New York — More than six months after New York legalized recreational use of marijuana, the state’s department of labor has published a guidance document intended to help employers navigate the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act.

Secaucus, NJ — Paced by a continuing increase in marijuana positivity rates, the positive drug test rate for U.S. workers reached its highest level in two decades in 2021, according to an annual analysis conducted by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Washington — Legislation recently introduced in the House would direct NIOSH to create a national workplace training program aimed at helping employers recognize, respond to and prevent on-the-job impairment.

Tumwater, WA — Exposure to cannabis dust, fume or smoke can lead to the development of work-related asthma, warns a new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Silver Spring, MD — Of the nearly 225,000 construction worker deaths recorded in 2020, 60% of those workers were at least 65 years old, according to a new report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

Washington — Although alcohol is a factor in nearly 1 out of 3 traffic deaths, federal and state agencies need to also address driver impairment from cannabis and prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 – 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 – 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.

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.

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.

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.

Washington – The U.S. workplace fatality rate increased in 2014 – the first time it has done so since 2010, according to finalized data released April 21 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Research shows that workers who have been on the job for less than one month are more than 3 times as likely to have a lost-time work injury. Experts say orientation and training are crucial to keeping new workers safe.

Washington – The national injury and illness rate for private-sector employees decreased in 2015, continuing a more than decade-long trend, according to data released Oct. 27 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – The overall rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work – as well as the number of median days needed to recover – decreased in 2015, according to data released Nov. 10 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released calendar year 2016 data for the BLS Days of Job Transfer or Restriction pilot study, the organization announced Dec. 13.

Washington — The nonfatal injury and illness rate for private-sector U.S. employees continued to decline in 2017, as did the rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work, according to annual data released Nov. 8 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — A total of 5,147 workers died as a result of on-the-job injuries in 2017 – a 0.8 percent decrease from 2016 – according to data released Dec. 18 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — A recent analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data highlights findings from a quarter century (1992-2016) of labor market data.

Washington — The validity of a perceived shortage of commercial motor vehicle drivers is again in the spotlight after a recent analysis conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — Independent workers – defined as people who are likely self-employed and performing short-term jobs with “no guarantee of future work beyond the task” – accounted for 12.3% of worker fatalities in 2016 and 2017, according to Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data released Aug. 9 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — The percentage of U.S. workers with paid time off increased 10% over a recent seven-year period, according to data released Aug. 29 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — The nonfatal injury and illness rate for private-sector U.S. employees remained steady in 2018, halting a trend of consistent decline, while the rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work climbed slightly, according to annual data released Nov. 7 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.