April 5, 2015 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. Since then, some things have change in coal mine safety, especially by MSHA. But more than 200 US miners have died on-the-job since UBB.
Marathon Petroleum Company’s philosophy of corporate citizenship says one thing about safety and differing viewpoints, but it behaves differently when those topics are presented bearing the names of workplace fatality victims.
Environmental Health
Meaningful gains or huge setbacks?: Congress weighs two bills aimed at reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act
For years, advocates have been calling on policymakers to reform the nation’s outdated chemical safety laws. Today, two such bills stand before Congress — one that advocates say better protects the public’s health and another that advocates warn is a dangerous step backward.
Reporters investigate the state of safety at oil refineries following the 2005 Texas City explosion; fast food workers file OSHA complaints; farm workers go on strike in Baja California; and San Francisco officials vote in support of fair working conditions for shuttle bus workers.
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on March 11, 2015 in Jal, NM
Injury Control & Violence
Fatal work injury that killed Jose Isagirrez-Mejia was preventable, OSHA cites Structural Prestressed Industries
The fatal work-related injuries that killed Jose Alfredo Isagirrez-Mejia could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.
McDonald’s employees recently filed 28 complaints with OSHA. This made me wonder how often OSHA get safety complaints from fast food workers?
Education
Workplace suicide rates highest among workers in the protective services, researchers find
Workplace suicides took a sharp upward turn in 2008, with workers in the protective services, such as police officers and firefighters, at greatest risk, a new study finds. Researchers say the findings point to the workplace as a prime location for reaching those at risk with potentially life-saving information and help.
In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that improved air quality in southern California had a direct effect on children’s respiratory health. The findings point to the effectiveness of smart public health policy — in other words, even as southern California experienced increases in traffic and commerce, aggressive air pollution policies resulted in cleaner air and healthier kids.
Injury Control & Violence
Not an “accident”: Alejandro Anguiana, 41, suffers fatal work-related injury in Kingsbury, IN
This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on March 6, 2015 in Kingsbury, IN.