Washington — By publishing the availability of expanded pesticide safety training materials after previously resisting the move, the Environmental Protection Agency will reduce risks of injury and illness among employers, farmworkers, pesticide handlers and their families, the EPA Office of Inspector General asserts in an audit report released Aug. 30.

Washington — OSHA has released a guide intended to protect farmworkers from tractor rollovers, which result in about 130 fatal injuries a year.

“Clear written and verbal communications are essential to health and safety excellence,” says one safety expert. “It’s even more important when different languages are involved.”

Washington — Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) has reintroduced legislation that would provide temporary protection from deportation to immigrant workers who are victims of, or witnesses to, unsafe working conditions and other labor rights violations.

Información Rápida (Quick Information) will feature regular updates on workplace safety and workers’ rights.

Washington — A new Department of Labor website – available in English and Spanish – features information on immigrant worker rights and other job-related resources.

Houston — Migrant roofing workers are more likely to experience poor sleep quality, which may put them at increased risk of injury, Rice University researchers say.

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.

Sacramento, CA – Reacting to a Chevron refinery fire last year that resulted in thousands of people seeking medical attention after breathing toxic emissions, a California lawmaker has introduced legislation to require abatement of unsafe conditions during any appeals process.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is scheduled to host a public meeting on April 19 in Richmond, CA, to present interim findings and safety recommendations from the investigation of the hydrocarbon release and fire at a Chevron refinery.

Washington – Failure to apply inherently safer design principles, conduct damage mechanism hazard reviews and implement safeguards led to the hydrocarbon release and fire at a Chevron refinery in August 2012, concludes a draft report from the Chemical Safety Board.

Richmond, CA – The Richmond City Council in California recently adopted a resolution to implement recommendations from a Chemical Safety Board interim report on the August 2012 Chevron refinery fire and explosion.

Richmond, CA – Agencies tasked with overseeing refinery safety in California need better coordination and stronger regulation, concludes a new report from the state’s Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety.

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.

Washington – California should strengthen its process safety management regulations for refineries, the Chemical Safety Board stated in a final report on a fire at a Chevron refinery in 2012.

Richmond, CA – Chemical Safety Board members unanimously approved a set of recommendations as part of the agency’s third and final report on a fire and vapor release that affected thousands of residents near a Chevron refinery in 2012.

Washington – Large facilities that store and sell chemicals may no longer be exempt from OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standard, the agency announced July 22 in a revised interpretation of its rules.

Morgantown, WV – Despite robbery-related violence being the leading cause of death in the retail industry, many Texas convenience store owners fail to take precautions that could prevent robberies and protect workers from violence, according to a new NIOSH study.

Sacramento, CA – California could become the first state to require professional cosmetics manufacturers to list ingredients – including hazardous chemicals – on their product labels.

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.

Retail workers experienced a combined injury and illness rate higher than the construction industry in 2016. Experts say top-down commitment is needed to prevent a work environment that values inventory over safety.

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.

Toronto — Handling receipts may boost cashiers’ exposure to bisphenol A and bisphenol S – two chemicals with possible links to cancer and other adverse health effects – results of a recent study from Canadian advocacy group Environmental Defense shows.

Washington — A newly launched campaign is intended to raise young workers’ awareness of on-the-job safety.

Washington — To help keep safe the workers who play a role in getting “gifts from the warehouse to your home” for the holidays, OSHA has published a series for seasonal workplace safety tips and a video – including COVID-19-related guidance.

Portland, ME — A new online training course launched by the University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute focuses on protecting retail workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — Two environmental groups, along with 75 salon workers from across the country, have filed a citizen petition asking the Food and Drug Administration to ban hair straighteners containing formaldehyde.

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.

Philadelphia — A new Regional Emphasis Program from OSHA is aimed at reducing worker injuries and illnesses in warehousing, storage and distribution yard operations.

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

New York — Workers in the manufacturing, warehousing, construction and transportation industries need better support for their mental and emotional needs, results of a recent survey suggest.

Vancouver, British Columbia — Protecting workers from struck-by injuries related to heavy equipment or vehicles is the goal of new employed-aimed resources from the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia.

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.

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 latest apps, websites, white papers and everything online in the security industry.

Is an alarm company responsible for injuries sustained on a routine maintenance call?

This program provides the flexibility and cost structure alarm dealers and residential integrators need to grow their business, while delivering the technology new homebuyers demand.

Washington – NIOSH on April 24 issued a recommended worker exposure limit of 1 microgram per cubic meter of air for carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers.

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

Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing industry. But little is known about how nanoparticles affect the health of both the workers who manufacture the products and those who use them.

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

Washington — NIOSH has released four guidance documents intended to “provide options” for employers to better protect workers exposed to nanomaterials.

Silver Spring, MD — The Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR, has released a series of toolbox talks on nanomaterials.

What are the necessary steps to take if I receive a shipment without a Safety Data Sheet?

What are the most common challenges with GHS-compliant signs and labels?

Do all chemical containers need GHS labels?

What are the new Environmental Protection Agency labeling requirements for hazardous waste containers?

What are the best practices, and proactive measures being taken, to ensure chemical safety in the workplace?

Does the color of an absorbent tell you anything about what it will safely absorb?