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Study links shift work to potential fertility problems

Istanbul — A recent study involving female mice shows that only four weeks of shift work-like light patterns were enough to disrupt their biological clock and reduce fertility.




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Study links shift work to cognitive impairment

Toronto — Middle-aged and older adults who have worked the night shift or rotating shifts are significantly more likely to experience cognitive impairment, results of a recent study suggest.




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Pregnant workers face preterm birth risks from shift work and long hours: study

Melbourne, Australia — Shift work and long hours can significantly raise the risk of preterm birth for pregnant workers, according to the results of a recent study.




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Study shows the night shift’s impact on diabetes and obesity risks

Richland, WA — Spending just three days working a night shift “can knock the body’s biological rhythms off course, disrupting important processes related to blood glucose regulation, energy metabolism and inflammation,” researchers from Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say.




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HiveWatch & Genea Partner to Provide Cloud-based Solutions

Genea offers a cloud-based access control and visitor management platform built on non-proprietary hardware that empowers users with the ability to monitor their buildings and provision credentials from anywhere.




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Migrant farmworker housing offers no relief from heat: study

Winston-Salem, NC – Housing for migrant farmworkers may not provide adequate relief from hot temperatures, reducing workers’ ability to rest and recover from work exposure to heat, according to a new study from the Wake Forest School of Medicine.




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Gene increases risk of developing Parkinson’s from pesticide exposure: study

Los Angeles – Pesticide exposure may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, and individual risk varies based on a person’s genetic makeup, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles.




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EPA proposes ‘commonsense’ changes to protect farmworkers from pesticides

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 20 proposed new safety measures intended to protect farmworkers from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure.




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Government undercounts agriculture injuries, study says

Sacramento, CA – Federal agency statistics vastly undercount the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the agricultural industry, according to a new study from the University of California Davis School of Medicine.




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Group tours North Carolina tobacco fields; claims worker abuse is common

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.




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New Mexico partners with Mexican Consulate to help Spanish-speaking workers

Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Occupational Health & Safety Bureau has teamed up with the Consulate of Mexico to provide the state’s Spanish-speaking employees with workplace safety training.




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EPA program targets pesticide drift

Washington – A new voluntary program from the Environmental Protection Agency aims to protect agricultural workers from pesticide drift.




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CPWR translates safety materials into Spanish

The Center for Construction Research and Training (also known as CPWR) is now offering several of its resources in Spanish.




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Worker safety bulletin aimed at preventing ‘Green Tobacco Sickness’

Washington – OSHA and NIOSH have published recommended practices to help tobacco workers and employers avoid a potentially deadly combination of illnesses.




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Lawmakers: Ban children from tobacco work

Washington – Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are proposing legislation that would prohibit children younger than 18 from working directly with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves.




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Immigration reform would reduce Latino worker deaths, National COSH claims

San Diego – Immigration reform can directly improve the safety and health of Latino workers, the only demographic group to experience an increase in fatalities in 2013, according to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.




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Matching art to message: NIOSH offers glimpse into creating safety materials

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




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Pesticide exposure mainly affects agriculture workers: study

Cincinnati – Rates of occupational injury and illness from pesticides are much higher among agricultural workers than workers in other industries, according to NIOSH research.




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House Democrats introduce bill on immigrant worker safety

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.




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CSB to offer materials in Spanish

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is including Spanish language translations of some of its safety materials, the independent agency announced Nov. 20.




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EPA issues second extension for comments on ‘restricted use’ pesticide rule

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.




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Farmworker advocates ask EPA for immediate ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos

Washington – United Farm Workers and several community health groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately suspend widespread use of chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide already acknowledged to pose poisoning risks to workers.




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Minority workers have the highest risk for injury, disability: study

Los Angeles – Latino immigrants and African-American men are most at risk for being injured on the job, according to a study from the University of Southern California.




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EPA to seek comment on draft of risk assessments related to glyphosate

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.




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Safety training falls short for immigrant workers at small construction companies: study

Washington — Immigrant construction workers employed by small companies do not receive the same amount of safety and health training as their counterparts at larger companies, according to a recent study from NIOSH and the American Society of Safety Engineers.




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EPA to publish enhanced pesticide safety training materials, ending delay

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency on June 14 announced its intent to publish a Federal Register notice establishing the availability of expanded pesticide safety training materials, in accordance with 2015 revisions to the federal Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.




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Pesticide safety training materials: EPA announcement of availability will reduce worker injury, illness risk, OIG says

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.




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OSHA announces new emphasis program for reducing exposures to ammonium nitrate, anhydrous ammonia

Kansas City, MO — OSHA has launched a Regional Emphasis Program addressing hazards stemming from exposure to fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate and agricultural anhydrous ammonia.




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Fear of employer retaliation leads immigrant seafarers to delay, avoid medical care: study

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.




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'We can benefit the team'

“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.”




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Reintroduced bill aimed at protecting immigrant workers from retaliation

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.




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Study of stone countertop workers ‘raises the alarm’ on silicosis risk

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.




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DOL launches website for migrant workers

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




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Stress-related sleep problems may put migrant roofers in danger

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.




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Report examines cause of Chevron hydrocarbon release

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.




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CSB to host public meeting on Chevron refinery report

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.




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City makes plans to implement CSB refinery safety recommendations

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.




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CSB recommends stricter regulations for California refineries

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.




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CSB issues 11 recommendations in report on Chevron refinery fire

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.




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OSHA: PSM standard exemption applies only to small retail establishments

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.




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OSHA delays enforcement of new PSM policy; lawmakers call for formal rulemaking

Washington – OSHA will delay enforcing a new interpretation of its Process Safety Management Standard, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to call for the agency to withdraw that interpretation.




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NIOSH to convenience store owners: Take steps to protect workers from violence

Washington – Simple changes to the store environment can help convenience store owners protect their employees from work-related violence, NIOSH researchers claim in a recent blog post.




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Retail exemption for PSM standard must undergo rulemaking process, appeals court rules

Washington – OSHA failed to follow federal rulemaking requirements when it used a memorandum to announce a revised definition of retail facilities exempt from the Process Safety Management Standard, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled.




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Los Angeles garment industry ‘deeply unsafe and unhealthy’: report

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles garment manufacturing industry – the nation’s largest cut-and-sew apparel base – is “plagued by workplace violations and marked by a lack of worker protections,” according to a new report released by the Garment Worker Center, the UCLA Labor Center and UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health.




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Court denies OSHA petitions to revisit ruling on PSM retail exemption

Washington – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has denied OSHA’s petitions for a rehearing and rehearing en banc of the court’s ruling that the agency failed to follow federal rulemaking requirements when it used a memorandum to announce a revised definition of retail facilities exempt from the Process Safety Management Standard.




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California bill on cosmetic-label ingredient listings aimed at protecting salon workers

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




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Many customer service workers turn to ‘retail therapy’ to cope with rude callers: study

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.




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Latest ‘Fatal Facts’ examines fall from forklift-elevated pallet

Washington – OSHA is warning employees and employers about the dangers of falling from pallets raised by forklifts in its latest edition of Fatal Facts.




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Safety in store: From the back room to the parking lot, retail workers face many hazards on the job

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.




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NIOSH issues research agendas for wholesale and retail trade sector, traumatic injury 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.