Fuel economy standards intended to combat climate change by reducing gas emissions are in for a rollback, if a proposal announced today by the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration goes into effect. Passed during the Obama administration, the standards were scheduled to become progressively tougher over time for new vehicles. The Trump administration proposal would freeze the standards at their 2020 levels for six years.

An employee of a Tennessee tire plant was killed May 8 when he was caught in the moving arms of an assembly machine. According to a report by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), 33-year-old Ben Shew, a mechanic at Specialty Tires of Unicoi, had completed a welding repair on the machine while the power was locked out.

A new Canadian study has linked four common hazardous substances to an aggressive form of early onset prostate cancer. The researchers from the University of Quebec studied nearly 2000 men who developed prostate cancer between 2005 and 2009.

Workplaces are not immune to the opioid epidemic in the U.S., which means employers are grappling with ways to manage and react to factors that affect their workforce and its health and productivity.

OSHA has cited Patterson-UTI Drilling, Crescent Consulting LLC, and Skyline Directional Drilling LLC for exposing employees to fire and explosion hazards after five employees suffered fatal injuries.

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.

The history and motivation behind the efforts NIOSH is putting into expanding and improving occupational safety and health in Wikipedia was discussed in earlier NIOSH Science Blogs (May 19,2015 and July 25, 2018) and thru the NIOSH January 2017 eNews.

REDDING, CALIF. —The National Park Service reports a second firefighter has died while battling the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County. On Sunday morning, Capt. Brian Hughes of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots was killed. According to the National Park Service, 33-year-old Hughes was on the east side of the fire in an area with many dead trees when he was struck by one.

Still-raging wildfires in California have already claimed eight lives and destroyed countless homes and other buildings – and they are likely to be followed by more fires, say the experts. Extreme heat and breezy conditions are forecast for the week ahead. That and the bone dry landscape make residents who’ve escaped the worst so far unable to breathe a sigh of relief – yet.

Turns out today is the 12th anniversary of the 35th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Why do we care? Because on this day 12 years ago, OSHA had a little ceremony headed by then-Assistant Secretary Ed Foulke. I’m sure Ed was great, but the highlight of the event was 30+ year OSHA employee Bill Smith, performing a song he had written for the occasion called “To Work Another Day.”