Hazards

If you work outside, do so safely and know your body’s limits.

In 2011, slips, trips or falls were the cause of 14.5 percent of work-related deaths, according to the 2014 edition of the National Safety Council’s “Injury Facts.”

Washington – Outdoor workers need to get plenty of water, rest and shade this summer, OSHA is reminding employers as part of the agency’s annual heat illness prevention campaign.

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.

OSHA requires State Plan programs to be “at least as effective” as federal OSHA. Recently, one state allegedly failed to meet that criterion, and it raises an important question that – shockingly – still has no good answer: What is OSHA’s definition of “effectiveness”?

Cambridge, MA – Narcotics are frequently prescribed within the workers’ compensation system to help relieve pain among injured workers, and the prescribing frequency varies from state to state, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Boston – Workers who are exposed to paint, glue or degreaser fumes may experience cognitive issues such as memory loss during retirement, according to a recent study from the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.

Arlington, VA – A group of organizations representing the truck and bus industries and law enforcement is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to expand the scope of the agency’s proposal for establishing a national database of truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol test results.

Washington – In response to recent fatigue-related crashes involving the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, members of the House introduced a bill on May 6 intended to help reduce fatigue among workers in the rail industry.

Washington – The Federal Aviation Administration is extending to July 17 the comment period for its proposal to require certain foreign aircraft maintenance workers to undergo routine drug and alcohol testing.