News

RSS

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has come up with a new chemical management strategy that can quickly and accurately assign chemicals into categories, or “bands,” in order to protect workers from potentially harmful substances in the workplace. A vast number of chemical substances do not have occupational exposure limits (OELs) for the workplace.

The engines on a plane full of skydivers sounded normal, according to a witness, but moments later, it crashed just after takeoff from a Hawaii airport, killing all 11 people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) initial report into the June 21, 2019 incident provides no insight into possible causes of the crash. The NTSB investigation is ongoing.

“Until MSHA sets and strictly enforces an evidence-based, silica-specific dust standard, along with improved procedures for measuring and monitoring silica, the agency will not be fulfilling its mission to ‘prevent death, illness and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners."

Multiple hazards at Ohio workplace: OSHA issued 23 citations and $183,738 in penalties to Ohio Gratings, Inc., for inadequate machine guarding and recordkeeping, failing to ensure that workers used personal protective equipment, and exposing workers to struck-by hazards and flammable liquids.

Mine was painting fences in my neighborhood. I combined my love of the outdoors with earning money! One homeowner paid me in silver dollars that he had won in Las Vegas. Whether painting fences, working in the family business, or working in a local shop, restaurant, or office, summer jobs provide valuable opportunities for young people so they can earn money, gain independence, build self-esteem, and explore vocational interests.

Safety professionals know how it's necessary to take an all-encompassing look at how to keep workers productive and out of harm's way. For example, those employees might need personal protective equipment, but they also require training that teaches them how to do their jobs without encountering unnecessarily dangerous situations. In short, overlooking one aspect of worker safety could make all the other components of a program useless.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has recorded five new public service announcements (PSAs) discussing how to keep workers safe while performing cleanup and recovery operations following hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. The 30-second audio messages, recorded in English and Spanish, cover potential hazards posed by chainsaws, downed power lines, unstable surfaces, contaminated floodwaters, and mold exposure.

If you want to reduce your risk of having a heart attack, skip the supplements and cut down on salt instead. That’s the conclusion of a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, which also found that one supplement might actually increase your risk for having a stroke. The goal of the study was to explore the potential for nutritional supplements and dietary interventions to prevent “cardiovascular outcomes,” such as death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and coronary heart disease.

The skies over a dozen U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) locations are about to get a little less friendly for drones, otherwise known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). As of July 11, drone operators are forbidden to fly their aircraft over the following “national security sensitive” locations, based on a request by the DOD:

Although the use of asbestos has been banned in European Union (EU) nations since 2005, the substance remains a health risk in Europe due to its ubiquitous presence in many private and public buildings. Asbestos was one of the major agenda items at last month’s seminar on chemicals and worker protection held in Lisbon. Hosted by the European Trade Union Institute in Lisbon in collaboration with the General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP), the gathering brought together more than 40 union representatives from 21 European countries.