The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 27 mining fatalities occurred in 2018 - the second lowest number ever recorded. Eighteen fatalities occurred at surface operations; nine occurred in underground mines.

A New York City firefighter was killed in the line of duty last week when he fell more than 50 feet to his death while responding to a traffic accident in Brooklyn.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Included in this bill is funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meals, and other critical nutrition programs, which were set to lose funding next month due to the partial government shutdown.

Occupational safety experts: We want YOU to share your safety and health experiences, insights and subject matter with our 71,000 subscribers! Industrial Safety & Health News is opening the doors and inviting experts in all fields relating to workplace safety to contribute articles to the magazine that is the leading editorial content provider in the safety and health marketplace.

A worker’s heat-related fatality last summer in Southern California has resulted in citations against the U.S. Postal Service for a repeated violation of OSHA’s General Duty Clause. The employee suffered hyperthermia while delivering mail in July 2018 when the outdoor temperature reached 117 degrees.

A rookie police officer – on the job for only a few weeks – was shot and killed Thursday night in Davis, California after responding to what appeared to be a routine call. News sources say 22-year-old Natalie Corona answered the call about an automobile accident and was gunned down by a man who opened fire at the scene.

The E. coli outbreak in the U.S. linked to romaine lettuce appears to be over. That’s the judgement of the CDC, which has issued a final update on the case, which resulted in 62 people in 16 states becoming ill from eating contaminated lettuce. Twenty-five people of them were hospitalized, including two people who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

A fall, a vehicle accident and a drowning during the second week of the new year claimed the lives of two construction workers and left a third hospitalized with critical injuries. In Orlando, Florida news sources say a worker employed by I-4 Ultimate fell 50 feet at a jobsite Monday afternoon.

OSHA has cited Maryland-based contractor Power Factor LLC for exposing workers to electrical hazards after an employee was fatally electrocuted while installing solar panels on a building in Fort Riley, Kansas. Inspectors determined that the employee was hoisting a metal rail that came into contact with energized overhead power lines.

The condition of the equipment that employees use or operate in an industrial setting can directly affect a company's productivity. It can also put workers' safety at risk. Here are six things that should factor into any decision about equipment replacement timelines.