The April death of a construction worker killed by a falling beam has led OSHA to fine the worker’s employer and to issue multiple health and safety citations. According to OSHA, the company overstressed the beam during a demolition project, resulting in the beam’s failure.

The California Highway Patrol is looking into the inspection history of the dump truck that backed over and killed a construction employee and pinned his co-worker on Highway 17 near Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County, a tragedy that has devastated their employer, one of California’s oldest and largest construction companies.

In November, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced fines against businesses with workers who were killed when they were pulled into a wood chipper, burned in a refinery fire and crushed in collapsing grain bins and construction trenches. In all, OSHA issued 33 enforcement news releases that month, and over 50 more from Dec. 1 until just before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

More regulatory restrictions, pilots mistaking drones for birds and digital stress were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Dunn Paper Inc., in Port Huron for safety and health violations. MIOSHA inspectors determined that the company failed to adequately protect workers from amputation hazards posed by cooling fan blades, spinning flywheels and belts and pulleys.

Today is World Hearing Day, a day aimed at raising awareness and promoting ear and hearing care around the world. The theme for this year’s World Hearing Day is ‘Action for hearing loss: make a sound investment’. This aims to draw attention to the economic impact of hearing loss and cost effectiveness of interventions to address it.

At toxic cleanup sites across the country, environmental agencies have allowed groundwater contamination to go untreated and slowly diminish over time—a strategy that saves money for polluters but could cost taxpayers dearly and jeopardize drinking water supplies.

Employers and workers are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction, to be held May 8-12. Sponsored by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, the weeklong outreach event encourages employers and workers to pause during the work day to talk about fall hazards and prevention.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a proposed delay in the effective date of the rule entitled Occupational Exposure to Beryllium, from March 21, 2017, to May 20, 2017. The announcement follows a White House memorandum, entitled "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review," issued Jan. 20, 2017, that directed the department to undertake a review of any new or pending regulations and temporarily postpone the date that they would take effect.

Reports of possible drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continued to increase during FY 2016, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A recent list of pilot, air traffic controller, law enforcement and citizen reports of potential encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – more popularly called “drones" from February through September 2016 shows 1,274 such reports, 874 for the same period in 2015.