Category: Injuries and Illness

Modern safety management goes beyond covering traditional workplace accidents to now being equally concerned with illnesses caused on and even off the job. This section will explain what you need to know to avoid both injuries and illnesses, and to track your progress in reaching this goal.

Free Special REport: Does Your PPE Program Meet OSHA’s Requirements?

Smelly Mel’s and Sewer Rat Plumbing Face $530K Cal/OSHA Fine

Smelly Mel’s Plumbing and Sewer Rat Plumbing face a total of $529,640 in state fines for violating safety regulations that resulted in serious injuries to a construction worker during a trench collapse in San Mateo, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced February 10. Cal/OSHA cited the two employers after finding a total […]

Judge Vacates OSHA Fall Protection Citation

In a February 5 decision, an administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission vacated an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citation of a fall protection violation. Review Commission Judge Carol A. Baumerich concluded that the agency’s evidence failed to establish the cited employer’s noncompliance with OSHA’s construction industry fall […]

California DIR Issues Additional Fire Recovery, Cleanup Guidance

In response to continuing recovery and cleanup efforts following wildfires in Southern California, the state’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) posted updated guidance for workers and employers on how to proceed rapidly and safely to address the risks associated with fire debris removal and cleanup, the DIR announced February 5. Hazardous conditions persist, even after […]

Cal/OSHA Raises Workplace Safety, Health Penalties

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) raised its maximum penalties for regulatory, general, willful, or repeat safety and health violations, the agency announced January 27. Cal/OSHA is a division of the state’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The state workplace safety and health agency set the following maximum penalties: The agency is […]

EHS On Tap E235: Sharing Decades of Safety Wisdom

On episode 235 of EHS On Tap, Scott Gaddis, vice president, safety and health, at Intelex, talks about his new book From Participation to Partnership: A Journey to Safety at the Frontline.

NSC Releases Second Annual MSD Pledge Report

The National Safety Council (NSC) recently released a second benchmarking survey of its MSD Solutions Pledge community—the “2023-2024 MSD Solutions Index Pledge Community Report.”The new report showed community members’ progress in addressing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), one of the most pervasive workplace injuries, according to the NSC. The NSC surveyed 44 MSD Pledge members from December […]

Back to Basics: Contractor and Temporary Worker Safety

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine contractor and temporary worker safety. Many workplaces are staffed by workers with different employers—a host company, contractors, and staffing agencies. If you own or operate a facility, you have complete responsibility for […]

OSHA Terminates COVID-19 Rulemaking

On January 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) terminated its healthcare COVID-19 rulemaking (90 Fed. Reg. 3665). The agency decided to focus its resources on developing an infectious diseases rulemaking for healthcare, describing the infectious diseases rulemaking as “the most effective and efficient use of agency resources” for protecting healthcare workers from occupational […]

Pennsylvania Manufacturer Cited for Hazardous Chemical Release

AFCO, a Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, soap and detergent manufacturer, faces a $161,310 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following the agency’s investigation of a chemical gas release that sent a dozen workers to the hospital, the agency announced January 14. OSHA cited AFCO, a manufacturing subsidiary of Zep Inc., with one repeat violation, nine serious […]

Infographic: Healthcare Workplace Violence

Healthcare workers experience a disproportionate number of nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence. Here’s what you need to know to recognize risk factors for hospital violence and prevention strategies for employers.