Scientific Integrity & Ethics | The Pump Handle

FOIA Final USDA poultry rule: Line speeds stay the same, but no word from OSHA; food safety advocates call it a step backwards

August 1, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

For 17 years, Salvadora Roman deboned chickens on the processing line at Wayne Farms in Decatur, Alabama. Because of the repetitive movement and speed of the processing line, Roman developed a chronic and painful hand injury that affects her ability to do even the most basic household chores. About three years ago, she was fired from the plant for taking time off work to visit a doctor for the injury she sustained on the line.

California Occupational Health News Roundup

July 30, 2014 Kim Krisberg

McDonald’s ruling could be a major turning point for the fast food worker movement; federal commission clarifies rules for pregnant workers; miners with black lung may have been wrongly denied benefits; and a new OSHA whistleblower partnership is launched to support commercial carrier workers.

Child Labor Mapping the lives and deaths of workers: An emerging way to tell the story of occupational health and safety

July 18, 2014 Kim Krisberg 2Comment

When Bethany Boggess first debuted her online mapping project, she didn’t expect it to attract so much attention. But within just six months of its launch, people from all over the world are sending in reports and helping her build a dynamic picture of the lives and deaths of workers.

Environmental Health Occupational Health News Roundup

July 15, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Workers at an Alabama car seat manufacturer speak out about workplace illnesses; worker death at a Pennsylvania sugar plant could have been prevented; Los Angeles activists join fight for a living wage; and income inequality gets a laugh.

California New analysis offers a small snapshot of the toxic nature of oil and gas extraction

July 3, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Crystalline silica, hydrofluoric acid and formaldehyde. Those are just three of the dozens of air toxic chemicals that oil companies have used thousands of times in southern California in just the past year.

Environmental Health Occupational Health News Roundup

July 1, 2014 Kim Krisberg

The U.S. Supreme Court deals a blow to union fair-share fees; Massachusetts raises minimum wage to $11 an hour; and Texas lawmakers scoff at the idea of better safeguards in the wake of the West fertilizer blast.

Government States and localities are where it’s at, opportunities to win safer workplaces

June 26, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Advocates for safer workplaces are looking to advance reforms at the state and local level. A new manual “Winning Safer Workplaces” is designed to enhance the conversation.

Government Occupational Health News Roundup

June 17, 2014 Kim Krisberg

The White House is poised to take action on workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers; Washington farmworkers make history with wage settlement; and OSHA investigates Amazon.com fulfillment centers after two worker deaths.

Food Safety & Nutrition Two new studies find food policy interventions have support and impact

June 10, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Five million dollars. That’s how much the fast food industry spends every day to peddle largely unhealthy foods to children. And because studies have found that exposure to food marketing does indeed make kids want to eat more, advertising is often tapped as an obvious way to address child obesity. Fortunately, a new study finds that the public agrees.

Child Labor Occupational Health News Roundup

June 3, 2014 Kim Krisberg

The Huffington Post investigates how the mining industry cheats worker safety; Seattle set to raise minimum wage to $15; and the death of a hummus plant worker could have been prevented with better safety practices.