The Bangladesh factory where 112 workers died in a fire last month had not gotten its fire department certification renewed; two West Virginia miners at separate mines were killed on the same day; and the Whistleblower Protection Act will extend whistleblower protections to many federal employees.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, cleanup workers face many hazards and hourly workers who missed out on several days of income wonder how they’ll make ends meet.
Workers from 28 Walmart stores go on strike against a notoriously anti-union company; New York City considers requiring employers to provide paid sick leave; and clothing retailer Kik offers $1,930 in compensation per victim of the Karachi factory fire that killed 259 workers.
The Oregonian reports on children doing farm labor, and the Obama administration’s response to their FOIA request regarding an abandoned proposal to limit dangerous agricultural work by children; Foxconn workers on an iPhone 5 production line went on strike for several hours over working conditions; and four Unicef vaccine workers were kidnapped and released in South Waziristan.
Warehouse workers employed by Walmart subcontractors march 50 miles to LA for safer working conditions; researchers investigate an alarming incidence of kidney disease among Sri Lankan farmers; and Washington, DC doesn’t know if employers are complying with its law requiring paid sick leave.
California’s legislature passes a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights; a fire at a Venezuelan oil refinery kills 41; and researchers publish findings on construction workers and former NFL players.
A News & Observer series on employers who break workers’ compensation laws spurs a promise of action from North Carolina’s governor; safety initiatives address hazards in Northeast fisheries; and seven former General Motors workers sew their mouths shut as part of a hunger strike over the company’s treatment of workers.
UCLA settles with state prosecutors over the death of lab technician Sheri Sangji; investigative reporters in the Bay Area find young children working in the fields; and Australian RAAF firefighters ask the government for compensation for diseases that may be linked to toxic exposures during training.
Members of Congress and the Mine Safety & Health Administration respond to an investigative series on the resurgence of black lung disease among miners; OSHA cracks down on railroad employers who retaliate against whistleblowing employees, and relies on education rather than an emergency standard to address heat stress; and gunmen in Pakistan attack the vehicle of a doctor involved in a polio vaccination campaign.
Nurses’ demanding jobs often leave them injured, and nurses working injured increases the risk of medication mistakes; many farmworkers never report pesticide-related ailments; and the rate of uninsurance is high among federal firefighters.