Occupations and sleep, health experts object to ACA repeal and hazards posed by tornado cleanup were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

The National Transportation Safety Board TSB) has launched a 15-member Go Team to investigate today’s derailment of a Union Pacific freight train near Graettinger, Iowa. Initial reports received by the NTSB’s Response Operations Center indicate there were no injuries or fatalities associated with the derailment of 27 rail tank cars near Jack Creek in Iowa. Those reports further indicated the train consist included three locomotives and 101 cars, 100 of which were reported to be carrying ethanol.

Each year, nearly 25,000 Americans visit the emergency room due to a workplace eye injury. Each day, over 2,000 Americans suffer an eye injury. This means that almost one million Americans have experienced some vision loss due to eye injury, which has resulted in more than $300 million in lost work time, medical expenses and workman’s compensation.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), OSHA and partners like ASSE and AIHA are encouraging employers to hold special activities during June 12-18, designated as Safe + Sound Week. The event is a nationwide effort to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs among workplaces.

A worker at a poultry processing plant in Selbyville, Delaware suffered severe injuries in a chemical accident last month. According to news reports, the 34-year-old employee of Mountaire Farms caused a small chemical explosion when he accidentally mixed two cleaning chemicals together “that cannot be mixed together,” said Fire Chief Matt Sliwa of the Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company (SVFC).

March is Sleep Awareness Month. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society determined that adults require at least 7 hours of sleep per day to promote optimal health. Short sleep duration (< 7 hours per day) has been linked to various negative health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression, as well as safety issues related to drowsy driving and injuries.

As residents recover from the damage caused by the recent tornadoes and severe storms in Missouri and Kansas, OSHA is urging recovery workers, employers and the public to use caution during cleanup efforts. The agency urges all to be aware of hazards they may encounter, and steps needed to to stay safe and healthy.

“Americans with heart disease and stroke will not get the affordable, accessible and adequate coverage they need under the House proposal to overhaul the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As many as 15 million individuals could lose their coverage under this draft legislation, according to multiple estimates."

A Massachusetts company will develop a safety and health plan that will serve as a benchmark for subcontractors working on a new Science Center at Amherst College, under a strategic partnership signed with OSHA.

A union representing European workers is pleased with what it says is an important step toward reducing occupational cancers. The European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs voted late last month to amend the European Commission’s proposal for a directive amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work.