Labor

Washington – Falls – many involving ladders – are a leading cause of workplace injuries, according to a NIOSH study published April 25 in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Corvallis, OR – The number of workers injured while handling fish on certain types of commercial fishing vessels could be reduced if appropriate interventions are developed, a new study concludes.

Washington – To mark Workers Memorial Day on April 28, various government officials have reflected on what must be done to help create safer work environments.

Sacramento, CA – Days after two nurses were stabbed at two separate Los Angeles-area hospitals, a California Senate committee has passed a bill intended to better protect hospital and health care workers from work-related violence.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration on April 23 released a final rule intended to lower miners’ exposure to coal mine dust and help end the prevalence of deadly diseases collectively known as black lung.

Washington – The number and rate of fatal work injuries in 2012 are slightly higher than preliminary statistics issued last summer but still represent a decline from the previous year, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics final report.

San Diego – Most U.S. workplace deaths are preventable, and several approaches can be taken to reduce exposures to hazardous conditions, suggests a new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

West, TX – The 2013 deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, TX, was preventable and occurred because the company and federal, state and local agencies failed to identify and correct hazards, Chemical Safety Board Chair Rafael Moure-Eraso said April 22.

New York – A recent study that questioned the usefulness of New York state’s “Scaffold Law” is flawed, according to a new report from a worker safety advocacy coalition.

Washington – NIOSH Director John Howard is accusing the U.S. Department of Agriculture of misinterpreting a recent NIOSH study on increased poultry-processing line speeds and the effect on worker safety.