Injury Control & Violence House Republicans say ‘nay’ to new mine safety reforms, no questions left about which side they’re on
June 28, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Not a single Republican member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted in support of a resolution calling for the Committee to “consider and report legislation to improve safety and whistleblower protections for miners, and increase accountability for dangerous mine operators.” The 29 families of the Upper Big Branch miners now know who is standing with them and who is against them.

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Injury Control & Violence Researchers challenge Labor Dept to fix its annual count of injuries, misses 70% of work-related burns
June 27, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

Researchers at Michigan State University offer more evidence that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual estimate of occupational injury and illnesses grossly misses the mark on the actual count of work-related health harm. How many more studies are needed before the Secretary of Labor addresses the problem?

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Injury Control & Violence Billion dollar mining company hasn’t paid fine for safety violations in 2010 deaths of two workers
June 21, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 4Comment

Barrick Gold company was assessed a $447,600 civil penalty from the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration following the fatal injury incident in August 2010 that killed two workers. The multi-national corporation has yet to pay the penalty, but you wouldn’t know that reading the firm’s annual Responsibility Report.

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Cancer Diesel exhaust a human carcinogen concludes WHO’s cancer panel
June 12, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

A panel of scientific experts convened by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded today that diesel engine exhaust is carcinogenic to humans. Previously, the classification for diesel exhaust had been “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

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Cancer Trying to avoid the “cancer-causing” label, diesel manufacturers join the club
June 11, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 4Comment

An expert panel convened by the WHO’s Int’l Agency for Research on Cancer is evaluating the scientific evidence on the carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust. In preparation for the meeting, diesel engine manufacturers, oil companies and mining firms hired consultants to re-analyze and critique the epidemiological studies conducted by others to manufacturer doubt about

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Cancer Tony Mazzocchi: a man who hated work and loved labor
June 6, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Tony Mazzocchi was a visionary who was in the forefront of the labor movement’s efforts to secure protections for working people, including strong workplace health and safety laws. He was inducted this week in the Labor Department’s Hall of Fame.

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Food Safety & Nutrition Public health officials urge USDA to withdraw plan to “modernize” poultry inspection, worker and food safety will suffer
May 31, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

The Obama Administration’s quest to appease businesses’ claims about burdensome regulations awoke a giant in the form of the civil rights, public health and workers’ safety communities. From the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Council of LaRaza, to the American Public Health Association, the feedback on USDA’s proposal to “modernize” the poultry inspection process is loud and clear: scrap the idea because faster line speeds will take a grave toll on poultry plant workers.

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