Washington – After a recent visit with workers in tobacco fields and labor camps in North Carolina, members of an international delegation said they were shocked and saddened to see widespread worker abuse.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s controversial final rule on its New Poultry Inspection System is set to be published and, in response to public comment, will not increase the maximum speed of processing lines.

Hispanic and Latino workers were the only demographic to see its fatality figures increase from 2012 to 2013. Experts explore why Latinos are at a higher risk of workplace injuries and death, and provide potential solutions to reverse the growing trend.

Washington – A recent blog post by NIOSH sheds light on the thought process that goes into choosing the most effective art for safety materials.

Washington – Immigrant workers who report unsafe or unfair work practices would become eligible for a type of visa reserved for victims of criminal activity, under legislation recently reintroduced by House Democrats.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency once again has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would create stronger standards for workers who handle “restricted use” pesticides.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency and the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative have released a guide intended to help agricultural pesticide handlers, workers and managers comply with 2015 revisions to the federal Worker Protection Standard.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its human health and ecological risk assessments for glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide, and stated that it intends to seek public comment on the draft.

Houston — Filipino seafarers often delay or completely avoid medical care – despite their rights to it under maritime law – for fear of retaliation from employers, including potentially losing their jobs, results of a recent study show.

San Francisco — A recent study of stone fabricators in California who have been diagnosed with silicosis shows that virtually all of them were immigrant, Latino men.

Washington – The ruptured steel pipe at the center of the 2012 hydrocarbon release and fire at the Chevron U.S.A. Inc. refinery in Richmond, CA, was corroded and should have been replaced, concludes a report released by the Chemical Safety Board and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Washington – A corroded pipe that had not been inspected for years was the source of the hydrogen release and subsequent explosion at the Silver Eagle Refinery in 2009, according to a new analysis from the Chemical Safety Board.

East Lansing, MI – Do you find shopping therapeutic after a tense day at work? It may be rooted to your occupation. Service workers who are verbally abused by customers are more likely to indulge in stress-related shopping sprees, according to a recent study from Michigan State University.

Washington – Although tobacco use continues to decrease among working adults overall, a significant number of workers in the construction, mining, and transportation and warehousing industries still use some form of tobacco product, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington — NIOSH has published its National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade, as well as its NORA for Traumatic Injury Prevention – both intended to spotlight the research, information and actions most needed to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.

Secaucus, NJ — The rate of positive drug tests rose by double digits in five of 16 major U.S. workforce industry sectors from 2015 to 2017, according to a recent analysis by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

New York — Retail employees injured on the job miss an average of 24 days of work as a result, according to recent report from AmTrust Financial Services Inc., an insurance provider for small businesses.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published guidance to help nail salon employers protect their workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidance intended to help employers in the retail and service industries protect workers from violence that may occur when they ask customers or co-workers to comply with store policies aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Sacramento, CA — California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sept. 22 signed into law a bill intended to further protect the health and safety of warehouse workers.

Tampa, FL — COVID-19 mortality rates among adults with lower levels of education who worked in the labor, service and retail industries were nearly five times higher than other groups in 2020, results of a new study by the University of South Florida show.

Morgantown, WV — Researchers at West Virginia University are working on a project that uses robots to help reduce slips and falls in retail workplaces.

Vancouver, British Columbia — A new forklift safety video illustrates why the equipment’s operator should be the only rider.

Ann Arbor, MI — Most paper receipts at large retailers contain chemicals with possible links to hormone disruption and other adverse health effects, results of a recent study show.

Washington — OSHA will launch a National Emphasis Program “this summer” that will focus on high injury rates in warehouses, agency administrator Doug Parker said June 13.

Northampton, England — Prompted by workers’ safety concerns about the quietness of electric forklifts, British researchers are working to develop an audible alert.

Washington — OSHA has begun a National Emphasis Program that targets hazards in warehouses, distribution centers and “high-risk” retail establishments.

Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa signed a bill today, June 30, which prohibits alarm companies from having to pay fees associated with false alarms, emergency response to false alarms or permits.

This standard takes alarm verification and confirmation to the next level by defining multiple-attempt confirmation, biometric, audio and video confirmation. 

Traditional security and the smart home are the same. There — I’ve said it. Our industry likes to see them as different, but for someone growing up now, without any preconceptions of alarm systems, they all just look like a lot of gadgets for the home.  So what does this mean for the smart home and traditional alarm monitoring?

False alarms have long troubled video monitoring stations. With stations in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, La. and Chicago, Ill., Acadian Monitoring Services did better than most in the industry, estimating only two of three alarms received were false.

Interface Security Systems, a managed service provider delivering business security, managed network, UCaaS and business intelligence solutions to distributed enterprises, announced that El Pollo Loco, one of the nation’s fastest growing restaurant chains that specializes in fire grilled chicken, is relying on Interface's managed video verified alarms and intrusion alarm monitoring to reliably detect intrusions and minimize false alarms.

The self-paced program is designed to prepare individuals for obtaining their alarm contractor license and serves as a Level One equivalent certification.

Washington – NIOSH has scheduled a public meeting on July 31 in Cincinnati to hear comments on a proposed survey about engineered nanomaterials.

Washington – Designating a single government agency to direct safety, health and environmental research efforts on nanomaterials could help accelerate progress, a new National Research Council report suggests.

Washington – NIOSH recently issued an update to its strategic plan for protecting workers from safety and health hazards associated with nanotechnology.

Washington – A national strategy implemented in 2011 to provide guidance to federal agencies on nanotechnology and occupational safety has led to the collection of workplace exposure assessment data and exposure control strategy resources, according to a report released June 25.

Washington – NIOSH and SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s nanotechnology school have signed an agreement to work together on nanotechnology research and provide guidance on occupational safety and health.

Washington – The American Industrial Hygiene Association has published a fact sheet that aims to improve safety for workers in the nanotechnology industry.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking comment about its draft bulletin on the health effects of worker exposure to silver nanoparticles.

Washington — As emerging technologies continue to impact the workplace, NIOSH is keeping a watchful eye on whether these new materials and processes will create new on-the-job hazards.

What does “sensor speed” mean, and why is it an important aspect of gas monitors?

What’s the difference between an incidental release and a hazardous substance release that requires an emergency response?

What are the criteria for determining if something is or is not an HNOC?

What is the difference between a “spill” and a “release”?

Washington – Senators on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation that would make permanent OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs.

Washington – Several members of the House have joined forces to reintroduce bipartisan legislation that would make permanent OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs.

Washington – The second of two public meetings to discuss how OSHA can “reshape” its Voluntary Protection Programs is scheduled for Aug. 28 in New Orleans.

Washington – Senators on both sides of the aisle are again seeking to make OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs a permanent fixture.

With the COVID-19 outbreak and various levels of lockdown, I’ve had a lot of time to read books and watch television. One of the technologies being heavily advertised is the 5G wireless technology, which is supposed to revolutionize cellular and internet connectivity.

But what is it going to do for our industry?