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Although smoking rates have dropped dramatically in the U.S. - from 42% in 1965 to 14% in 2017 - some groups continue to have high prevalence of cigarette smoking. That’s according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), which is using the upcoming Great American Smokeout as an opportunity to highlight this “hidden epidemic.”

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) bestowed its 2019 Robert B. Hurley Distinguished Service Award on Abby Ferri, CSP at its Award Dinner on Nov. 18 at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington Va. “The Distinguished Service Award is reserved for an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement and promotion of workplace safety and health,” said Charles Johnson, President of ISEA.

Help your employees protect themselves. Online training is now available 24/7/365. Phylmar Academy's 45-minute online course, Protect Yourself: Wildfire Smoke Employee Training, is now live.

The National Safety Council (NSC) and OSHA have renewed their commitment to continue working together to promote workplace health and safety. Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO, and Loren Sweatt, deputy assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, yesterday signed an Alliance Program Ambassador relationship. The two organizations have been in an Alliance since 2003.

Construction trade and extraction workers (CTEW) are at high-risk for drug use, according to a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, that found marijuana, cocaine, and non-prescription opioid (NPO) use in particular was higher among that group. Construction trade and extraction workers: A population at high risk for drug use in the United States, 2005–2014 also revealed that: Precarious employment was associated with increased odds of marijuana and NPO use.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi cause more than 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to a report released recently by the CDC. That means, on average, someone in this country gets an antibiotic-resistant infection every 11 seconds and every 15 minutes someone dies.

Integrating autonomous vehicle policies into your fleet safety management systems; a restaurant manager dies from a toxic mix of cleaning chemicals and no U.S. mine earns Pattern of Violation status. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Occupational hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses in the United States. Each year, about 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels at work. More than 30 million are exposed to chemicals, some of which are harmful to the ear (ototoxic) and hazardous to hearing. In addition to damaging workers’ quality of life, occupational hearing loss carries a high economic price to society.

The winter holiday season is a festive and eventful time, yet statistics show that home fires and electrical incidents increase during this time of year. In the spirit of the season, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is reminding homeowners of safety tips and providing free resources to help them prevent household fires and accidents caused by improper cooking and heating practices.

Many companies are interested in the concept of "Culture of Health" to improve health and well-being throughout their organization. But some current definitions don't encompass the full range of social influences essential for building a Culture of Health, according to an editorial in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.