Safety Tips

Two excavator operators were using a tandem lift procedure to transport a 128-foot section of pipe. Both excavators were attached to the pipe with slings. The lead operator lowered his end, detached from the pipe and positioned his excavator on the left side of the pipe.

Washington – Poultry workers and officials from 13 nonprofit organizations and unions met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service on Oct. 16 to urge the department to reject an industry petition to allow faster and unrestricted line speeds in production plants, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Washington – Mandatory guidelines for drug testing of federal employees have been updated to include testing for four semi-synthetic opioids, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently announced.

New York – Employers can use several strategies to mitigate cost and health issues associated with workers’ musculoskeletal disorders, the Northeast Business Group on Health suggests in a report issued Sept. 21.

Statistics show 75 percent of the 18- to 64-year-olds who have substance misuse disorders are in the workforce. As the struggles of addiction to opioid painkillers continue to affect worker safety and health, employers are being urged to take action.

Occupational asthma is a respiratory disease in which on-the-job exposure to certain substances causes the airways of a person’s lungs to swell and narrow.

Pressure washers are used to clean large areas, including buildings, parking lots, vehicles and other machinery. These high-powered tools also are used in disaster cleanup. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a pressure washer’s intense spray can cause wounds and other serious injuries that may at first appear minor.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders – also referred to as repetitive motion or repetitive strain injuries – are a group of painful conditions that affect the muscles, tendons and nerves. According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, workers can develop an MSD from bending, gripping, straightening, holding, twisting, or reaching with their arms and hands.

A 38-year-old foreman for a tree service company was crushed to death by a skid-steer loader.

About 6,000 office fires are reported every year in the United States, according to the Seattle Fire Department. If your workplace experienced a fire, would employees know how to respond?