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Soft drinks – whether diet versions or in their regular, sugar-laden form – are associated with a higher risk of dying from any cause, according to new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study titled, Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries, is the largest of its kind to date. This study found even in people of a healthy weight, sugary and diet drinks increase risk of dying from circulatory and digestive disease.

The termination of two employees who participated in an OSHA investigation into a workplace injury has resulted in a federal judge ordering their former employee to pay them $1,047,399 in lost wages and punitive damages. The case began with a workplace incident in which one of the employees' co-workers suffered the amputation of three fingers.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking data on economically and technologically feasible methods to protect miners' health from exposure to quartz. The RFI includes an examination of an appropriately reduced permissible exposure limit, potential new or developing protective technologies, and/or technical and educational assistance.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) website has undergone a major redesign that includes a new online University and Consumer Center Makes the organization says will make IH/OEHS resources more accessible than ever. The online address remains the same: www.AIHA.org. The new website adds content resources for industrial hygiene and occupational health professionals, government agencies, researchers and students interested in worker health and safety, and the general public.

September is here, and we National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) employees have put away our Labor Day picnics to get back to the work of protecting the American labor force…. And, of course, celebrating N95 Day! Right? Yes and no. You see, this year is special. This year marks an important anniversary in the history of respiratory protection.

The public comment period for the proposed revision of ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices is now open – but only until September 30, 2019.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants more warning signs on subway trains, after investigating the death of a child who fell between the railcars of a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) subway train. The incident occurred on September 23, 2018, on a southbound train traveling train between the Alleghany Station and the North Philadelphia Station on the Broad Street Line.

More than 130 organizations signed a petition (PDF) sent to OSHA, demands for stronger protections for workers exposed to extreme heat. Joining the petition were former OSHA Directors Dr. Eula Bingham and Dr. David Michaels, former California/OSHA Director Ellen Widess, heat illness prevention researcher Dr. Marc Schenker and 89 other individuals.

The Trump administration yesterday announced plans to ease regulations requiring oil and gas companies to repair methane leaks – a move drawing opposition from the industry, as well as environmental groups. Methane is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to climate change. It is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil and also results from certain agricultural practices.