After a six-month investigation, OSHA has issued citations to the employer of an Ohio man killed in a trench collapse last December – and they weren’t the first for the company. In the most recent fatality, JK Excavating & Utilities, Inc. employee Zach Hess died when a trench he was working in collapsed.

I took a week off compiling this list. No change in the deadly work that American workers do, except that workers have fewer rights than they did two weeks ago — especially public employees. In other news, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed an appropriations bill requiring OSHA to start listing names of workers killed on their homepage again, but we will continue with the Weekly Toll here at Confined Space.

OSHA is postponing enforcement of certain requirements of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general industry. Requirements originally scheduled for enforcement on June 25 will not be enforced until Aug. 9.

The European Trade Union Confederation and Institute (ETUC and ETUI) held a three-day symposium in Brussels recently at which trade unionists, policy makers and academics brainstormed about initiatives that will be needed to cope with four global mega trends that are radically changing the world of work.

As a safety professional, your job is anything but static. Changes initiated by you or by upper management and implemented by you are inevitable. That process can go smoothly – or not. A new study sheds some light on how employee engagement in the change process impacts how well change is implemented.

Drones have thoroughly worked their way into a variety of non-business uses, from videotaping weddings to capturing beautiful images of scenic tourist attractions, so it’s likely that they are also finding their way into the nation’s favorite summertime holiday. The Federal Aviation Agency wants drone operators to keep safety in mind.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is sharply critical of a bill passed last week in California that prevents local communities in the state from adopting any new local sugary drink taxes for the next 12 years. The AHA calls Assembly Bill 1838 “a last-minute, backroom deal negotiated and written in secret by beverage industry lobbyists and their allies” and warns that it is a significant step backwards in the ongoing effort to reduce overconsumption of sugary drinks.

As most working parents know, finding the right work-life balance can be tricky. Music recitals, sports practices and games, field trips, doctor appointments, homemade family dinners, and … a 40-hour (or, in some cases, more) work week?

The severity of the opioid epidemic is well-documented. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that drug overdose deaths in the United States more than tripled from 1999 to 2015.[1] From 2015 to 2016, opioid overdose deaths increased by more than 20 percent—rising from 52,898 in 2016 to 64,070 deaths in 2017.[2]

Add to the growing body of research on the dangers of prolonged sitting a new American Cancer Society (ACS) study which links sitting time with a higher risk of death from all causes. And- exercise doesn’t help offset that risk.