Hazards

Fort Collins, CO — Employers should prioritize efforts to help workers get a good night’s sleep, researchers from Colorado State University say after their study of construction workers found a connection between poor quality sleep and the risk of workplace incidents and injuries.

Bethesda, MD — Irregular sleep patterns do more than just make you tired at work – they can have long-lasting adverse effects on your health.

During the summer months, outdoor workers are at heightened risk of heat-related illnesses, ranging from mild heat rash to potentially deadly heatstroke. “It’s not like you just provide them water and that solves the problem,” one expert says. “It starts with an effective plan.”

Washington — NIOSH has published a technical report intended to help safety and health professionals, employers, trade associations, labor organizations, and state-level programs control chemical exposures in the workplace.

San Francisco — Attorneys general of 10 states and the District of Columbia are suing the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Andrew Wheeler, over the agency’s refusal to issue a rule to further regulate asbestos – a known human carcinogen.

Carson City, NV — Nevada has become the first state to prohibit almost all employers in the state from denying employment to job candidates who test positive for marijuana.

Darien, IL — Basic employer interventions such as educating workers about the importance of sleep and sharing strategies to improve it may result in better sleep habits, increased productivity and reduced absenteeism, a recent review of research concludes.

Washington — Questions over how to protect workers from heat-related illnesses took center stage during a July 11 hearing convened by the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee.

San Antonio — Nearly 1 in 3 nurses may suffer from insomnia, while more than 1 in 8 admit to taking medications to help them stay awake, according to a recent study.

Washington — As emerging technologies continue to impact the workplace, NIOSH is keeping a watchful eye on whether these new materials and processes will create new on-the-job hazards.