A new and improved Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA) has been introduced into the House of Representatives by Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT). Similar versions of this bill has been introduced every year for over a decade. The bill number is H.R.1074.

The EPA says it has put together a nationwide plan to address PFAS - an environmental danger that has gained prominence and raised alarm in recent years. The acronym stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of man-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s.

The manufacturing industry requires workers to engage in high-risk activities, such as soldering, welding, metal cutting, raw material assembling, and heavy lifting and rigging. Moreover, magnetic fields, compressed gases, and harmful radiations can negatively impact a worker’s health. In fact, workplace hazards lead to nearly 150 deaths per day in the US.

The clear skies offered good visibility and a lookout was posted on the morning of November 30, 2018, but those factors didn’t prevent a CSX Transportation freight train from striking and killing a track welder. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the incident offers few clues as to why the accident occurred. According to the report, the accident in Estill, South Carolina occurred as the train – traveling at about 50 miles an hour – approached a location where a welder was at work on the track.

Compressed air is integral in nearly every industry, from powering tools and providing pressure for robotic assembly arms to inflating tires and even cleaning off dusty surfaces. Companies might offer training on how to use compressed air and its related tools, but does any of this include how to use them safely? Why should companies offer compressed air safety training, and what negative repercussions could they face for not providing it?

If your employees wear small, wearable devices powered by lithium batteries – such as body cameras – they are potentially at risk from burns or other injuries if the devices catch fire or explode. Those outcomes may occur if the batteries are defective or become damaged. There were more than 25,000 overheating or fire incidents involving lithium battery-powered consumer products over a recent five-year-period, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Among the many events organized around this year’s World Hearing Day is a Wikipedia Edit-a-Wikipedia Edit-a-ThonExternal led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Established by the World Health Organization, World Hearing Day is held on March 3rd every year and is aimed at raising awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.

Older workers (those ages 55 and older) bring extensive skills, knowledge, and experience built over the course of a lifespan. However, age-related physical and mental changes may affect older workers’ driving. While such changes are normal, they also put older drivers at a greater risk of dying if they are in a motor vehicle crash.

Rude passengers and sleep deprivation from irregular hours aren’t the only work-related hazards that crew members of airplanes have to deal with. They – along with passengers - are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation on every flight, because of the altitudes at which they fly. Because crew members fly more frequently, they are more at risk from the health effects of the radiation than are passengers. Cosmic ionizing radiation (or cosmic radiation) comes from outer space.

While the extent of responsibility under the law of staffing agencies and host employers is dependent on the specific facts of each case, staffing agencies and host employers are jointly responsible for maintaining a safe work environment for temporary workers - including, for example, ensuring that OSHA's training, hazard communication, and recordkeeping requirements are fulfilled.