It’s a new year, and in many ways a fresh start; but not for the NORA (National Occupational Research Agenda) councils that continue to build on the efforts of the past two years. The ten sector councils from the second decade of NORA carried forward their work to improve occupational safety and health in industry sectors.

Statistics released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that workplace fatalities declined by less than one percent in 2017. The BLS’ 2017 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries noted that 5,147 fatal injuries were reported last year, as compared to 5,190 in 2016. The fatality rate among full-time workers was also down slightly.

Two workers were injured Sunday in Pennsylvania when they were struck by equipment they were using to clean the interior of a 20” underground pipeline. One worker was treated at a local hospital and released. The other was hospitalized with a broken arm.

Two years after a natural gas-fueled explosion rocked downtown Canton, Illinois, killing one person and injuring 11 others, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into the incident.

The oil and gas extraction industry continues to expand in the United States, but this growth comes with increased risks for workers in the industry. During 2003–2016, 1,485 oil and gas extraction workers were killed on the job, resulting in an annual fatality rate more than six times higher than the rate among all U.S. workers.

The owner of a property maintenance company in McDavid, Florida instructed an employee to ignite wood and debris inside an air burn box using a torch and gasoline. Those directions from to the proprietor of L.A. Disaster Relief and Property Maintenance LLC caused an explosion and left the worker with serious burn injuries. They also resulted in OSHA issuing citations and penalties to the company.

On oil and gas worksites, diesel engines power machines ranging from drilling rigs to high-powered hydraulic fracturing pumps, to generators and lighting equipment. The diesel exhaust from these engines, however, is a toxic mix of chemicals that includes small particles of carbon, or soot, which can be accidentally inhaled.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued urgent safety recommendations based on its investigation into the gas explosions and fires that rocked a residential section of a Massachusetts town in September. The incident in Merrimack Valley killed one person, sent at least 21 others to area hospitals and destroyed dozens of buildings.

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil tragedy struck and took the nation’s attention for months. Two-hundred million gallons of oil spilled, 16,000 miles is the range it spread across the coastline from Florida to Texas, 8,000 animals were killed, and 11 workers were killed due to the explosion. Communities around the Gulf of Mexico came to a halt, but lurking underneath this disaster was an older spill spewing from an oil platform that was damaged six years earlier.

A natural gas leak recently prompted evacuations of workers and road closures at 9th and Locust in downtown St. Louis. A hissing sound could be heard as gas escaped the line. Those who were evacuated could smell the gas.