Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) may not make the headlines like more dramatic injuries do, but they nonetheless have a considerable –and negative – impact on companies’ bottom lines. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports in 2013, MSD cases accounted for 33% of all worker injury and illness cases. Work related MSDs are among the most frequently reported causes of lost or restricted work time.

Safely operating large, potentially dangerous construction and agricultural equipment can be challenging. Information that enhances training and usage can help reduce the risks of working with such equipment. One source of information about equipment safety is the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which has resources available to both its 900+ members and to the general public.

Small- to mid-size employers participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program increased their investment in evidence-based interventions to improve worker health, according to a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Laurie Cluff, PhD, of RTI International and colleagues report an evaluation of the CDC’s National Healthy Worksite Program (NHWP).

A Texas-based contractor faces $12,934 in proposed penalties after three of its employees suffered fatal injuries while attempting to install a new antenna on a communications tower in Miami. That total corresponds to $4,311 per worker. The incident involving Tower King II Inc. occurred in a Miami suburb on Sept. 27, 2017.

Congress did right by public health in the FY 2018 budget it passed recently, according to the American Public Health Association (APHA). “By increasing funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other health agencies, Congress has shown its commitment to improving the health of all communities and investing in activities that keep our country healthy and safe,” according to a statement released by the organization.

On November 14, 2017, the day before our Most Wanted List (MWL) progress meeting, we concluded our investigation into the April 2016 Amtrak train derailment in Chester, Pennsylvania. As I offer the closing words of this blog series highlighting the progress made to address issues on our list, the NTSB is presently investigating the December 2017 Amtrak train derailment in DuPont, Washington, and the February 2018 Amtrak train and CSX freight train collision near Cayce, South Carolina.

The co-owner and operator of a Kansas waterpark face murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and aggravated endangerment of a child charges in the death of ten-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated on a water slide in 2016. Jeffrey Wayne Henry, co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts in Kansas City, Kansas was arrested yesterday in Texas and held without bond, pending his extradition to Kansas to face charges.

Less than 40 percent of people with severe elevations in cholesterol are being prescribed appropriate drug treatment, according to a nationally representative study reported in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation. Data from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to estimate prevalence rates of self-reported screening, awareness and statin therapy among U.S. adults age 20 and older with severely elevated LDL or “bad cholesterol” levels of 190 mg/dL or higher.

Being cited seven times in the past five years for safety violations apparently has not made an impression on Jose A. Serrato. The independent roofing contractor based in Marietta, Georgia has again been cited by OSHA for exposing his workers to fall hazards – this time at a worksite in Birmingham. Current proposed penalties total $133,604.

Insomnia is costing U.S. companies more than $63 billion a year, according to a new white paper that examines the toll that insufficient sleep takes on safety and productivity at work. Entitled Sick, Unsafe, and Unproductive: Poor Employee Sleep Is Bad for Business, the publication from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)  notes that sleep is a basic biological need, and getting less than seven hours of it a night (for the average person) can have serious detrimental consequences for an individuals’ long-term health, safety, and performance.