US Government | The Pump Handle

Drug Safety Messaging study: Putting a human face on opioid addiction increases public support for naloxone

July 17, 2015 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Every day in the U.S., more than 40 people die after overdosing on prescription painkillers. Deaths from a more notorious form of opiates — heroin — increased five-fold between 2001 and 2013. Addressing this problem — one that’s often described as a public health crisis — requires action on many fronts, from preventing abuse in the first place to getting those addicted into treatment. But when it comes to overdoses, there’s one answer we know works: naloxone.

Government Fatal work injury that killed Jason Strycharz was preventable, OSHA cites Kloeckner Metals

July 16, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The fatal work-related injuries that killed Jason Strycharz, 40 could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.

Environmental Health Company and consultants go out of their way to obstruct OSHA inspection

July 15, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

OSHA inspectors attempted to investigate the circumstances of a foundry worker with lead poisoning. The employer and its consulting firm threw obstacles in the inspectors’ way, but two judges saw through their obstruction.

Environmental Health Occupational Health News Roundup

July 14, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Leaders in the domestic workers movement write about continuing challenges and forward progress; Wisconsin workers lose right to a living wage; OSHA designates DuPont a severe violator; and Michigan advocates organize for paid sick leave.

Affordable Care Act In wake of Affordable Care Act, dramatic declines in out-of-pocket spending on contraception

July 10, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, American women are saving hundreds of dollars on birth control, according to the first study to document the impact of health reform on prescription contraception spending.

Injury Control & Violence Not an “accident”: Gerald Thompson, 51 suffers fatal work-related injury in Lakeville, MN

July 9, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Environmental Health Report explores the dangerous work of recycling: ‘Recycling is the right thing to do, but we have to do it the right way’

July 7, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Recycling our garbage is good for the planet, but a new report finds that the workers who process our recyclable materials often face dangerous and unnecessary conditions that put their health and safety at serious risk.

Environmental Health No OSHA citations for fatal work injury that killed Ernesto Rodriguez at Oklahoma fracking site

July 3, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

The OSHA inspection following the work-related death in Oklahoma of Ernesto Rodriguez did not result in any citations. A FOIA request of records from the inspection shed little light on why it happened.

Cancer Occupational Health News Roundup

June 30, 2015 Kim Krisberg

New investigative series examines the toll of occupational illness and the lack of federal protections; OSHA steps up its efforts to protect nurses; women janitors face sexual assault and rape risks on the night shift; and IKEA reports that raising wages worked so well, the company is set to raise them again.

Environmental Health Workers at auto parts manufacturers demand health and safety rights from Hyundai and Lear

June 29, 2015 The Pump Handle

Workers and safety advocates delivered petitions with 25,000 signatures to Hyundai’s headquarters demanding better working conditions at companies in the automaker’s supply chain. Exposure to isocyanates in the manufacturing of automobile seats is a particular concern.