Veteran safety pro/speaker/podcaster/columnist Richard Hawk joins the podcast to discuss conflict resolution skills in the “Five Questions With …” segment. We also discuss content from the January issue of Safety+Health, including feature stories on OSHA’s latest batch of most interesting cases and overlooked winter hazards for workers.

Washington — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is reminding employers that employment discrimination laws apply to the collection and use of data from wearables.

Washington — Increased line speeds in poultry- and pork-processing plants aren’t the “leading factor in worker musculoskeletal disorder risk” but combine with other factors to contribute to employees’ overall risk, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency will ban the use of the toxic chemical trichloroethylene and prohibit most uses of the carcinogenic chemical substance perchloroethylene, under separate final rules announced in December.

Waltham, MA — The number of heat-related illnesses “increases significantly” once the temperature rises above 80° F, results of a recent analysis from the Workers Compensation Research Institute show.

Bilbao, Spain — The latest adventures of Napo – the animated hero of a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work video series – aim to raise awareness of workplace violence.

Washington — Civil penalties issued by OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration will increase approximately 2.6% on Jan. 15.

Washington — Despite precautionary safety measures put in place months earlier, a chemical plant in Conyers, GA, still experienced multiple fires and a “massive plume of potentially toxic smoke” that endangered the surrounding community, the Chemical Safety Board says.

Stevens Point, WI — In the retail and wholesale industry, employees in their first year on the job account for more than a third of all work-related injuries, a recent analysis shows.

Washington — The eighth annual Safe + Sound Week, a national initiative aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of workplace safety and health programs, is set for Aug. 11-17.