The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the Aug. 10, 2016, natural gas fueled explosion and fire in a Maryland apartment building that killed seven people was caused by the failure of an indoor mercury service regulator with an unconnected vent line. The unconnected vent line and failed service regulator resulted in a leak of natural gas that accumulated in the apartment building’s meter room until it reached explosive levels and ignited.

Strains, cuts and slip and falls are the top causes of injuries in Colorado’s cannabis industry, according to Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer. Pinnacol recently released an analysis of the cannabis industry’s most common occupational injury trends in Colorado.

New York City has passed a measure that caps emissions for large buildings – part of a handful of bills called the Climate Mobilization Act that are intended to combat climate change on a municipal level. The measure will likely create thousands of blue collar jobs – and likely cost the city’s landlords billions of dollars.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are hoping that a $5.6 million public safety awareness campaign will make Americans take railroad crossing safety more seriously. The numbers suggest that that is not currently the case. Every four hours in America, a person or vehicle is struck by a train at a rail crossing.

The Walt Disney Company has been fined $13,260 for failing to report two workers’ injuries in a timely manner. The injuries occurred at the company’s Epcot Center and Beach Club Resort in December 2018. One was serious enough that the employee required surgery.

A fatal fall, hazmat exposure and trenching hazards are among the workplace conditions that resulted in federal and state OSHA violations in recent cases.

A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) with 17 years’ experience in the field has found a way to communicate safety messages to workers by way of their taste buds. Cynthia Braun, who is also a Certified Environmental Trainer (CET), and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), is the is the President and Principal Consultant of Braun Safety Associates, LLC, an occupational safety consulting and training firm in Littleton, CO.

A skilled nursing facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming has achieved injuries, illnesses and lost days that are dramatically below the average for their industry since it began working with Wyoming OSHA Consultation. From 2016 through 2017, the Davis Hospice Center’s Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC) rate was zero, and their Days Away from Work, Job Transfer and Restriction (DART) rate was also zero. These rates are astounding when discussing the healthcare industry and health and safety challenges they face.

Farm workers are at high risk for heat-related illness in hot temperatures, especially during summer crop production. Farming is also physically demanding, further increasing the likelihood of developing heat-related illness. In California, where an estimated 30%-40% of U.S. farm workers are employed, temperatures in the state’s Central Valley – are typically in the 90s in June and July.