Kevin Slates, a highly regarded scholar, educator and researcher in the occupational safety and health field and member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) for 14 years, is ASSP’s 2019 William E. Tarrants Outstanding Safety Educator.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is urging Congress to urge support of the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019, a bill to protect the public from exposure to the toxic substance. “Asbestos is a potent carcinogen. There is no safe level of exposure to it."

The progress of a Department of Energy (DOE) program to clean up the nation’s most dangerous nuclear waste sites appears to be slowing down even though it’s still devouring billions of dollars.

Construction is a high hazard activity. Workers face serious dangers posed by heavy machinery, sharp objects, falling objects, falls from heights, asbestos, silica, electrocutions, among many other hazards. It's in the best interest of workers and construction companies to ensure the highest safety standards.

An effort currently underway - timed to coincide with Construction Safety Week - is aimed at preventing fatalities and injuries from dropped objects. Through its 2019 Safety at Heights campaign, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) The campaign is providing employers and workers educational information at SafetyAtHeights.org.

Rama Krushna Chary, senior environment engineer for the drilling and technology directorate at Kuwait Oil Company and 10-year member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, is ASSP’s 2019 Edgar Monsanto Queeny Safety Professional of the Year. He has taken innovative steps to advance the safety and health profession while enhancing ASSP’s membership abroad.

May is National Electrical Safety Month, and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) reminds us that disasters bring serious risks for electrically related fatalities, injuries and property loss. To highlight those risks and ways to plan for severe weather events, this year’s campaign theme is “Electrical Safety during Disasters.”

OSHA issued a fine of $75,156 to packaging firm Ampac Mobile Holdings LLC after two workers were injured by machinery at the firm’s manufacturing plant in Mobile, AL, the agency announced in a recent release.

A fall from the fourth floor of a building under construction claimed the life of a 24-year-old worker last month. News sources say Alexander J. Kanouse fell at approximately 8 a.m. while working at a jobsite in Madison. When first responders arrived, Kanouse was barely breathing and was bleeding profusely from a head wound.

During Small Business Week, May 5-11, we celebrate entrepreneurs across the country for their willingness to take a risk and follow a dream. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, we have plenty to celebrate: more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.