Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Fatal workplace injuries declined 3.7% in 2023, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced December 19 with the release of its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). There were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2023. The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Amazon have entered into a corporate-wide settlement to help better protect employees from hazardous working conditions leading to serious lower back and other musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon facilities. The settlement agreement resolves the department’s multiple ergonomics cases against Amazon.com Services LLC, in the first major multi-site investigation […]
The Harbor Animal Services Center of San Pedro, California, operated by Los Angeles City Animal Services, faces a $563,250 fine after a series of employee animal attacks and bites, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced December 17. One worker, whose leg was badly mauled, required hospitalization, according to the agency. The […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine readiness for extreme winter weather hazards. The Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific hurricane seasons just ended on November 30, and the first day of winter is December 21. In its U.S. […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released detailed case data collected by its Injury Tracking Application for calendar year 2023, the agency announced December 12. The release makes publicly available the establishment-level injury and illness summary data submitted by employers. OSHA also released a “Work Related Injury & Illness Summary” report, which includes […]
RRC Home Improvement Inc., a Newark, New Jersey, roofer, is facing $328,545 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for exposing employees to falls from elevations at three North Jersey worksites, the agency announced December 10. OSHA cited RRC Home Improvement with four willful and seven serious violations following the three inspections. Since 2017, OSHA […]
The Department of Labor ordered Asia Pacific Airlines to pay more than $2 million in wages, damages, and attorneys’ fees to an employee who was reprimanded, suspended, and then fired for raising aircraft safety concerns and refusing to fly a cargo plane the employee believed had an unreliable engine, OSHA announced December 11. OSHA investigators […]
The U.S. Department of Labor announced on December 11 that its Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) finalized a revision to the personal protective equipment (PPE) rule for construction. The rule requires that PPE must properly fit any construction worker who needs it to improve protections from hazardous conditions. You can read the final rule […]
Cleveland bakeware manufacturer G&S Metal Products Company Inc. faces a $182,293 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine after two workers suffered injuries within weeks of each other, resulting in amputations, the agency announced December 9. On June 25, a 37-year-old employee sustained an amputation injury while operating a power press. The press cycled unexpectedly […]
Two Florida contractors face six-figure Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for willfully exposing workers at sites in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach to trench and excavation collapses and cave-ins, the agency announced December 5. Masci General Contractor is facing $216,633 in proposed penalties after agency inspectors witnessed workers installing a sewer line in a […]