Cancer Moving from the “Right to Know” to the “Right to Understand”: Global harmonization of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard
March 21, 2012 Elizabeth Grossman 3Comment

by Elizabeth Grossman His job, the Metalworkers Alliance of the Philippines union leader told us, was assembling the electronics – the wire- or cable-harnesses – that go into cars. The work involved soldering, using flux, along with epoxies, and various degreasers or solvents. He and his co-workers didn’t know the actual names of the substances […]

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Injury Control & Violence Keeping transportation dollars from worker-safety violators, such as Thomas Industrial Coatings
March 19, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The $109 billion transportation bill passed last week in the Senate has a title that doesn’t even mention roads or highways. It’s called the ”Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21) The 74 Senators who voted in favor of the bill (S. 1813), including 22 Republicans, described their support in terms of […]

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OSHA This Sunshine Week, still waiting for OSHA to improve worker fatality info
March 14, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

To mark Sunshine Week, the annual initiative to promote freedom of information and government openness, I’m examining OSHA’s performance in disclosing information about worker fatality cases. My interest in this particular transparency issue stems back to the first year of the Obama Administration, when in October 2009, a new feature appeared front-and-center on federal OSHA’s […]

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Injury Control & Violence Workers at Hershey’s plant feel vindicated by OSHA’s $283,000 penalty to Exel
March 1, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Federal OSHA proposed a $283,000 penalty against an employer responsible for staffing a Hershey’s chocolate packaging facilty in Palmyra, Pennsylvania for willfully violating workplace safety regulations. The agency’s action followed a formal complaint lodged by workers at the plant, many of whom were foreign students employed under the State Department’s J-1 visa program. A few […]

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Injury Control & Violence Worker fatality in my hometown results in $12,000 penalty, third chance for employer to improve safety
February 24, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

On July 27, 2011, just a few miles from my home in San Marcos, TX, Mr. Margarito Guardado Resinos, 34, and Mr. Nelson Pineda were working together to erect a pre-engineered steel building frame on property owned by Thermon Manufacturing. The workers were employed by Jetka Steel Erectors of Katy, TX, a firm hired by […]

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Environmental Health Public health advocates challenge “except in agriculture” exclusions
February 23, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

Agricultural exceptionalism is a term used to describe the special status awarded to employers and firms involved in agriculture. Proponents argue that the special status is necessary because (1) agricultural products contribute to broad national goals (e.g., providing safe and affordable food, preventing hunger); and (2) farming is inherently risky because of the uncertainty of […]

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Cancer What’s taking so long?
February 17, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

“What’s taking so long?” might be uttered by a youngster waiting for a parent to assemble a swing set, or an art patron waiting for a conservator to restore a masterpiece. When the wait is finally over and the eager child or art lover see the final product, they realize the time was well spent. […]

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Cancer Beryllium manufacturer and union draft worker safety regulation, ask OSHA to move on it
February 14, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 9Comment

The world’s largest producer and supplier of beryllium and workers exposed to the highly toxic mineral decided not to wait any longer for federal OSHA to draft a proposed worker safety rule on the hazard. Last week, the United Steelworkers International Union and Materion Brush (the only U.S. manufacturer) sent the complete text of a […]

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Environmental Health Remembering Stephen M. Levin, MD, a clinician, scientist, advocate
February 9, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

New Yorkers, the nation and the world lost a dedicated physician and worker advocate this week with the passing of Stephen M. Levin, 70, from cancer. Dr. Levin was a professor of preventative medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and most recently, a prominent figure fighting for a long-term program to identify and treat […]

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Injury Control & Violence Unpaid OSHA penalties in fatality case involving Walmart’s construction contractor
February 8, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

The Boston Globe’s Megan Woolhouse reported earlier this week on a civil lawsuit against construction contractors and Walmart for the wrongful death of Romulo de Oliveira Santos, 47. The Brazilian immigrant and a crew of other workers were assigned to tear down the ceilings and walls on the night of September 8, 2008 at a […]

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