Exploring the Uberization of work; big retailers fight new OSHA injury reporting rule; Congress members introduce paid leave for federal workers; and John Boehner inadvertently makes the case for a minimum wage increase.
Government
Not an “accident”: Jason Strycharz, 40, suffers fatal work-related injury in Middletown, CT
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the U.S. This one occurred on January 23, 2015 in Middletown, CT.
The closing of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant didn’t make many headlines, but for me it brought back a flood of memories and an important lesson.
MSHA fought for 20 year to eliminate the use of an average over multiple shifts to characterize miners’ exposure to respirable coal mine dust. It seems strange now to read MSHA announce the success of a new coal dust regulation by reporting the annual average coal mine dust levels.
If you’re in the market for a paint remover and head to your local hardware store, most of the products you’re likely to find will contain methylene chloride. These products carry hazard warnings that say “Danger!” and “Poison” along with cautionary statements about the chemical’s nervous system effects and the possibility that exposure can cause blindness, birth defects, cancer and respiratory harm. But there’s little – if anything – to suggest such products are so hazardous that they were responsible for at least 14 deaths in the United States between 2000 and 2011. These products are banned in the EU. Are there alternatives and why are they still for sale in the U.S.?
Injury Control & Violence
Not an “accident”: Richard Johnson, 31, suffers fatal work-related injury in Phoenix, AZ
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the U.S. This one occurred on January 12, 2015 in Phoenix, AZ.
Food Safety & Nutrition
LPNs supervised by an EMT: Poultry company’s answer to an employee health clinic
OSHA found what I’d call medical malpractice going on at a nursing station at a Wayne Farms poultry processing plant. The agency called them on it in a letter to firm’s operations manager.
Emergency responders to a 2012 train derailment were exposed to vinyl chloride. Many did not wear respiratory protection, and some suffered acute health effects. An MMWR report describes those findings, but an NTSB report illuminates how and why their safety was compromised.
Reporter David McCumber introduces us to three individuals whose lives forever changed because of asbestos exposure. There will be more of them if companies, like the ones just cited by OSHA, continue to violate asbestos regulations.
Government
Fatal work injury that killed Elbert C. Woods was preventable, OSHA cites Cleveland Track Material
The fatal work-related injuries that killed Elbert C. Woods could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.