Approximately 60 Amazon warehouse workers in Eagan, Minnesota walked out of their workplace last week mid-shift, to protest working conditions, pay and limits on total weekly hours that prevent them from receiving health care benefits. Among the workers’ demands: weight restrictions on the boxes they must lift, which currently can weigh up to 70 pounds.

Like many small businesses starting out, SigmaPro Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC had a safety program in place, but they were unsure if it met all of the state and federal requirements. The small electronic connector manufacturing facility in northern Fort Worth, Texas found the Texas Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program (OSHCON) on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website and set up a consultation with a Texas OSHCON safety consultant in their area.

A stuntwoman’s death on the set of the movie Deadpool 2 was due to her employer’s failure to conduct a risk assessment and other violations, according to WorkSafeBC, the Canadian agency that monitors and enforces workplace safety in the province of British Columbia. In the 2017 incident, stunt double Joi Harris was killed while reportedly riding a motorcycle down a ramp laid atop a set of stairs.

Training landscapers in water efficiency, using “edutainers” to teach water conservation tips to children and encouraging consumers to buy WaterSense products are among the strategies states are using to head off – or at least, minimize - water shortages expected in the years ahead. “Forty states anticipate experiencing fresh water shortages in certain regions within their borders over the next decade,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

It may seem like common sense, but the Federal Aviation Administration nonetheless has had to declare a No Drone Zone at the site of the world’s largest hot air balloon festival. This year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will take place October 6 – 14 at Balloon Fiesta Park. It is expected to draw more than 500 hot air balloons.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for new national requirements for seating and seat belt systems on limousines, citing evidence gathered in investigations of accidents in three states, including the October 18 crash of a stretch limousine in Schoharie, New York, that killed the driver, 17 passengers and two pedestrians.

Many occupational safety and health professionals perform tasks outside of their main area of expertise, according to a recent survey on their continuing education needs published in the American Journal of Industrial Hygiene icon. The survey built on the 2011 National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, also called the Westat report, which had similar findings.

There are no standards in place to govern how data gleaned from wearables is used and protected, but, according to Lydia Baugh, director of external affairs at the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), that might be about to change. At its next annual meeting in November, the ISEA plans to start having discussions with its members about developing privacy and use standards — or at least guidance — for the data collected from wearables, how workers can view this information and in what ways the data can be analyzed to predict trends and patterns so as to better assist workers.

OSHA has cited Howard Industries Inc. – a manufacturer and supplier of electrical transmission and distribution equipment – for exposing employees to struck-by and fall hazards after a fatality at the company’s Laurel, Mississippi, facility. The company faces $53,040 in penalties. The employee was performing a leak test on a transformer when a drive chain supporting the equipment failed.

California Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday signed into law nearly 22 measures aimed at preventing and fighting wildfires, which have caused tremendous damage and loss of life in the state in recent years. The bills were based on key recommendations from a state task force.