Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health has released a bulletin that warns about the hazards of bark and mulch blower systems.

Washington – The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a controversial U.S. Department of Agriculture final rule that would speed up poultry-processing lines, a move safety advocates warn could lead to more worker injuries.

Washington – Implementation of the Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative in 1996 has helped reduce the number of agricultural injuries suffered by children, according to a recent report from NIOSH.

Washington – Employers of fruit pickers and landscapers have new resources – in both English and Spanish – to help keep workers safe on and near tripod orchard ladders.

Portland, OR – Three preventable logging fatalities in Oregon have prompted a new set of discussion points for supervisors to share with their crews.

Washington – The U.S. Coast Guard is accepting applications for seven openings on its 18-member Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee.

Washington – Livestock haulers will receive a one-year exemption from taking a mandated 30-minute break during an eight-hour shift, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced.

Washington – Workers in distant-water tuna fishing fleets face a greater risk of death and injury than workers in almost all other types of fishing fleets, according to a new report from NIOSH.

New York – Many children working on U.S. tobacco farms have inadequate protective gear and suffer from symptoms associated with acute nicotine poisoning, according to a report released May 14 by Human Rights Watch.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency has extended to Aug. 18 the comment period for revisions to a proposed rule aimed at protecting farmworkers from pesticide exposure.