The latest data on workplace fatalities, pushback to OSHA’s new silica standard and walking may be healthy, but it’s not safe – at least not in the U.S. Those were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
More autonomy in workplace corresponds to lower blood pressure
Employees with the highest level of job control – such as the ability to make work-related decisions on their own – are less likely to have high blood pressure than those with lower levels of control, according to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its university partners.
Opposition to OSHA’s silica rule triggers lawsuits
Labor and business interests have raced to the courthouse to fire off lawsuits against OSHA’s new silica standard.
China crane collapse kills 18
Investigation launched
Chinese authorities said 18 people were killed and another 18 were injured in an accident at a construction site in Dongguan city in the eastern Guandong province in April. The accident occurred after a crane fell on a shed that was sheltering the construction workers due to heavy winds, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
Deaths in construction increased 9 percent in 2014
In 2014, 4,821 people were killed on the job, up 5 percent from the 4,585 reported in 2013 and the highest number since 2008, when 5,214 were killed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
OSH management standard to help abate psychosocial risks
The theme for today’s international event, World Day for Safety and Health at Work, “Workplace Stress: a collective challenge,” stems from a growing recognition of the impact of psychosocial risks and work-related stress among researchers, practitioners and policymakers, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
ASSE to bestow Fellow distinction on two women for their work in occupational safety and health
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has announced two past Society presidents -- Nancy McWilliams of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Kathy Seabrook of Mendham, New Jersey -- will receive the honor of Fellow, its highest distinction, recognizing their career-long commitment to worker safety and their leadership in the occupational safety and health profession.
Making an Icon: The Stories of the Men Who Built the Golden Gate Bridge
“One day I heard they were going to start the Golden Gate Bridge, and I says well, I’ll try it. I never been up 746 feet but I’ll try it anyhow.”
Workplace fatalities have increased
The leading cause of workplace death is also most-violated OSHA Standard
Just in time for Workers Memorial Day, a new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health finds that the number of workers who died on the job is on the upswing. Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,“Preventable Deaths 2016,” reports that 4,821 workers died on the job fromtraumatic events in the workplace in 2014, a 5.1% increase from 4,585 deaths in 2013.
U.S. taking safety tips from European cities
Pedestrians and bicyclists far safer there than in U.S.
Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Oslo, Norway face many of the same challenges as cities in the United States, including: rapid growth, urbanization, congestion, climate change and increased freight traffic yet on a recent visit there, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx navigated city streets safely on a bicycle.
International Workers Memorial Day commemorated around the world
Maureen Paraventi
In Italy, tomorrow’s International Workers Memorial Day events will include a MAI PIU’ AMIANTO (No More Asbestos) rally in Rome, promoted by the country’s trade unions.
DOT proposes new safety regs for motorcoaches, buses
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today proposed a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that will help reduce fatalities and injuries in motorcoach and large bus crashes by mitigating occupant ejection.
At last-
NTSB locates sunken cargo ship’s “black box”
A team of investigators and scientists brought a long search to an end yesterday when they located the voyage date recorder of the cargo ship El Faro in the Bahamas. The device was found about 41 miles (36 nautical miles) northeast of Acklins and Crooked Islands, in 15,000 feet of water.
Smog reduction has Southern California children breathing easier
A USC study that tracked Southern California children over a 20-year period has found they now have significantly fewer respiratory symptoms as a result of improved air quality.
Wisconsin paper mill worker killed while servicing operating conveyer belt
No lockout-tagout used
A machine operator who suffered fatal injuries as he serviced a high-speed conveyor belt in a Ladysmith paper mill in October 2015 might still be alive if his employer had ensured that equipment was powered down and locked out before the 46-year-old man entered the hazardous area.
Alarming jump in pedestrian fatalities prompts NTSB forum
Concern over a five-year, 19-percent increase in pedestrian fatalities has caused the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to put together a Pedestrian Safety Forum that will take place on May 10, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
FAA uses #FlySafe campaign to help prevent loss of control accidents
General aviation accidents in U.S. claimed 384 lives last year
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and general aviation (GA) group’s #FlySafe national safety campaign aims to educate the GA community on best practices in calculating and predicting aircraft performance, and on operating within established aircraft limitations.
A NIOSH Science Blog post
Partnering to promote workplace safety and health in tribal communities
Over 5.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) live across the United States. In 2013, approximately 1,319,000 AI/AN workers were employed in the U.S. workforce1,2. AI/AN workers are 42 percent more likely to be employed in a high-risk occupation (defined as an occupation where the injury and illness rate is more than twice the national average) as compared to non-Hispanic Whites.3
Pipeline fights move to state level
After securing the necessary federal permits, a company that wants to build a 124-mile gas pipeline found itself blocked at the state level on Friday – Earth Day – when New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied water quality permits for the project.
Health organizations take aim at high blood pressure crisis in U.S.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA) announced a milestone collaboration to counter the epidemic of cardiovascular and kidney disease in the U.S. This partnership represents a major joint effort between these two longstanding health organizations to combat this public health problem.
Post-fatality citation signals enforcement of new confined space in construction standard
A 42-year-old laborer leak testing joints inside a 54-inch round pipe suffered fatal blunt force injuries in October 2015, when an inflatable “bladder” ruptured at a Springfield waste-water treatment plant. OSHA inspectors found that his employer, Henderson Construction of Central Illinois Inc., failed to train him properly on the testing procedure.
