Search Results for 'news'
Top executive indicted in Upper Big Branch mine disaster
On April 5, 2010, 29 workers in the Upper Big Branch mine near Whitesville, West Virginia died in a methane gas explosion, fed by illegally high levels of highly flammable coal dust. For the first time in the state’s history, a top executive – who has been called the “dark lord of coal country” – […]
Wyoming poised to pass legislation that addresses its “deadliest workplace” status
By the end of the year, Wyoming lawmakers could take a decisive step in the state’s long battle to reduce workplace fatalities. Wyoming is often ranked as one of the country’s most dangerous places to work. Since 2001, the state has repeatedly seen the highest ratio of workplace-related deaths in the nation, and reached a […]
New OSHA rule expands recordkeeping for injuries
An updated “recordkeeping rule” may sound like a mundane clerical change, but new revisions from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will have a significant impact on how employers — and the public — view workplace injuries. Last month, OSHA issued a final rule that will greatly expand the type of work-related injuries that […]
How high is too high? Evolving fall protection standards
Fall prevention in residential construction has become a major campaign for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for good reason. Falls cause about 50 percent of residential construction fatalities, and 80 percent of residential roofing fatalities, according to a study published in September’s American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Regulations intended to protect these workers […]
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 […]
Dangers of the desk job
A climate-controlled office, your very own workstation, and a good work-conducive environment—what can possibly go wrong? That a corporate office is safer compared to an industrial workplace– that has hazardous equipment and chemicals around– is only a myth until safety issues are seen in close quarters. The comparatively convenient office’s environment has many hidden dangers […]
The 5 things every employer should know about heat stress
Summer is the time when outdoor workers — construction crews, farmhands, roofers, and pavers, to name a few — are right in the sun’s line of fire. This puts them at a higher risk of heat stress resulting in heat stroke, cramps, and rashes. Severe heat with humidity also makes them vulnerable to physical injuries (by […]
What causes the worst injuries to food industry workers?
Employees in the food industry are exposed to a lot of noticeable hazards like slippery floors, knives, hot water, heavy containers, cutting and slicing machines, and more. However, they also encounter hazards that, although not visible to the naked eye, are in fact life threatening. Failure to implement lockout tagout procedure that results in the […]
The crushing reality of forklift accidents
Among the top most cited violations in 2013, those relating to powered industrial trucks (including forklifts) fell at the sixth place, moving up one position from the year before that. In 2012, OSHA issued more than 2,900 citations and levied penalties of about $2 million for forklift related violations. In 2013, the federal safety agency […]
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 […]