The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week banned seven cancer-causing chemicals added to a variety of food and beverages – although the agency said the chemicals do not pose a public health risk. The chemicals are used to add artificial flavoring like cinnamon, floral and mint to everything from ice cream and baked goods, to gum and beer.

A study analyzing the effect of Right-to-Work (RTW) laws finds a correlation between decreased unionization and a rise in occupational fatalities. The study, published in the medical journal BMJ, looked at the period from 1992 to 2016 and found that RTW laws “have led to a 14.2 percent increase in occupational mortality through decreased unionization.”

Legislative measure that would compensate first responders for cancers and post-traumatic stress disorder are among the “hot topics” in workers comp identified in a recent update from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which monitors issues that could potentially impact the workers compensation system.

Boom truck hits power lines in Flagler, electrocuting 2 workers. PALM COAST, Fla. – Two construction workers were electrocuted Monday in an industrial accident in Flagler County, sheriff’s officials said. The men died around 8:30 a.m. on Sebastian Court in Palm Coast.

OSHA and organizations representing many of Ohio’s craft brewers have established a two-year alliance to help improve workplace safety in the industry. While the alliance is in effect, OSHA, Ohio Craft Brewers Association, Brewers Association, Master Brewers Association of the Americas District Midwest, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will develop awareness and education programs on hazards in the brewing, storing, bottling, canning, packaging, handling, and delivery of craft beer.

More than three in four U.S. employees (76 percent) have dealt with issues negatively affecting their mental health, according to new survey results from the American Heart Association (AHA). A whopping 96 percent of the workers surveyed said that mental health is as important as physical health. The online survey also revealed that 42 percent of employees say they have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder by a healthcare professional.

A family in upstate New York is reeling from the loss of four daughters – along with three of their husbands – in a weekend limousine accident that claimed a total of 20 lives. "Twenty fatalities is just horrific," National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt said at the news conference. "I've been on the board for 12 years and this is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time."

A new guideline intended to reduce one of the most significant workplace violence risks in the healthcare industry has been released. “Violent Patient / Patient Visitor Management” by the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) urges Healthcare Facilities (HCFs) to establish specific violence prevention and aggression management policies, processes and practices to deter, identify and manage violent events.

After two years of increases, highway fatalities were down last year - and the trend appears to be continuing in 2018. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that 37,133 people died in motor vehicle crashes on U.S. highways in 2017. That’s a decrease of almost 2 percent from 2016.

Here’s a look at recent OSHA and state-level OSHA enforcement activities across the U.S., from Hawaii to Connecticut, in construction, manufacturing, food processing and other industries.