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.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published a new webpage on Suicide and Occupation. The page includes factors that are linked to increased risk of suicide among occupations, ways to prevent suicide in the workplace, and a host of other resources. There were more than 47,000 deaths by suicide in the U.S. in 2017. It was the second leading cause of death among people 10 to 34 years of age.

Although a decades-long decline in the breast cancer death rate continues (with a slowdown in recent years), breast cancer incidence rates are on the rise. These trends are outlined in Breast Cancer Statistics, 2019-2020, the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) biennial update of breast cancer statistics in the United States, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and the accompanying Breast Cancer Facts & Figures.

As the keynote speaker at the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) Fall Conference, safety expert Richard Hawk presented "The Future of Safety in Manufacturing Plants: A Hawk-Eye View of What's on the Safety and Health Horizon." Hawk, who has more than 35 years of experience in the health and safety field, offered tips for how to energize on-site safety trainings at manufacturing plants and facilities.

A new report from the CDC sheds some possible light on the spate of lung injuries associated with e-cigarette use. Although the exact cause of the injuries is unknown, the latest findings – which were published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) – suggest that THC products are playing a role in the outbreak.

OSHA is investigating two workplace deaths that occurred last Thursday – in Pennsylvania and Illinois. News reports say 38-year-old Luke Marzano was part of a crew cleaning up the site of the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. headquarters – which was demolished four months ago – when he was killed in an incident.