Mindfulness and EHS, technology’s role in traffic accident prevention and the consequence of an aviation company’s “casual” attitude toward safety were among this week’s top stories posted on ISHN.com.
Chemical accident prevention tops list of long-term CSB goals
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released its 2017–2021 Strategic Plan, which includes an updated mission and vision statement that will guide the activities and objectives of the CSB.
AIHA seeks safety pro who’s made extraordinary contributions to IH
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is seeking nominations for its highly coveted Fellow Award, which will be presented at the 2017 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce), held June 4-7 in Seattle, WA.
A FairWarning.org story:
Swarms of drug industry lobbyists and campaign cash stymie bid to restrain Medicare prescription costs
When the Republican-controlled Congress approved a landmark program in 2003 to help seniors buy prescription drugs, it slapped on an unusual restriction: The federal government was barred from negotiating cheaper prices for those medicines. Instead, the job of holding down costs was outsourced to the insurance companies delivering the subsidized new coverage, known as Medicare Part D.
OSHA delays enforcement of part of injury and illness tracking rule
OSHA has agreed to further delay enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions in its injury and illness tracking rule until Dec. 1, 2016. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas requested the delay to allow additional time to consider a motion challenging the new provisions.
Can technology eliminate highway crashes?
Will rapidly developing technology-based safety enhancements for vehicles be able to counter human error – which causes more than 30,000 traffic fatalities a year on U.S. roads?
Ark., La. and W. Va have this dubious distinction
The Southeastern part of the U.S. has an especially high workplace fatality rate, with 5.2 work-related injury deaths per 100,000 workers in 2014, compared with 3.8 nationwide, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
A dozen years of PSM failures led to fatal plant explosion, fire
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) says the deadly June 13, 2013, explosion and fire at the Williams Olefins Plant in Geismar, Louisiana was 12 years in the making.
NTSB: Mismanaged approach caused charter plane crash
Company had “casual” attitude toward compliance
The National Transportation Safety Board determined Tuesday that the flight crew’s mismanagement of the approach and multiple deviations from standard operating procedures caused the Nov. 10, 2015, crash of a Part 135 on-demand charter flight in Akron, Ohio. The charter company’s casual attitude toward compliance with standards was a contributing factor in the accident.
From NSC Congress & Expo
OSHA reveals Top 10 violations for 2016
OSHA yesterday announced the preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2016. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the list at the NSC Congress & Expo.
Fla. tree trimmer electrocuted
OSHA: Monster Tree Service failed to follow proper safety measures
Had proper precautions been taken, a 34-year-old tree trimmer would not have been fatally electrocuted when an aluminum pole saw made contact with overhead power lines, an OSHA investigation has found.
Report: European handling of workplace violence is uneven
Last month, the European Commission published a report aimed at assessing the framework agreement on harassment and violence at work adopted in 2007 by the European social partners. The document reports wide disparities between countries with regard to the implementation of the agreement and its real impact at company level.
Feds focus safety week on teen drivers
Traffic deaths in the first half of 2016 are still going up, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging parents and teens to take essential steps to prevent accidents during National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 16-22).
From 2016 NSC Congress & Expo
Keynote: Eliminating preventable deaths
NSC president and CEO Deborah Hersman, asked audience members if it’s possible to eliminate preventable deaths. In her opening she said to focus on starting with your team and moving up from there. She asked attendees to stand if they thought it is possible to eliminate all preventable workplace injuries.
Mindful, or mind full? Bringing mindfulness to EHS
Part 2
In part one of this article, we covered quite a lot – what mindfulness is, why it’s relevant to EHS, and where, as humans, we have the most control over our lives. Moving on from distractions and reactions, here we’re going to look at solutions.
Study: Lack of control over high-stress jobs can lead to early grave
Previous academic research has found that having greater control over your job can help you manage work-related stress. But it's never suggested that it was a matter of life and death -- until now. New research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business finds that those in high-stress jobs with little control over their workflow die younger or are less healthy than those who have more flexibility and discretion in their jobs and are able to set their own goals as part of their employment.
The U.S. Presidential election is stressing us out!
It’s equal for Republicans and Democrats
Facing one of the most adversarial contests in recent history and daily coverage of the presidential election that dominates every form of mass media, 52 percent of American adults report that the 2016 election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. The survey was conducted online among adults 18+ living in the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association.
Six missing after explosion, fire in German chemical plant
An explosion and fire this morning at a massive chemical plant in Lampertheim, Germany has killed one person and injured seven others, six seriously. News sources are reported that six people are missing, although they are warn that the incident is still unfolding and new information could become available.
Mindful, or mind full? Bringing mindfulness to EHS
Part 1
What are you doing right now? Chances are you’ve got a number of things on your mind. You are reading, check, you may be drinking a coffee, waiting on an email or half-working on the report that’s due by the end of the week.
