Hazards

East Lansing, MI — Farm workers exposed to an unusually high level of pesticides may be 50% more likely to lose, either partially or completely, their sense of smell later in life – an early symptom of Parkinson’s disease and dementia, results of a recent Michigan State University study show.

Morgantown, WV — Two potentially hazardous chemicals are missing from the Safety Data Sheets for bulk liquid flavorings, findings from a recent NIOSH Respiratory Health Division study show.

It has taken many years, but OSHA’s construction crane operator requirements are finalized and nearly in full effect.

Rapid legalization, increasing use and conflicting laws are a confusing blend for employers and safety professionals attempting to set workplace policies about marijuana.

The National Safety Council reported in January that, for the first time on record, the odds of dying from an unintentional opioid overdose in a given lifetime (1 in 96) are greater than the lifetime odds of dying in a motor vehicle-related crash (1 in 103).

Iowa City, IA — A NIOSH-funded study of farm machinery found that the machine operators experienced whole-body vibration at levels that reached the European Union’s “action level” for exposure limit within two hours of operation on nearly 30 percent of the equipment tested.

Tucson, AZ — Long-duration spaceflight may pose a major hazard to astronauts’ immune systems, a recent study shows.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is offering training intended to help prevent poisonings among workers who apply the toxic herbicide paraquat, as required by agency regulations.

Washington — Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) said he is “grateful” for the increased support for his Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309), the subject of a Feb. 27 hearing before the House Education and Labor Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee.