Washington — The American Transportation Research Institute is asking truck drivers to take a survey on the impact of marijuana legalization on driving and industry operations.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council wants to help employers and employees understand the impact cannabis use can have on workplace safety.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has approved oral fluid drug testing as an alternative to urine testing for truck drivers and workers in other safety-sensitive transportation positions.

Washington — The opioid epidemic has had a wide-ranging impact on U.S. workers, but employers who support recovery can help, a new policy report states.

Secaucus, NJ — The percentage of workers testing positive for marijuana after an on-the-job incident or injury hit a 25-year high in 2022, according to an analysis conducted by Quest Diagnostics.

Washington — Although initial data suggests that marijuana legalization has “negatively impacted highway safety,” it’s still “too soon to calculate” an overall relationship between the two, according to a new report.

Toronto — Instead of having a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis use, employers may want to consider “minimum wait periods before a work shift when cannabis consumption is not allowed,” researchers say.

Washington — The approval of a second over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray for emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose is a “game-changer” for its lifesaving potential, the National Safety Council says.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has created “reminders” that highlight common issues service agents encounter during the drug and alcohol testing process.

Lexington, KY — A new toolkit from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center is intended to help small businesses hire, support and retain workers recovering from a substance use disorder.

Washington — The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has updated its online hub of information and resources on substance use disorder and recovery.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council is raising awareness of over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray for emergency treatment of opioid overdoses in the workplace.

Seattle — Public train and bus operators face secondhand exposure from passenger drug use, potentially affecting their physical and mental health, according to a new report.

Washington — The Department of Transportation is changing how users access the Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System.

Washington — The White House wants to help employers support workers who are dealing with substance misuse – as well as those in recovery. As part of the effort, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has released a toolkit.

Lansing, MI — In an effort to protect workers in the rapidly expanding cannabis industry, Michigan OSHA has initiated a state emphasis program that covers the growing, harvesting and processing of the plant.

Atlanta — Exposure control, safety training and medical monitoring are all needed to prevent occupational asthma among cannabis workers, a new study concludes.

Washington — Federal facilities should convert their current AED stations into “safety stations” that include naloxone – a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, the Department of Health and Human Services says.

Somers, WI — States where recreational marijuana sales are legal have seen a nearly 10% increase in on-the-job injuries among 20- to 34-year-old workers, according to a new study.

Washington — The White House is calling on stakeholders across all sectors to “commit to save lives” by increasing training on – and access to – lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medications.

Washington — OSHA’s Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health has scheduled a virtual meeting for April 18.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council has launched a new set of initiatives targeting opioid overdoses in the workplace.

Secaucus, NJ — The percentage of U.S. workers whose drug test showed signs of tampering skyrocketed in 2023 to its highest level in over 30 years, according to Quest Diagnostics’ annual Drug Testing Index.

Washington — The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Worker Training Program has published Spanish-language versions of its resources on COVID-19’s impact on mental health and substance use.

Boston — Workers in Massachusetts who reported a job-related injury in the past 10 years were 35% more likely to have died of an opioid-related overdose, the state’s Department of Public Health says.

Boston — Unintentional overdoses accounted for more than 1 out of 4 workplace deaths in Massachusetts between 2021 and 2022, the state’s Department of Public Health reports.

Be ready to respond to an opioid overdose at work. “It really is something that’s very simple to administer,” an NSC expert says.

We discuss content from the October issue of Safety+Health and share our thoughts on the 2024 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. Also, Jamie Osborne, a public health analyst at NIOSH, joins us to discuss recovery-friendly workplaces in the “Five Questions With …” segment.

Washington – In 2011, 4,693 workers died on the job, according to revised numbers issued April 25 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Belleville, IL – Injury and illness rates may differ greatly between states – even within the same industries, according to a new report from Allsup, a provider of Social Security Disability Insurance services.

Washington – The number of fatal workplace injuries decreased in 2012 from the previous year, according to a preliminary report released Aug. 22 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – The rate of nonfatal worker injuries and illnesses declined in 2012 from the previous year, resuming a recent downward trend, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2012 survey of occupational injuries and illnesses, released Nov. 7.

Washington – The rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work dropped in 2012 from the previous year, but the median number of days away increased slightly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – State and local government workers accounted for one-fifth of injuries and illnesses in 2011, and the incidence rate was highest among state hospital workers, according to a new analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – The number and rate of fatal work injuries in 2012 are slightly higher than preliminary statistics issued last summer but still represent a decline from the previous year, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics final report.

The temporary workforce in the United States is growing, as is the number of stories of temp workers being injured or killed on the job. Safety+Health examines the challenges of ensuring the safety of temporary workers, and the steps stakeholder groups and OSHA are taking to address the issue.

Washington – The number and rate of workers killed on the job in 2013 declined from 2012, according to preliminary data released Sept. 11 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – Injuries and illnesses are “significantly” undercounted in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual survey, declares a commentary printed in a special issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

Washington – The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Nov. 14 released injury and illness data for 2011 and 2012 to correct previously disclosed data processing errors.

Washington – The rate of work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry declined in 2013, continuing a nearly unbroken downward trend spanning more than a decade, according to the latest estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – The fatal occupational injury rate for 2013 maintains a nearly decade-long decline, according to final data released April 22 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – OSHA has updated its National Emphasis Program on amputations to reflect the latest enforcement and injury data, the agency announced on Aug. 13.

Washington – On-the-job fatalities in 2014 increased to 4,679, more than one-third of which occurred among older workers, according to a preliminary report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lansing, MI – Michigan OSHA has launched a Local Emphasis Program targeting enforcement activities on industries that recently have experienced an increase in injuries and illnesses.

Washington – The national injury and illness rate for workers in private industry decreased in 2014, continuing more than a decade-long trend, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Oct. 29.

Silver Spring, MD – Construction worker fatalities have increased 16 percent since 2011, outpacing an increase in construction employment during the same time period, according to a report released Oct. 26 by the Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR.

Washington – Although the overall rate of occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work fell in 2014, the number of median days needed to recuperate increased, according to a Nov. 19 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Older workers have a wealth of knowledge from their years of experience. But they also bring increased risk of on-the-job fatalities and severe injuries. In about six years, one-quarter of all U.S. workers will be 55 or older. What actions can safety professionals take now to ensure a safe workplace down the road? “This is the next frontier,” one safety pro says.

Hopkinton, MA – “Overexertion involving outside sources” remains the leading cause of disabling injuries in the United States, according to the annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, which ranks serious, nonfatal workplace injuries.

Chicago – A new report from UL details the health conditions and workplace safety rates in every state, as well as their financial impact.