Workers welding stainless steel and other alloy steels containing chromium metal at a Wisconsin bulk storage tank manufacturer were exposed to hazardous levels of hexavalent chromium, which can cause lung cancer and respiratory, eye and skin damage.

A new toolkit released jointly by OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety is aimed at helping health care industry employers protect hospital staff from respiratory hazards on the job.

On International Workers’ Day, the Berkeley, CA-based health publisher Hesperian is celebrating by releasing a one-of-a-kind resource on workers’ health and safety. More than a decade in the making and drawing on the experiences of workers and health educators from every continent, this book aims to provide essential information to workers themselves, those who are the best placed and the most highly motivated to prevent the devastating factory disasters that all too often dominate the news.

A new report from the United Nations calls for “urgent and vigorous” action to address the issue of work-related diseases, which kill approximately two million people around the world each year. About 160 million more are afflicted by non-fatal occupational illnesses.

In addition Workers Memorial Day in many countries and Workers’ Day of Mourning in Canada, April 28^th has also been designated World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The focus this year is on the prevention of occupational diseases.