When it comes to new safety information, regulations, and practices, up-to-date knowledge makes a difference in worker well being, productivity, and consumer satisfaction. At MySafetySign, we’re following the agendas and changing regulations of agencies like OSHA, ANSI, NFPA, ADA and the CDC. We post about new discoveries, controversy, and data, like changing safety regulations or information about the most dangerous jobs in America. Our posts aim to update you about ways to stay safe anywhere, from your home kitchen to a construction scaffold.
News

BLS reports preliminary 2013 fatality count
Last year’s preliminary accident estimates are in, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)reports that 4,405 work injuries occurred in the US in 2013, indicating a drop when compared to the 4,628 work injuries the year before that. This works out to a rate of fatal workplace injury of 3.2 per 100,000 workers, as compared to 3.4 […]

Is Europe safer than America for workers?
A June report by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that compares the number of fatalities in US versus European Union (EU) in the calendar year 2010, hints that working in the US is far more risky than working in EU. Extensively collected data revealed that the rate of fatalities per 100,000 employees in the […]

Injuries in service industry take a toll on New York’s economy
Contrary to the popular belief that the service industry has safer working conditions, Public Citizen’s new report on workplaces in New York reveals that the service sector contributes to a major chunk of injuries and illnesses across all industries. This can be due to lack of regulations, programs, and training for employees in service-based jobs. […]

Turkish mine disaster reveals national safety failures
Mining accidents are not new in Turkey, which is the world’s seventh largest producer of coal. More than 3,000 people have been killed since 1941 and a reported 13,000 miners suffered workplace accidents last year. The country’s mining industry is riddled with safety loopholes; Turkey’s mines supposedly have the most dangerous work conditions in the […]

Dangerous fun: The circus as workplace
In a recent accident at a Ringling Brothers performance in Providence, Rhode Island, the media has turned its lens to show what it really takes to entertain in a circus. A closer look reveals that while acrobats constantly balance between life and death, exotic and non-domestic animals who seem to enact happily, receive endless reprimands to deliver […]

A year after disaster: Progress and peril for Bangladeshi factory workers
Just over a year ago, management at a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh ordered employees to report for work, despite warnings of critical structural problems in the building. During the morning rush hour, the eight-story Rana Plaza building collapsed, killing 1,100 workers and injuring thousands more. The Bangladeshi government vowed reformative action. American manufacturers […]

Drive safe on the job: NSC launches distracted driving campaign
At any given moment, more than 600,000 drivers on the road are using a handheld cell phone. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were injured in crashes due to distracted driving. To raise awareness about distracted driving behaviors and curb the high rate of fatalities caused by it, the National Safety Council (NSC) […]

EU-OSHA launches campaign to tackle workplace stress
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has launched a two-year campaign called “Healthy Workers Manage Stress” to address workplace stress, which is often overlooked by companies but has been the subject of recent awareness-raising efforts. According to EU-OSHA’s opinion poll 66% workers confirm that excessive workload stresses them out. Moreover 50% respondents […]

Workplace bullying a growing concern
From an NFL player extincting threats to a teammate to a member of Congress turning off a fellow Representative’s microphone, there is no shortage of high-profile incidents regarding bullying in the workplace. For the rest of us, working in cubicles, hospitals, factories or construction sites, workplace bullying may not elicit media coverage, but it’s no […]

Growing opposition to OSHA’s proposed silica rule
As the public comment period for the proposed crystalline silica rule closes, several big organizations have unanimously disapproved the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recommended regulations. OSHA estimates that the rule, once implemented, would significantly decrease the number of deaths caused each year due to silica dust hazard. However, industry experts think the proposed […]

Does workplace wellness help the bottom line?
Last week we discussed whether workplace wellness programs benefited employees. This week, we’re talking about how they impact a company’s financial health. Workplace wellness programs seem to present a simple concept: reduce health care costs by encouraging employees to make healthier decisions. For some, that might mean talking with a nurse or taking classes to […]