Category: Personnel Safety

BLS: 2020 Saw Fewer Fatal Workplace Injuries

There were 4,764 fatal workplace injuries reported in the United States in 2020—a 10.7% decrease from 5,333 in 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced December 16 with the release of its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The fatal workplace injury rate was 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers—down from 3.5 […]

Best of ’21: Back to Basics

As the year winds down, we’re taking a look this week at some highlights from 2021. Today, we’re highlighting excerpts from some of our favorites from our Back to Basics feature, which made its debut in late July. August 9: Common Hazards, Frequent Citations Don’t let all the new, exotic workplace hazards distract you from […]

NIOSH Casts Spotlight on Opioids

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced in a Total Worker Health (TWH) update that the institute’s grant partners are conducting research on the impact of opioids in the workplace. Extramural researchers have been studying and developing resources related to the prevention of opioid misuse and overdose in working populations. NIOSH has […]

EHS On Tap E89: Preventing Hearing Damage in the Workplace

On episode 89 of EHS On Tap, Charles Johnson, president of the International Safety Equipment Association, talks about the dangers of hearing damage in the workplace.

Labor Department Reminds Retailers to Ensure Worker Safety

The Department of Labor (DOL) November 22 reminded retailers to both properly pay workers and ensure their health and safety during the holiday shopping season. Federal wage regulations are administered by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates worker health and safety. OSHA urged retail employers to […]

NIOSH: Over Half of Workers Do Not Use Hearing Protection

Nearly half of workers exposed to hazardous occupational noise do not use hearing protection, according to a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study. The study appeared in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Researchers found that some of the industries in which noise is a well-recognized hazard had high prevalences of hearing […]

BLS: Nonfatal Injuries, Illnesses Decreased 5.7% in 2020

Employer-reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses decreased 5.7% in 2020, according to data released November 3 by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Private industry employers reported 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2020—down from 2.8 million in 2019. The total number of injury and illness cases declined due to a […]

Occupational Hearing Loss Needs Urgent Attention

As a teenager growing up on a farm, I rode loud tractors nearly every day. Listening to the tractor noise was no fun, so I wore headphones blaring loud heavy-metal music to cover it up. My father was also a dentist. So in addition to the farm work, I often helped him out in his […]