State investigations at New York nail salons uncover widespread violations; Oklahoma regulators rule that state law allowing employers to opt out of workers’ compensation is unconstitutional; EPA proposes new safety rules for chemical facilities; and reporters at Reuters investigate labor brokers who recruit and exploit foreign workers.
Injury Control & Violence
Not an “accident”: Robert Derkacs, Jr., 45 and Joseph Donahue, 25, suffer fatal work-related injury in Hanover, NJ
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Thursday, February 18 in Hanover, NJ
Injury Control & Violence
Fatal work injury that killed Terry Leon Lakey, 51, was preventable, OSHA cites Terex Services Corporation
The fatal work-related injuries that killed Terry Leon Lakey, 51, could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.
Sick uranium miners and their families continue to suffer, while Congress sits on expanding compensation; trade associations push back against a safety reporting rule for federal contractors; Maine residents to vote on raising the minimum wage; and a new app could make it much easier for workers to report safety violations.
Government
“An empty feeling” following CSB’s report on West Fertilizer disaster, and eating my words
Disaster investigation reports can leave victims with an empty feeling. Will any of those recommendations be adopted? A notice on OSHA’s website suggests it may be making progress on recommendations made by the Chemical Safety Board.
Injury Control & Violence
Not an “accident”: Harold Felton, 36, suffers fatal work-related injury in Seattle, WA
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Tuesday, February 26 in Seattle, WA.
Federal laws fail to protect workers left out of state workers’ comp systems; electronics recycling workers and their families face dangerous lead poisoning risks; California farmworkers join forces with low-wage food service workers for better pay; and a worker who died during preparations for the Super Bowl is remembered.
In the midst of another national debate over gun safety regulations, some argue that higher rates of gun ownership will protect people from dangerous strangers with deadly intentions. Physician and public health researcher Michael Siegel set out to study that argument. He ultimately found no relationship between gun ownership and stranger-related firearm homicides. But he did find that gun ownership levels translated into higher homicide risks for one group in particular — women.
Food Safety & Nutrition
Amputations abound at Tyson Foods, OSHA records shed more light on industrial food production
OSHA now requires employers to report when a work-related amputation occurs. In the first nine months under the new regulation, how many amputations did one of the country’s largest food manufacturers report to OSHA?
Injury Control & Violence
Not an “accident”: Kevin Purpura, 39, suffers fatal work-related injury in Wheeling, WV
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Wednesday, January 15 in Wheeling, WV.