Hazards

Washington — The Department of Labor has revised the Black Lung Benefits Act to require self-insured coal mine operators to “post adequate security for their benefit liabilities.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Washington — Legislation recently introduced in the Senate would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to research the effects of “repetitive low-level blast injuries” on the mental health of military veterans.

Washington — Multiple workplace programs aimed at preventing musculoskeletal disorders have achieved the highest rating within the National Safety Council’s MSD Solutions Index, a recent report from the nonprofit shows.

Canberra, Australia — A recently launched series of case studies from Safe Work Australia is intended to help identify on-the-job psychosocial risks, assess and control them, and review control measures.

Kerman, Iran — More than 3 out of 5 truck drivers have a musculoskeletal disorder – largely as a result of work-related risk factors – results of a recent research review show.