A multi-disciplinary approach and a first year focused on inspections and engagement are two elements of a new Process Safety initiative launched this year by WorkSafeBC, a governmental agency that looks after the safety of workers in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

We live in a noisy world. Some noises can damage our hearing, leading to hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and difficulty communicating especially in background noise. Permanent noise-induced hearing damage is incurable.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered Transdev North America to immediately stop transporting school children in the Babcock Ranch community in Southwest Florida on the EZ10 Generation II driverless shuttle. The NHTSA says Transdev’s use of the driverless shuttle to transport school children is unlawful and in violation of the company’s temporary importation authorization.

An OSHA investigation into a fatal incident at an Ohio company has resulted in citations and fines against the company, Globe Metallurgical Inc. OSHA inspectors determined that the employee suffered fatal burns after an explosion from a molten silicon spill.

President Trump this week signed into law comprehensive legislation aimed at slowing the nation’s opioid crisis. The 250-page bill called The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R.6): authorizes $36 million for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to train and resources to first responders and other key community members on protection from occupational exposure to fentanyl and other opioids, and how to respond if an exposure occurs.

A computer app that prompts desk workers to take breaks from sitting is showing real promise in helping reduce blood pressure in a significant and lasting way, reports a trial in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

More than 25 patient and consumer groups are warning that Trump administration guidance about Affordable Care Act (ACA) the issued this week will decrease health care protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the guidance will allow states to “move their insurance markets away from the one-size-fits-all rules and regulations imposed by the ACA and increase choice and competition within their insurance markets.”

Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, as part of its investigation into the May 2017 Didion Mill explosion, issued “Call to Action: Combustible Dust” to gather comments on the management and control of combustible dust from companies, regulators, inspectors, safety training providers, researchers, unions, and the workers affected by dust-related hazards.

Green construction, or building energy-efficient and sustainable structures, is in high demand. The push for more green buildings has led to construction workers using energy-efficient materials, like spray polyurethane foam insulation (spray foam). This material forms a continuous barrier on walls and corners, preventing moisture from getting inside of structures through cracks and seams.

People who were exposed to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center (WTC) have elevated rates of alcohol- or drug-related death, reports a study in the October issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. "Following a major disaster, alcohol- and drug-related mortality may be increased," according to the new research by Jim Cone, MD, and colleagues of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.