Food

Anchorage, AK – Vessel disasters and falls overboard are the primary hazards experienced by workers in commercial fishing – an industry with a fatality rate 29 times higher than the national average – according to a recent NIOSH analysis of four U.S. regions.

Washington – A group of House Democrats, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), is urging Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to reject a renewed call to increase line speeds in poultry-processing plants.

Washington – In response to a stakeholder’s request, NIOSH has extended the comment period on a Request for Information on peracetic acid, according to a notice published in the June 1 Federal Register.

New York – Every day, 27 workers suffer on-the-job amputations or injuries that require hospitalization, according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project.

Corvallis, OR – Injuries among seafood-processing workers in Oregon have eclipsed the statewide average, and the rate appears to be increasing, according to a recent study from Oregon State University.

From workers at microwave popcorn plants to coffee roasters, people who work with the flavoring chemicals diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione may be at risk for bronchiolitis obliterans, an irreversible disease also known as “popcorn lung.”

Washington – NIOSH has released recommended limits for controlling occupational exposure to flavoring chemicals diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione, both of which have been linked to reduced lung function in food flavoring and production industry workers.

Tucker, GA – The U.S. Poultry Foundation, part of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, is seeking proposals on a study to monitor worker exposure to antimicrobials used during poultry processing.

Washington – A Government Accountability Office report on injuries and illnesses in the meat and poultry industry questions “whether the federal government is doing all it can to collect the data it needs to support worker protection and workplace safety.”

Omaha, NE – OSHA has initiated a Local Emphasis Program for meat processing workers in Nebraska, where employees have an above-average rate of injury.