collapses, killing two workers; OSHA issues a final rule on crane operators and managers at one company are indicted for obstructing an OSHA fatal accident investigation. These were among the top occupational health and safety stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) and OSHAhave renewed a partnership aimed at fostering safer and more healthful American workplaces. Through the alliance, the two organizations will pursue the following national priorities, among others: young worker health and safety; temporary workers; workplace hazards within emerging industries; disaster preparedness, response and recovery; and opioids in the workplace.
From watertight integrity to managing fatigue, the information gleaned from investigations into 41 maritime accidents are now available in one digest intended to provide mariners with information that will help make their operations safer.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s Safer Seas Digest 2017, released online yesterday, contains detailed accident investigation reports for collisions, explosions, capsizings and allisions involving fishing, offshore supply, cargo, passenger, tanker, towing and government vessels.
Mines can now monitor worker exposure to hazardous respirable crystalline silica (RCS) more effectively, thanks to new software developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Program in beta version.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons. Workers may sustain MSD injuries by lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively.
OSHA yesterday published a final rule that clarifies certification requirements for crane operators, and maintains the employer’s duty to ensure that crane operators can safely operate the equipment. The agency says the regulation will maintain safety and health protections for workers while reducing compliance burdens.
The “skills gap”—the mismatch between the knowledge, skills, and abilities employers seek in potential employees and the competencies workers actually bring to the job—has been a topic of national conversation, concern, and even controversy for many years.
Over 2400 nurses are victims of workplace violence every year and the number increased 30% since 2012 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospitals consider attacks and threats against health care workers to be “part of the job.”