Fatal incidents at a naval facility and a manufacturing facility, the high cost of rheumatoid arthritis and what the NTSB calls – again – for a technology that will prevent many motor vehicle accidents. These were among the top stories posted on ISHN.com this week.
Roofing company owner charged in employee's fatal fall
James J. McCullagh allegedly lied to OSHA, told workers to lie as well
The owner of a Pennsylvania roofing company was indicted by the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia with making false statements, obstructing justice and willfully violating OSHA fall protection standards in connection with the fatal fall of an employee in June 2013.
Are U.S. chemical facilities safe and secure?
A working group of federal agencies has issued a fact sheet* on progress made to improve the safety and security of chemical facilities in the United States.
Silicosis is a potentially fatal but preventable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling respirable particles containing crystalline silicon dioxide (silica). Quartz, a type of crystalline silica, is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust and workers across a wide range of occupations and industries are exposed to silica-containing dusts.
Silicosis update
Congress takes aim at OSHA’s budget
NIOSH may get a raise, MSHA a slight cut
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Government Affairs Director Aaron K. Trippler explains what the figures just released by the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor subcommittee mean to occupational safety and health agencies, going forward:
NTSB frustrated over lack of action on collision avoidance systems for vehicles
“You don’t pay extra for your seatbelt”
For the 12th time in two decades, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that collision avoidance systems become standard on all new passenger and commercial vehicles -- and released a report that outlined the life-saving benefits of the technology, which is currently available.
Many Americans have dangerous misconceptions about heart failure
Lots of confusion over heart failure v. heart attack
Nearly six million Americans currently live with heart failure, yet a recent national survey found potentially dangerous misconceptions and knowledge gaps about the disease. In fact, nearly half of those surveyed got fundamental facts about heart failure wrong and two-thirds of respondents confused signs of heart failure with signs of a heart attack.
ASSE and OSHA sign five-year alliance agreement
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently renewed their alliance, signing a five-year agreement that will focus on construction safety, temporary workers and hazards within general industry.
Cancer screenings up as Affordable Care Act lowers financial barriers
ACA removes financial barriers for low-income people
Screening for colorectal cancer increased in lower socioeconomic status (SES) individuals after 2008, perhaps reflecting the Affordable Care Act’s removal of financial barriers to screening according to a new analysis. The study, by American Cancer Society investigators, appears online in the journal Cancer.
ASSE recognizes four members as Fellows and Safety Educator of the Year
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has awarded four members, Richard King of Centennial, Colorado, George Pearson of Hockessin, Delaware, Bill Propes of Mesquite, Texas and R. Ronald Sokol of Friendswood, Texas, the Fellow Honor, its highest distinction, recognizing their lifetime of commitment to worker safety and their leadership in the occupational health and safety field.
FAA, general aviation launch Fly Safe campaign
Loss of control is top cause of airplane accidents
The FAA and general aviation (GA) groups are launching the Fly Safe national safety campaign to educate the GA community on how to prevent Loss of Control (LOC) accidents this flying season. FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker officially kicked-off the #FlySafe campaign earlier this month at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) Fly-In at the Frederick Municipal Airport, Frederick, MD.
Rheumatoid arthritis carries high costs for employers
National costs for RA absenteeism exceed $250 million per year
Employees with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to have work absences, leading to high excess costs for employers, reports a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
7,600-pound conveyor crushes worker after weld failure
KCI Inc., Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant cited in employee's death
The death of a 52-year-old contractor, crushed by a conveyor carriage weighing nearly 4 tons at an automotive assembly plant, could have been averted if his employer followed federal safety standards, OSHA investigators determined.
Poor communication led to Houston Ship Channel collision, says NTSB
Agency reiterates recommendation for a vessel separation policy
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the Miss Susan, a shallow draft towing vessel with two barges, and the Summer Wind, a deep draft bulk carrier, collided on March 22, 2014, because the towing vessel crossed the Houston Ship Channel, impeding the passage of the bulk carrier that was transiting inbound, which could only transit within the channel.
Seven-ton buoy hits, kills 2 workers at Pearl Harbor naval facility
Two others injured
Stronger safety measures may have saved the lives of two workers who died at a Pearl Harbor naval maintenance facility in December 2014 after being struck by a 7-ton buoy, which has led OSHA to order safety upgrades.
