Workplace safety

Ban will protect workers and patrons and will be strongest in traditional tobacco states

March 09, 2009 --    » read more »

8/12/2008 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today signed into law Senate Bill 847, “An act to add agricultural workers to those protected against retaliation in the workplace and to direct the Pesticide Board to adopt rules requiring licensed pesticide applicators to record the specific time of day when each pesticide application is completed, as recommended by the Governor's Task Force on Preventing Agricultural Pesticide Exposure.” This new law, along with funding approved by the legislature in the governor’s budget, will help protect agricultural laborers, farmers and applicators who work with and around pesticides.    » read more »

Washington, D.C, July 02, 2008 -- The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have renewed their Alliance and will continue to focus on advancing a culture of prevention of safety and health hazards for the nation’s working men and women. Dow and OSHA will jointly promote the case for safer, healthier workplaces by sharing proven practices and technical knowledge in areas such as process safety management, safety and health management systems, emergency preparedness, and employee wellness programs.    » read more »

Midland, MI, July 02, 2008 -- A safety train equipped with a classroom and training center on rails has rolled into Lansing to provide free railroad and chemical transportation training to local firefighters and other emergency response personnel. The Michigan TRANSCAER Training Tour, presented by The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), has brought chemical and rail industry professionals to several communities in Michigan to provide hands-on training, the training will begin Midland May 22 and conclude in Lansing July 2.    » read more »

June 6, 2008 -- A new report reveals how the Smoke-Free Arizona Act led to healthier environments for employees and patrons of Arizona restaurants and bars and to indoor workplaces free from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke.

Since the law took effect May 1, 2007, complaints about indoor smoking have dropped dramatically to less than 200 a month from about 1,400 in the first month, according to the first annual report on the Smoke-Free Arizona Act.

"We are proud to state that one year after the Law went into effect, a high level of compliance has been achieved statewide. Most employers responded well in creating smoke-free workplaces while the number of complaints declined significantly, this resulting in cleaner air for Arizona residents," the report concludes.    » read more »

May 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Hillary Clinton is calling on the Bush Administration to issue new safety standards for cranes and derricks and questioned why the administration has failed to update these regulations.

A 2006 crane collapse: Photo by Mike Anderson (CC)

In a letter to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Senator Clinton underscored that current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards for cranes and derricks were written in 1971, and that an OSHA advisory committee recommended updated regulations in 2004 that have yet to be put in place.    » read more »

For 7 years, hundreds of sick workers have waited for a decision on their claims by the Government

April 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letters to the Department of Labor (DOL), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Presidential Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH), calling on them to release the costs of administering the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

Nuclear detonation: Photo courtesy Defense Nuclear Agency    » read more »

As stories of underreporting spread, OSHA's efforts to audit injury and illness records have declined

April 22, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is effectively working to ensure that employers are accurately reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace.    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- HARRISBURG - Following two separate mine explosions, the owner of a Schuylkill County mine, the mine's foreman and a miner were each arrested yesterday on involuntary manslaughter and other charges by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Tom Corbett identified the defendants as:

* David Zimmerman, 52, 79 Mollystown Road, Pine Grove (mine owner and operator)
* Steven Zimmerman, 32, 77 Mollystown Road, Pine Grove (mine foreman)
* Jeffrey Klinger, 42, 2A West Laurel St., Tremont (miner)

Schuylkill County coal mine defendants: David Zimmerman, Steven Zimmerman and Jeffrey Klinger (left to right)    » read more »

Governor proclaims April 15, 2008, Mine Safety Day in Illinois

April 15, 2008 -- SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced today that Illinois’ coal mine industry achieved a record fifth consecutive year without a fatality, a milestone never before achieved in Illinois.

Mine more coal sign, Pennsylvania: Photo by Mike Thomas (CC)

This achievement is a testament to increased safety measures over the last several years and the diligence of mine workers in Illinois to follow safety procedures. The Governor also proclaimed April 15, 2008, as Mine Safety Day in Illinois.    » read more »

04/08/2008 -- California Governor Schwarzenegger issued the following proclamation declaring the week of April 7-11, 2008, as "Work Zone Awareness Week" in California:

PROCLAMATION

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is home to some of the best workers in the world, and their ability to build, repair and maintain thousands of miles of streets, highways and related infrastructure is remarkable.

Road crew: Photo by Richard Masoner (CC)

Doing this work, however, can pose serious risks, and hundreds of workers are killed in work zones around the country each year.    » read more »

Change to Win Unions Urge Senate Subcommittee: Greater Oversight Needed for Waste Management, Inc. and Other Companies with Dangerous Pattern of Safety Violations

April 1, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) –The Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety heard testimony today from unions in the Change to Win partnership on the need for greater oversight by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of companies with a history of serious, ongoing safety violations—including waste hauling giant Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WMI).    » read more »

Safety Expert and Poultry Worker to Address Failures of Large Corporations to Protect Health and Safety of Workers In the Workplace

April 1, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Change to Win Health and Safety coordinator Eric Frumin and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) member Doris Morrow will testify as witnesses at a Senate hearing tomorrow to address the dangerous pattern of large corporations ignoring or avoiding their obligations to insure a safe workplace. The testimony will focus on serious violations at BP, McWane Corp., Cintas Corp., House of Raeford, Smithfield Foods, AgriProcessors, Waste Management Inc., and Avalon Bay.    » read more »

02/04/2008, WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. today announced that President Bush has requested $501.7 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in fiscal year (FY) 2009. The request represents a boost of nearly $15.7 million over the fiscal year 2008 level.    » read more »

Prompt action to be taken to improve MSHA’s assessments process

02/04/2008, ARLINGTON, Va. — Richard E. Stickler, acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, today announced a comprehensive plan to ensure that fines are assessed for all safety and health violations issued by MSHA's coal and metal/nonmetal enforcement personnel. MSHA recently discovered that while 99.6 percent of all citations since 1995 have been properly assessed, less than one half of one percent have gone unassessed over this period of time.    » read more »