News - Articles - Page 294

Four in ten U.S. cancer cases are likely preventable

November 27, 2017

Changing our behavior could help many more Americans avoid cancer, according to a new American Cancer Society (ACS) study that calculates the contribution of several modifiable risk factors to cancer occurrence. The study finds that more than four in ten cancer cases and deaths in the U.S. are associated with these major modifiable risk factors, many of which can be mitigated with prevention strategies.

A Confined Space blog post

Editorial board resigns after corporate takeover of worker-oriented public health journal

Jordan Barab

November 27, 2017

The entire 22-member Editorial Board of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health resigned this morning after a months-long struggle with the Journal’s new owners who have “have acted in a profoundly unethical fashion” and have moved the worker-oriented publication to a more corporate focus.

How to survive the holidays

November 27, 2017

Does the holiday season have you indulging in too much fattening food and too many adult beverages? Do the festivities leave you little time for your regular workouts? Do family gatherings re-ignite old conflicts or usher in new ones? (Oh, those political arguments between Uncle Mike and Cousin Betty!)

Calif. solar project workers contract Valley Fever

November 24, 2017

Cal/OSHA has cited six employers $241,950 for workplace safety and health violations after reports that workers contracted Valley Fever on a solar project construction site in Monterey County. Valley Fever is caused by a microscopic fungus known as Coccidioides immitis, which lives in the top two to 12 inches of soil in many parts of the state. When soil is disturbed by digging, driving, or high winds, fungal spores can become airborne and may be inhaled by workers.

Hazmat release earns Fla. company citations

November 23, 2017

OSHA has cited Tampa Electric Co. and Critical Intervention Services, a security services provider, for $43,458 in total proposed penalties, following a release of anhydrous ammonia – a chemical refrigerant – at its Gibsonton facility. OSHA responded to the incident on May 23, 2017 and determined that the ammonia release occurred when a relief valve activated after a pipeline became over pressurized. As a result, four workers were taken to the hospital for observation and released.

Highway, marine and railway deaths increase in 2016

November 22, 2017

Data released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday revealed that 2,030 more people died in transportation accidents in 2016 than in 2015, with highway fatalities accounting for 95 percent of all transportation fatalities in 2016. The data indicate 39,339 people lost their lives in transportation accidents in 2016, compared to 37,309 who died in 2015. In addition to the increase in highway fatalities, increases were also seen in the marine and railroad sectors, with a slight decrease in aviation fatalities.

Ceremony commemorates 49th anniversary of mine disaster

November 22, 2017

Hundreds of people gathered in Farmington, West Virginia on Sunday to commemorate a 49-year-old mining tragedy that killed 78 miners. The solemn ceremony held at Flat Run Memorial honored victims of the November 20, 1968 Farmington mine disaster in the Consol No. 9 coal mine north of Farmington and Mannington. There were 99 miners at work that day when an explosion rocked the mine. The blast was strong enough to be felt in Fairmont, almost 12 miles away. Fires caused by the blast burned for over a week.

WHO to farmers: Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals

Practice contributes to rise in antibiotic resistance

November 22, 2017

WHO is recommending that farmers and the food industry stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals. The new WHO recommendations aim to help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics that are important for human medicine by reducing their unnecessary use in animals. In some countries, approximately 80% of total consumption of medically important antibiotics is in the animal sector, largely for growth promotion in healthy animals.

Massive fine in fatal grain dust explosion

November 21, 2017

OSHA is proposing nearly two million dollars in fines against a Wisconsin corn milling facility, after five employees were killed in 12 others injured in a grain dust explosion. Among those injured in the May 31, 2017 accident at Didion Milling, Inc.: a 21-year-old employee who suffered a double leg amputation after being crushed by a railcar. OSHA found that the explosion likely resulted from Didion’s failures to correct the leakage and accumulation of highly combustible grain dust throughout the facility and to properly maintain equipment to control ignition sources.

The NTSB wants your feedback

November 21, 2017

The National Transportation Safety Board is seeking industry feedback on its draft strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2018-2022, in order to ensure that the agency is “taking the right approach to advancing the mission of improving transportation safety.” The Strategic Plan reflects the NTSB’s priorities for advancing the mission of improving transportation safety by setting three priority strategic goals: safety Leadership: We will continue to serve as a global leader in independent accident investigations, products, and services essential to transportation safety; engagement: We will engage external stakeholders to advance transportation safety and synergy: We will promote agency teamwork, innovation, and engagement to optimize operations.