One year an amputated foot. Another year two amputated legs. Could OSHA’s deal after the first incident done more to prevent the second one?
Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in America, with more than 600 workers dying in fatal workplace incidents between 2004 and the beginning of July. And many more miners die long after they’ve left the mines from occupational illnesses such as black lung disease, while others live with the debilitating aftermath of workplace injuries. Today, researchers know a great deal about the health risks miners face on the job, but some pretty big gaps remain.
Congress fixed a loophole and OSHA penalties will now be adjusted regularly to account for inflation. But if Labor Secretary Perez is serious about leveling the playing field for those who follow the law, he should consider what’s being called OSHA’s “discount on death.”
Detroit Free Press reporters investigate Michigan’s flawed worker safety oversight system; workers in China’s fireworks factories face life-threatening conditions; New Mexico farmworkers win major workers’ comp victory; and OSHA rules in worker’s favor in asbestos retaliation case.
Low wages certainly impact a person’s health, from where people live to what they eat to how often they can visit a doctor. And low and stagnant wages certainly contribute to poverty, which is a known risk factor for poor health and premature mortality. But should low wages be considered an occupational health hazard?
Government
Fatal work injury that killed Eric McClellan was preventable, Virginia-OSHA cites Reynolds Metals
The fatal work-related injuries that killed Eric McClellan could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.
Canada’s Supreme Court ruled on June 24 that breast cancer can be considered work-related under the country’s workers’ compensation law. Three women who were employed as lab technicians at a hospital in British Columbia argued that the hormone-mimicking chemicals in their workplace was a factor in developing breast cancer.
OSHA added five new topics to its regulatory agenda despite being tardy completing its current rulemaking activities. Reading the agenda brings several questions to mind.
An in-depth look at how lobbyists squashed an Illinois bill to prevent discriminatory hiring practices in the temp industry; thousands of coal miners in Kentucky rally to save their health benefits and pensions; Chicago gets closer to a sick leave ordinance; and two workers lose their lives in the Bakken oil fields in the span of a few days.
Cancer
The Donald ignorant on public health, too: Asbestos widow schools Trump about the “magic mineral”
Donald Trump is ignorant about many things and we can add asbestos to the list. Linda Reinstein’s husband died too young from cancer caused by asbestos. She schools Trump about exposure to the deadly mineral.