Safety Tips

Washington — The Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs has unveiled a four-point Opioid Action Plan intended to help combat opioid misuse among injured federal employees.

Waterloo, Ontario — Nearly 3 out of 5 truck drivers experience musculoskeletal pain or discomfort while on the job, and most factors are “largely modifiable,” according to researchers at the University of Waterloo.

Atlanta — Construction workers have the highest proportional mortality ratio for heroin- and methadone-related overdose deaths, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of 26 occupations shows.

Washington — The Office of National Drug Control Policy, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has published a guide intended to help rural communities address opioid misuse and other substance abuse by providing a centralized list of federal programs and resources.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is seeking to better understand why efforts to manage and control combustible dust hazards “have often failed” to prevent explosions.

Boston — Falls to a lower level were the leading a cause of fatal worker injuries in Massachusetts from 2014 to 2015, representing nearly 17 percent of the state’s workplace fatalities, according to a report released Oct. 16 by the state’s Department of Public Health.

Winter is coming, or so whispers that chill of cold air making its way through your office. To keep warm, you may be considering using a portable space heater at your desk.

Before you plug it in, know that portable electric space heaters can present a “major workplace safety hazard,” according to Electrical Safety Foundation International.

Workers in a wide variety of jobs and industries wear high-visibility safety apparel to alert others of their presence, particularly in dark or dim places. Users include utility linemen, construction workers, police officers and school bus drivers, to name a few.

Workplace violence is a “growing concern for employers and employees,” OSHA states. In 2016, workplace homicides increased by 83 cases to 500, the highest homicide figure since 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Pneumoconiosis is a group of diseases that includes asbestosis, silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung.