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A complaint about a partial thumb amputation brought federal inspectors to Liqui-Box Corporation of Ashland, Ohio, where they found violations of the agency’s machine safety standards.

In a product area that has evolved rapidly over the last decade, the ten-year-old standard guiding fall protection use was in need of an update. That assessment by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) led to the formation of a Z359 Committee, which developed new sub-standards that address fall restraint systems, work positioning systems, rope access systems, fall arrest systems and rescue systems.

A New York City subway agent was the victim last week of a would-be robber who used arson to commit his crime – but technology saved the day.

Heat illness prevention success, new greenhouse gas standards for trucks, a hearing protection contest and a new CEO for AIHA were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Two employees of a company that sells and installs fire extinguishers were injured severely on Feb. 12, 2016, when a compressed gas cylinder designed for a fire-suppression system exploded while they were attempting to fill it with compressed air from a high-pressure source.

OSHA recently asked employers and safety professionals to share their techniques for keeping workers safe from extreme heat. The agency said it received many responses and was impressed with the innovative efforts to keep workers safe during extreme heat conditions. Here are a few examples:

A new standard aimed at protecting workers who install, alter or maintain communication towers offers the first comprehensive approach reducing injuries and saving lives in industry that has rapidly expanded in recent years, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).

A Schenectady hazardous materials remediation contractor exposed its employees to mercury poisoning and did not provide proper safeguards to workers doing mercury removal work at the General Electric Co. Power and Water Main Plant State Superfund site in Schenectady, an OSHA investigation has found.

I started my career as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State University working with the state’s furniture and textile industries as they were trying to comply with a new law, the Occupational Safety and Health Act.