A distracted driving tragedy, a save for coal miners’ health care and a climate change standard were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Pickup driver was texting, on meds at time of 13-fatality crash
The driver of a pickup truck was texting before crashing into a bus in Texas and killing all 13 people in it, according to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board NTSB about the March 29 accident near Concan, Texas.
This week in OSHA enforcement
A forklift fatality, amputations and fall hazards
A contract worker was seriously injured when a trolley struck and crushed him inside the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Brundidge, Ala. OSHA cited Wal-Mart and the worker’s employer, Swisslog Logistics Inc., for serious and willful violations for exposing workers to caught-between, struck-by and crushing hazards and for failing to implement lockout/tagout procedures.
Still time to participate in National Safety Stand-Down
OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction takes place next week, May 8-12. It’s a voluntary event during which employers are asked to take a break – or “stand down” – and have a conversations with their workers about fall hazards and fall prevention. It can also be an opportunity for employees to talk to management about fall hazards they see on the job.
A FairWarning story
Open burning at U.S. military sites inflames activists in nearby towns
Soon after Erin Card moved to within two miles of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia two years ago, she began to notice threads of smoke that occasionally rose above the heavily wooded site. She started asking about the source, and eventually was stunned by what she learned: Toxic explosives were being burned in the open air.
Texas kids may learn workplace safety in schools
Readin', writin' and...staying safe on the job
A Texas measure that would encourage school districts and educators to include workplace health and safety training information in the curricula of grades 7-12 schoolkids got a boost from AIHA President Steven E. Lacey, PhD, CIH, CSP, who traveled to the state to testify in support of the bill at a House Public Education Committee hearing.
New ISO standard for climate action framework under development
Greenhouse gases (GHG) are identified as the principal cause of climate change and managing them is crucial to help us adapt to its consequences. To address the issue, initiatives are being developed on an international, regional, national and local scale to limit GHG concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere.
CSB IDs cause of 2015 ExxonMobil refinery explosion
Process safety management (PSM) failures were behind the 2015 explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California – an event that raised gas prices in California and cost drivers in the state an estimated $2.4 billion.
Political talk causing stress in the workplace
American workers are more likely to say they are feeling stressed and cynical because of political discussions at work now than before the 2016 presidential election, according to survey results released today by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Santa Fe votes down tax on sugary drinks
Voters in Santa Fe, New Mexico have defeated a measure that would have levied a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The revenues raised by the tax would have gone toward making pre-kindergarten education available to approximately 1,000 children and funded nearly 200 jobs in early education.
Workplace violence claims two lives at Fla. gym
A recently fired trainer at an upscale Coral Gables gym returned to his former workplace a short time later and shot two supervisors to death. News sources say 33-year-old Abeku Wilson walked into the exclusive Equinox club last month and shot 35-year-old General Manager Janine Ackerman and 42-year-old Fitness Manager Marios Hortis before turning the gun on himself.
A Confined Space blog post
Weekly Toll: Death in the Workplace
Death in the workplace does not stop for Workers Memorial Day
Jordan Barab
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Ali Khan, a 38-year-old United cab driver was shot and killed while on duty early Friday morning, according to information acquired by the New Orleans Advocate. The incident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Lake Forest Boulevard and Michoud Boulevard, close to Interstate 10.
Congress saves coal miners' health care benefits
More than 20,000 coal miners are breathing a sigh of relief today, after winning a last-minute reprieve for their health care benefits, which were about to end due to coal company bankruptcies.
A Confined Space blog post
FY 2017 OSHA budget slashes funding in standards, statistics
Jordan Barab
The FY 2017 Omnibus Budget bill that was released by Congress today provides a flat overall budget for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and a $2 million cut in the budget of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The standards programs of both agencies were cut, while compliance assistance was increased.
Ala. trucking company won't keep on trucking
Feds find numerous safety violations after deadly crash
A truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel turned out to be the tip of the iceberg for investigators at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), who found that both the trucker and his employer had multiple safety violations – some of which led to a fatal crash.
Research aims to keep airport zones drone-free
In an effort to keep drones away from airports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is continuing its detection research – this time at Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport.
Dropped objects protection standard in the works
Some leading safety equipment manufacturers are joining forces to help to standardize the solutions available to protect workers from objects falling from heights – a type of accident that accounts for about five percent of all workplace fatalities.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Observed in the U.S. since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month is intended to bring attention to mental health problems, and what can be done to diagnose, treat and de-stigmatize them. One in 5 Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime, according to The National Alliance on Mental Health Illness (NAMI) -- which notes that just about every American is affected or impacted through their friends and family.
