occupational safety | The Pump Handle

Environmental Health “The incident could have been prevented” – Community frustrations on display at Chemical Safety Board meeting on 2010 Tesoro Anacortes refinery explosion

February 4, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 1Comment

The city of Anacortes – population about 16,000 – sits on shores of Fidalgo Island, the eastern-most island in the San Juan archipelago, the string of islands clustered off the northwest coast of Washington State. Located at the western end of Skagit County, known regionally for its agriculture, Anacortes’ petrochemical plants – Tesoro and Shell […]

Government Worker fatality: Why wasn’t he wearing his seatbelt?

February 3, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

Seatbelts save lives. But some workers don’t wear them. We might save some lives if we knew why.

Environmental Health Can killing germs be hazardous to your health? Questions about “quats”

January 31, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 2Comment

“Millions of Americans use antibacterial hand soap and body wash products. Although consumers generally view these products as effective tools to help prevent the spread of germs, there is currently no evidence that they are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water,” wrote the US Food and Drug Administration […]

Food Safety & Nutrition Reality check on USDA’s claims about its plan to privatize poultry inspection

January 28, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The wisdom of USDA’s plan to privatize poultry inspection is striking newspaper editors as an unwise move. USDA is rebutting the opinion pieces, but their assertions need a dose of reality.

Government “Let’s find out what happened to make sure it never happens again”

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

If combustible dust played a role in the January 20 disaster at International Nutrition which killed two workers, will Labor Secretary Tom Perez get the ball rolling on a regulation to address this deadly hazard?

Environmental Health Study: Job conditions linked to preterm birth risk among Hispanic workers

January 17, 2014 Kim Krisberg

“There’s a lot we don’t know about preterm birth and we know even less about the disparities in those births.” Those are words from Ondine von Ehrenstein, who recently examined the links between occupational exposures and preterm birth rates among Hispanic women.

Government Cell tower worker fatalities continue: More than a dozen deaths since 2012

January 16, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman 5Comment

In 2012, a Frontline and Pro Publica investigation of the cell (or wireless) tower industry found that between 2003 and 2010 the average fatality rate for the US tower industry was more than 10 times greater than that of the construction industry. A January 6, 2014 story by KUOW reporter John Ryan about the death […]

Government Unsafe building projects at Texas A&M campus keep OSHA busy

January 9, 2014 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

It’s time for public institutions to set a high bar in selecting firms to provide them with goods and services. Off limits should be companies with repeat or willful violations of OSHA regulations.

Child Labor Study: Overall injury risk increases with multiple jobs

December 20, 2013 Kim Krisberg

People who hold down more than one job not only experience an increased risk of injury at work, but while they’re not at work as well, according to a new study.

Cancer Economists’ flawed argument on OSHA’s “flawed” analysis of proposed rule to protect silica-exposed workers

December 19, 2013 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 12Comment

Two economists, funded by right-wing, university-housed think tanks, say OSHA’s proposed rule to protect silica-exposed workers is flawed, sloppy, weak and unsubstantiated. I can say the same for their analyses of OSHA’s work.