Safety Tips

If you use hammers on the job, are you using them safely? If not, serious injuries can occur.

Extension ladders typically have two sections that use brackets or guides to make them adjustable, allowing workers to perform tasks at various heights. However, the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety warns, extension ladders are not self-supporting and require “a stable structure that can withstand the intended load.”

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – more commonly known as MRSA – is a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that can lead to difficult-to-treat infections. MRSA is resistant to certain antibiotics and, although an infection may begin as a skin sore, it can become serious and potentially deadly, NIOSH warns.

Berkeley, CA — Cannabis industry workers may be at increased risk of respiratory problems as a result of on-the-job exposure to various hazards, results of a recent study led by a University of Washington professor indicate.

Washington — NIOSH is seeking comment on an agency plan to conduct research and develop resources on Workplace Supported Recovery Programs, which assist workers and employers affected by the nation’s opioid epidemic and other substance misuse disorders.

Washington — Six weeks after the full implementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the agency said it had documented nearly 8,000 positive tests for substance misuse among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Silver Spring, MD — CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training has unveiled an opioid awareness training program in response to its recently issued report showing that unintentional overdose deaths among construction workers have increased dramatically over the past decade.

As reports of the current outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) dominate the headlines, keeping calm can prove difficult. However, one of the best ways to combat anxiety – and be prepared – is to be informed.

Washington — CBD products may have higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC – the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – than the Department of Transportation allows in a non-controlled substance, the agency cautions in a Feb. 18 policy and compliance notice, adding that CBD use is not a “legitimate medical explanation” for a safety-sensitive employee who tests positive for marijuana.

A 61-year-old truck driver died after he was thrown back onto a concrete floor when air was released from a pressurized tire sidewall failure.