They tend to happen more on Mondays. They can occur in an instant. And trench deaths kill about 25 workers a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). About 75 percent of those deaths are due to cave-ins, which are largely preventable through cave-in protection and soil analysis. The remainder are mainly caused by struck-bys or electrocutions – also largely preventable.

Take longer shifts, add being new on the job and lacking a routine and you get an increased risk of injuries relative to those occurring during the first eight hours, according to a study published recently in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Furthermore, incidents occurring during long working hours were more likely to result in a death or involve multiple injured workers.

An effort currently underway - timed to coincide with Construction Safety Week - is aimed at preventing fatalities and injuries from dropped objects. Through its 2019 Safety at Heights campaign, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) The campaign is providing employers and workers educational information at SafetyAtHeights.org.

During Small Business Week, May 5-11, we celebrate entrepreneurs across the country for their willingness to take a risk and follow a dream. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, we have plenty to celebrate: more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

OSHA and its partners are hosting events throughout the country this week for the sixth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. Employers and workers will pause to talk about fall hazards, OSHA compliance, and industry best practices to prevent falls. The 2019 poster is available on OSHA's publications page.

The body of a third worker was recovered yesterday from the rubble of the Illinois silicone factory that exploded and erupted into flames late Friday. The search for the fourth body believed to still be in the debris that was the AB Specialty Silicones factory in Waukegan will resume today.

A deadly crane collapse, what we think about mental health problems and alarming U.S. air quality data were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Four people were killed and four injured on Saturday when a crane collapsed and fell from a downtown Seattle building, crushing several vehicles. Two of the fatalities were crane operators; the others were occupants of cars. The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m., when the crane reportedly separated into two parts and fell.

Just in time for Workers Memorial Day, April 28, the AFL-CIO has released its annual report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.” Among the figures in this year’s comprehensive look at the state of safety and health protections for America’s workers: in 2017, 5,147 workers lost their lives on the job as a result of traumatic injuries, according to fatality data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The world’s largest online seller of goods tops the “Dirty Dozen” list of unsafe employers released by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s (National COSH) today. The annual reveal is timed to coincide with Workers Memorial Week (April 22 – 29), which honors those who have been injured, suffered illnesses or lost their lives at work. Amazon as had six worker fatalities at its facilities since 2018;.