According to new data released by CDC, so far during the 2018-2019 season between about 6 and 7 million people have been sick with flu, up to half of those people have sought medical care for their illness, and between 69,000 and 84,000 people have been hospitalized from flu. This is the first time these estimates— which cover the period from October 1, 2018 through January 5, 2019— are being provided during the flu season.

A health care system serving several communities in Kansas is enjoying sharply lower workers compensation premiums after reaching out to the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL), Safety Assistance and Consultation Program, for help accessing and improving its workplace safety policies and procedures. Community HealthCare System (CHCS) focuses on serving rural citizens.

Female nurses who administer antineoplastic drugs – medications used to treat cancer – don’t always wear protective clothing, according to a new NIOSH study published online in the American Journal of Nursing, accompanied by a video abstract. This is one of the first studies to explore the use of antineoplastic drugs and personal protective equipment among non-pregnant and pregnant female nurses.

One worker died and two others were injured Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina when they were buried in a collapse at an excavated area. News sources say the accident occurred at 11:15 a.m. at a worksite where affordable housing is under construction.

OSHA is using alliances formed recently with both private and public sector organizations across the U.S. to get out in front of potential safety issues and focus on injury prevention rather than enforcement. In Erie, Pennsylvania, OSHA and Turner Construction have formed a strategic partnership to promote workplace safety during the construction of a 200,000 square-foot, seven-floor hospital building.

OSHA has cited Noah’s Ark Processors LLC — based in Hastings, Nebraska — for process safety management violations after an employee suffered severe burns caused by exposure to anhydrous ammonia, a gas used as an industrial refrigerant. The beef processing plant faces penalties of $182,926 for 16 serious safety violations.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao last week announced proposed new rules and a pilot project to allow unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, to fly overnight and over people without waivers under certain conditions and to further integrate drones safely into the national airspace system.

The National Safety Council has posted an online version of the Injury Facts reference book for safety statistics. The free resource features a section on workplace safety that includes work-related injury and fatality trends, and how to benchmark an organization's injury and illness incidence rates with national averages.

A new report says that “systemic failures” in the U.S. food safety system have led to a sharp increase in recalls of contaminated foods since 2013. How Safe is Our Food?, from U.S. Public Interest Research Groups’ (PIRG) Education Fund, found that many types of food recalls have increased since the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011.

The increasingly competitive marketplace of products related to occupational safety and health offers up a continuing cornucopia of goods and services, emerging technology and ways to address emerging risks. How do you make your company’s products stand out from the rest of the pack?