Scientific Integrity & Ethics | The Pump Handle

Environmental Health Congress and science: White House threatens to veto bills that would change EPA science advisory boards and limit EPA use of science

November 19, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 7Comment

In action that may portend how the 114th Congress will treat science, the House has passed two bills that would limit the EPA’s use of science. The White House is threatening to veto both – and an additional bill that in the White House’s view could weaken the Clean Air Act’s public health and environmental protections.

California Occupational Health News Roundup

November 18, 2014 Kim Krisberg

New report chronicles the low wages of child care workers; Johns Hopkins black lung review still unfinished; California nurses go on strike; and OSHA calls on retailers to protect their workers during Black Friday.

California Study examines effects of San Francisco paid sick leave policy, finds low-wage workers especially benefited

November 14, 2014 Kim Krisberg

As paid sick leave policies gain momentum across the country, a new study finds that such policies do indeed improve worker morale and have little overall effect on employer profitability.

Cancer New report: More action needed to protect salon workers’ health

November 12, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Decreased lung function, breast cancer, miscarriage, depression and neurological disease. These are just a few of the health and disease risks that salon workers disproportionately face while on the job, according to a new report on the impact of toxic chemicals within the beauty and personal care industry.

California Occupational Health News Roundup

November 4, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Dangerous workplace speedups a hidden side of the economic recovery; California recycling workers vote to unionize; emergency responders in west Texas face new challenges during energy boom; and the U.S. lags in eliminating the gender pay gap.

Food Safety & Nutrition Wayne Farms slammed by OSHA for gaming system on poultry worker injuries

October 30, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 4Comment

After more than a decade, OSHA used its “general duty clause” to issue citations to a poultry processing firm for ergonomic hazards.

Government Analysis: Raising the minimum wage could save billions in public assistance

October 29, 2014 Kim Krisberg 2Comment

Raising the federal minimum wage isn’t only good for workers — it’s good for the federal budget as well, according to a new issue brief from the Economic Policy Institute.

Drug Safety A Q&A with public health leaders on the opioid epidemic: ‘Prescription opioid abuse is still raging out of control’

October 24, 2014 Kim Krisberg 3Comment

While pharmaceutical companies are making billions in painkiller profits, it’s the public sector that ends up bearing the burden and cost of the fallout that accompanies skyrocketing sales of highly addictive prescription opioids. After the jump is a Pump Handle Q&A with two public health officials at the forefront of the opioid abuse epidemic within America’s big cities.

Labor Rights Destructive trends in workers’ compensation

October 23, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 7Comment

Decades of business-friendly “reforms” to workers’ compensation make the bargain between employers and labor no longer a good deal for injured workers.

Government Occupational Health News Roundup

October 21, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Article series investigates lead poisoning at the nation’s gun ranges; autopsy shows coal miner was wrongly denied black lung benefits; health care workers take part in mass protective gear training; and a Wells Fargo employee sends a big email about income inequality.