It looks like California is once again picking up the slack for a federal agencies failing in their regulatory responsibilities. In this case, theyâre addressing the issue of chemicals in consumer products, as a step toward a broader âGreen Chemistry Initiative,â which is âaimed at promoting development of safer chemicals with policies to spur green […]
On Saturday afternoon, I sat at my computer screen and watched Barack Obama announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. I think it’s a good pick for a multitude of reasons—some personal, some political and some practical. When Biden spoke on Saturday, I found myself smiling and nodding my head in agreement. When he said the following, […]
Imagine being an MSHA inspector and being asked by independent investigators for your honest and frank opinion about the events surrounding the August 2007 disaster at the Crandall Canyon mine, which took the lives of nine men. You decide to participate because you genuinely believe in MSHA’s mission—enforcing safety and health laws to protect miners’ lives—and hope […]
With the presidential contest heating up, bloggersâ thoughts turn to U.S. healthcare reform: Lisa Codispoti at Womenstake presents the numbers that show just how bad conditions are now. Brian Klepper at Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review explains the crucial element of healthcare reform thatâs missing from the new Harry and Louise ad (via Health […]
WSAV News in Savannah, Georgia reports today that Mr. Malcolm Frazier, 47, succumbed to the severe burns he sustained in the February explosion of combustible dust at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, GA. WSAV reports: After a long courageous battle, Malcolm Frazier, 47, succumbed to his burn injuries and passed away in the Joseph M. […]
Hazards magazine, a UK-based publication dedicated to occupational health, has just published a piece by David Michaels about how product defense tactics harm workers. Much of Davidâs book, Doubt is Their Product, focuses on substances whose dangers are particularly evident in the workplace, including asbestos, benzene lead, aromatic amines (dyes and rubber chemicals that cause […]
Earlier today, NPR’s Morning Edition dedicated a segment to the latest figure on workplace deaths: 5,488 workers died from fatal work injuries last year. That’s the lowest number since the government started keeping statistics in 1992. Libby Lewis interviewed David Michaels about the drop; he noted that some of the reduction is due to improvements […]
Itâs World Water Week, and officials from around the world are meeting in Stockholm to discuss how to get adequate water and sanitation to the worldâs population â even as drought and other environmental problems threaten the global water supply. The conference organizers explain the problem and what WWW intends to do about it:
First, the good news: A federal appeals court has struck down a 2006 EPA rule that prohibited state and local governments from strengthening efforts to monitor pollution from power plants, factories, and refineries. Under the Clean Air Act, state and local governments are tasked with issuing pollution permits to power plants, factories, and other polluters. […]
With growing rates of public transit usage nationwide, itâs a good time to see if transit systems are providing workplaces that will keep employees healthy. In this weekâs news, the DC areaâs transit agency has unveiled seats with more back support and better seat belts for its bus drivers; the improved seats will initially appear […]