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The growing problem of plastic pollution in the environment is receiving an increasing amount of attention (see article in Nature). Small particles of plastics are often referred to as microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm [1]) and nanoplastics (the nanoscale fraction of plastic particles). Nano- and microplastic particles (NMPPs) can be formed through environmental and mechanical degradation (the top-down mechanism).

The National Safety Council (NSC) released its first Work to Zero research report, Safety Technology 2020: Mapping Technology Solutions for Reducing Serious Injuries and Fatalities in the Workplace. With workplace deaths in the U.S. on the rise, this new report indicates employers may not be doing enough to protect their workforce.

Four workers who were performing maintenance at the Waupaca Plant in Tell City, Indiana were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital’s burn unit on Monday after being injured at the facility. Officials have released few details about the incident, which occurred at 10:30 a.m. in the company’s cupola, according to news sources.

A new study finds a wide state-by-state variation in rates of melanoma caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure with highest rates in several states on the East and West Coast including Hawaii, but also a few landlocked states, including Utah, Vermont, and Minnesota. The report finds state-level incidence rates for UV-attributable melanoma ranged from 15 cases per 100,000 in Alaska to 65 cases per 100,000 in Hawaii.

Although obese employees incur higher direct and indirect costs, the extent of obesity-related costs tends to be lower in some industrial sectors — including healthcare, reports a study in the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dominique Lejeune, MSc, of Groupe d'analyse, Ltée, Montréal, QC, Canada, analyzed variations in the relationship between obesity and healthcare and other employee costs.

OSHA has cited Cleveland Brothers Inc. – doing business as CB HYMAC – for exposing workers to hexavalent chromium fumes and other safety hazards at the company’s shop in Camp Hill, Penn. The company, which provides hydraulic service and repair, machining and chroming services, was cited for one willful violation and 18 serious and two other-than-serious citations.

It started with a series of conference calls and emails, which led to a draft list of relevant topics. That list was then refined and grouped into seven broad objectives, and working subgroups were formed for each of those objectives. The result? The Healthy Work Design and Well-Being (HWD) Agenda, released last month by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).