Even as it adds to its list of “no-fly zones” for drone operators, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking steps to expand its Low Altitude Authorization and Capability (LAANC) system to include recreational flyers. This action – which begins today - will significantly increase the ability of drone pilots to gain access to controlled airspace nationwide.

There is a broad scientific consensus that alcohol is a carcinogen, and that even moderate drinking increases one’s chances of getting cancer. But surveys show that most Americans remain unaware of that fact. Now a coalition of consumer and public health groups have launched a long shot effort to put a cancer warning on alcohol bottles and cans.

Three major transportation construction contractors are challenging their peers to reach a goal that could save lives: have at least 25 of their employees each year earn a Safety Certification for Transportation Project Professionals™ (SCTPP) credential Nearly 50,000 people are killed or injured annually while working on transportation infrastructure construction projects in the U.S.

The numbers are staggering: 76 billion pain pills distributed between 2006 and 2012 by the largest drugs companies in the U.S. Enough to supply every child and adult in the country with 36 pills each year. In the hardest hit rural communities, the pill-per-capita count reached into the hundreds.

A worker participating in an “aerial rescue drill” at the North Carolina Zoo died last week in a fall. News reports say 38-year-old Branson Joe Langley was killed when he fell 20-30 feet from a tree. The drill involved two arborists – one playing the role of a person trapped in a tree and the other performing a rescue.

OSHA will hold its annual Safe + Sound Week this year from August 12th to the 18th. The event encourages employers to implement workplace safety initiatives, and highlight workers’ contributions to improving safety. Businesses that incorporate safety and health programs can help prevent injuries and illnesses, reduce workers’ compensation costs, and improve productivity.

President Trump’s pick for new labor secretary is, predictably, drawing support and opposition from the right and left segments of the U.S. political spectrum. Trump announced his selection last week via Twitter, naming Eugene Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. Tweeted Trump: “Gene has led a life of great success in the legal and labor field and is highly respected not only as a lawyer, but as a lawyer with great experience....”

Is flu on the rise among workers? Those working in public health track the number of flu-related hospital and doctor visits, but many people suffer symptoms and don’t seek medical treatment. So, how do we know how many people are sick with the flu during a flu pandemic or a seasonal epidemic? Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses a mathematical model to estimate the total number of flu illnesses in the United States, but this is not done until the end of the flu season.

California employers are going to have to move fast in order to comply with an emergency occupational safety regulation expected to go into effect in early August. The rule adopted last week by the state’s Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is aimed at protecting workers from hazards associated with wildfire smoke.

A health problem that has plagued astronauts returning from space – and some earthbound people as well – is lessened by daily exercise, researchers have found. Orthostatic hypotension - a temporary drop in blood pressure occurring when a person stands up after sitting or lying down - has caused newly returned astronauts to faint or feel dizzy.