Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the National STD Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C. This surpassed the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases and marked the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases in these sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

A previous NIOSH report (2016)1 described the death of nine oil and gas extraction workers that occurred during gauging or sampling activities at open thief hatches on crude oil storage tanks. Hydrocarbon gases and vapors (HGVs) and associated oxygen displacement were the primary or contributory factors in these fatalities.

New research estimates that 4.5 percent of adults in the U.S. currently use e-cigarettes. That equates to more than 10.8 million e-cigarette users, most of them — 51.2 percent — under the age of 35 and about 60 percent are men. Those data come from an analysis of national self-reported health behaviors.

A measure gaining traction in New York City would require restaurants to serve healthy beverages rather than sugary drinks in kids’ meal combos. The Healthy Kids Meals Bill announced this week by NYC Speaker Corey Johnson would make water, milk and 100% fruit juice the standard beverages in restaurant offerings aimed at children.

The landing gear collapse on a FedEx MD-10-10F, wide-body cargo jet was caused by corrosion that led to fatigue cracking, according to an NTSB report released Thursday. Shortly after the FedEx MD-10-10F touched down at the Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport Oct. 28, 2016, the flight crew reported hearing a “bang” as the brakes were applied.

Two Colorado construction companies have been cited by OSHA after an employee fell to his death at a Greenwood Village worksite. The worker fell while installing metal roofing panels on a storage unit building. OSHA cited Hammers Construction Inc. and Montes Construction LLC for failing to use adequate fall protection and restrict employees from standing on the mid-rails of scissor lifts.

Employees and visitors at a Louisiana manufacturing facility drank potentially contaminated drinking water for four years after deficiencies in the water system were identified, according to the EPA and the DOJ. The two federal agencies say they’ve reached a settlement with CertainTeed Corporation to resolve alleged violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) at the company’s Lake Charles Polymer Plant in Westlake, Louisiana.

I read a lot of articles about workers getting killed on the job in preventable incidents. They’re always upsetting. But one of the things that infuriates me most is the all-too-common statement from a company spokesperson that “Safety is our top priority” after a preventable fatality.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report on a fatal multi-vehicle accident in Boise, Idaho on June 16, 2018, shows how quickly things can spiral out of control in highway work zones.

A complaint brought OSHA inspectors to a rubber and plastic manufacturing plant in Killbuck, Ohio, where they found that employees were being exposed to nearly four dozen safety and health violations.