Worker Health & Safety | The Pump Handle

FOIA Final USDA poultry rule: Line speeds stay the same, but no word from OSHA; food safety advocates call it a step backwards

August 1, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

For 17 years, Salvadora Roman deboned chickens on the processing line at Wayne Farms in Decatur, Alabama. Because of the repetitive movement and speed of the processing line, Roman developed a chronic and painful hand injury that affects her ability to do even the most basic household chores. About three years ago, she was fired from the plant for taking time off work to visit a doctor for the injury she sustained on the line.

Injury Control & Violence “No, nothing is changing” – Cell tower worker deaths continue

July 31, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 3Comment

The incident report details are horrific and heartbreaking. If this was a radio broadcast, my editors and I would likely preface what I am about to relate with a warning: “The following report contains material that may be disturbing.” On July 2nd, 28-year old Joel Metz became the eighth cell tower worker to die on the job this year. OSHA and the industry have initiated new safety measures but nothing seems to be changing.

Government Some thoughts about mine safety penalties

July 30, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Mine safety penalties are pretty meaningless if they aren’t paid, and more so if they aren’t assessed.

California Occupational Health News Roundup

July 30, 2014 Kim Krisberg

McDonald’s ruling could be a major turning point for the fast food worker movement; federal commission clarifies rules for pregnant workers; miners with black lung may have been wrongly denied benefits; and a new OSHA whistleblower partnership is launched to support commercial carrier workers.

Women's Health When schedules don’t work for hourly workers

July 28, 2014 Liz Borkowski, MPH 2Comment

Many hourly workers struggle to get by with too few hours and schedules that are erratic and subject to last-minute changes. The Schedules that Work Act, just introduced by Representative George Miller and Congressional colleagues, aims to help hourly workers achieve flexible and predictable schedules that let them balance work with other obligations.

Government Not an “accident”: Jose Alfredo Isagirrez-Mejia, 29 suffers fatal work-related injury at construction site in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

July 23, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality. This one occurred on July 21 at a construction site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Child Labor Mapping the lives and deaths of workers: An emerging way to tell the story of occupational health and safety

July 18, 2014 Kim Krisberg 2Comment

When Bethany Boggess first debuted her online mapping project, she didn’t expect it to attract so much attention. But within just six months of its launch, people from all over the world are sending in reports and helping her build a dynamic picture of the lives and deaths of workers.

Government OSHA gave me a reason to visit at Recovery.gov

July 17, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

An OSHA news release about a cell tower inspection gave me reason to visit the White House’s Recovery.gov website.

Environmental Health Occupational Health News Roundup

July 15, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Workers at an Alabama car seat manufacturer speak out about workplace illnesses; worker death at a Pennsylvania sugar plant could have been prevented; Los Angeles activists join fight for a living wage; and income inequality gets a laugh.

Cancer EPA’s trichloroethylene (TCE) risk assessment: Will it succeed in protecting workers?

July 14, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 3Comment

What do these places have in common: Camp Lejeune in North Carolina; Mountain View, California, where Google headquarters are located; Endicott, NY – the birthplace of IBM; and 389 Superfund sites in at least 48 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands? All are contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogenic solvent. TCE’s health hazards are well-documented. So why are Republicans rushing to condemn EPA’s just-completed TCE risk assessment?