Inadequate shoring may have caused the roof collapse yesterday in Houston that injured nine construction workers at a hotel being built in north Houston. According to news sources, the incident occurred while workers were pouring concrete.

The quality of sleep, more than the quantity, has a lot to do with save behaviors in the workplace, according to Colorado State University (CSU) researchers who studied the relationship between the two as it applied to Portland-area construction workers. The research, which was part of an Oregon Healthy Workforce study, compared the workers’ self-reported sleep patterns with reports of safety behavior and workplace injuries.

Dueling ads currently playing out on the nation’s TV screens show both sides in an escalating conflict involving manufacturers, health experts and federal regulators. PSAs produced by the FDA warn American children about the dangers of e-cigarette use, or vaping. Meanwhile, e-cigarettes – whose makers have so far managed to evade the ban on tobacco advertising, despite the fact that the devices contain tobacco – are portrayed as health aids which can assist smokers in quitting the use of conventional cigarettes.

A New York Police Department (NYPD) sergeant died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday afternoon – the seventh suicide among NYPD personnel this year, and the fifth since June. News reports say the 30-year-old, who had eight years’ experience on the police force, was found at his home on Staten Island after he failed to report for work.

OSHA has cited Transdev Services Inc. for exposing employees at a Norcross, Georgia, worksite to safety and health hazards. The company faces $188,714 in penalties. OSHA cited Transdev Services for obstructing access to emergency eyewash and shower stations designed to minimize the effects of employee exposure to corrosive chemicals. OSHA also cited the company for failing to ensure to label hazardous chemicals; provide training on hazardous chemicals and incipient stage firefighting and fire extinguisher use; and train and evaluate forklift operators properly.

Because the pickup truck that collided with a group of motorcyclists in New Hampshire last month had a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds, its driver was not required to have a CDL. That’s one of the findings in a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the June 21 accident that killed seven motorcyclists and injured three others.

Four major automakers have reached an agreement with California on fuel economy standards that would reduce emissions – and the American Lung Association (ALA) approves. Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, and BMW this week agreed to increase the average fuel economy of their new vehicle fleets to nearly 50 miles per gallon by model year 2026 - an increase of 3.7 miles per gallon per year.

With recent bouts of extreme heat affecting large parts of the nation – and more likely up ahead - heat stroke – when the body’s cooling system fails - has gained considerable attention as a risk for outdoor workers. Symptoms include a rapid heartbeat, hot, red skin due to the inability to sweat and internal temperatures rising to dangerous levels.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined Tuesday that Amtrak’s and CSX Transportation’s failure to properly assess and mitigate the risk of conducting switching operations during a signal suspension, coupled with a CSX conductor’s error, led to the collision of an Amtrak train with a CSX train near Cayce, South Carolina.