Life expectancy in the U.S. has declined over the past few years, largely due to drug overdose deaths and suicides, according to a troubling new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug overdose deaths set a new record in 2017 by jumping 9.6 percent, to more than 70,000 fatalities. Suicide rates rose by 3.7 percent, continuing a trend that has seen suicides increase from 10.4 suicides per 100,000 in 1999 to 14 (per 100,000) in 2017.

An Indiana legislator is developing a measure intended to make highway construction zones safer for workers. News sources say State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-District 20) has announced plans to introduce a bill to ban cell phone use while driving unless the driver is using a hands-free device. The measure would also include automated enforcement – possibly in the form of cameras at work zones.

A space-bound partnership with NASA is about to bring some extra scrutiny here on earth to SpaceX and Boeing Co. The space agency is describing the investigation it will conduct into the workplace safety culture at the two companies as “a cultural assessment study,” that will focus on workplace safety – as well as adherence to a drug-free environment.

The industrial internet of things (IIoT) has significantly impacted safety for workers and entire companies, and many results are undoubtedly positive. However, since IIoT devices connect to the internet, organizations must follow cybersecurity best practices to ensure cybercriminals don't infiltrate systems and cause dangerous malfunctions.

A California construction company that dismantled a trench box while an employee was still working inside, causing him to be fatally crushed, has been cited by Cal/OSHA for safety violations. The agency determined that general contractor Bay Construction Co. committed willful-serious safety violations by unsafely removing a linear support rail that fell and killed the worker.

On oil and gas worksites, diesel engines power machines ranging from drilling rigs to high-powered hydraulic fracturing pumps, to generators and lighting equipment. The diesel exhaust from these engines, however, is a toxic mix of chemicals that includes small particles of carbon, or soot, which can be accidentally inhaled.

With the holiday shopping season officially underway, OSHA is reminding employers to protect their workers, many of whom are new or temporary hires working in intense conditions. “Whether employees are stocking shelves, packing boxes, delivering products, or selling merchandise, they have the right to a safe workplace,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt.

A towing vessel crew’s inability to close windows and doors when a fire began in the engine room nearly cost them their lives, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the incident.

California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has posted California’s 2017 occupational injury and illness data on employer-reported injuries. According to the estimates provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), California had 466,600 nonfatal occupational injuries in 2017, a number stable from the prior year.

A survey conducted earlier this year by a Canadian bank found that nearly 40 per cent of British Columbia (B.C.) homeowners were planning on renovating their homes. And while that’s great news for the construction industry, it’s important to be aware of the health dangers that asbestos-containing building materials in older homes pose to contractors and their crew.