Top Features


The 31st Annual National VPPPA Safety & Health Conference takes place at the Gaylord Texan Aug. 24-27, with the expo set for Aug. 24-26. (Gaylord Hotels photo)

Successful VPPPA31 Is In the Books

More than 2,500 attendees participated in the association's 2015 conference. Next year, the event takes place in Kissimmee, Fla.

The updated OSHA regulation creates a unified and up-to-date set of requirements to help employers more effectively establish safe work practices to protect their workers.

IBEW Reports It's Counting Casualties More Accurately

The union, which represents 750,000 active and retired members, reported Director of Safety and Health David Mullen "has been flying blind" until recently.

Scag Power Equipment has recalled about 4,400 of the zero-turn mowers because of a fire hazard, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Aug. 25.

Wisconsin Manufacturer Recalls Mowers for Fire Hazard

CPSC's announcement said consumers "should immediately stop using these recalled lawn mowers and contact Scag Power Equipment or an authorized dealer for a free repair."



The director of NTSB

NTSB Seeking New Director for Highway Safety Office

The director is responsible for providing executive level management and direction for highway transportation accident investigations and highway research programs.

Cornstarch can be easily ignited when dispersed in a dust cloud, as a June 2015 explosion during a Taiwan water park event showed.

Taiwan Water Park Explosion Sounds Alarm: NFPA

Colored powder events where cornstarch is the main ingredient aren't benign, a public affairs intern's post reminds us.

Hurricane Katrina aftermath in New Orleans.

Millions Download American Red Cross Apps

ARC's latest release is the Emergency App, which gives users access to customizable weather alerts, safety tips, and preparedness information for 14 different types of emergencies.

CAL FIRE announced that law enforcement investigators concluded a faulty gas water heater sparked one of the fires that merged to become the Rocky Fire, one of 16 active wildfires in the state as of Aug. 19, 2015.

Faulty Water Heater Sparked California Wildfire

The Rocky Fire, one of 16 active wildfires in the state as of Aug. 19, began July 29 and burned nearly 70,000 acres during the following 16 days, destroying 43 homes and 53 outbuildings and forcing more than 13,000 residents to evacuate.

Four workers were treated for minor injuries after the explosion at the Torrance, Calif., refinery. The explosion

Cal/OSHA Cites ExxonMobil Refining & Supply After Torrance Explosion

The agency issued 19 citations and $566,600 in proposed penalties, with 18 of the citations classified as serious.

Ten people were hospitalized after contracting listeriosis in 2010-2014 that was linked to Blue Bell Creameries ice cream, federal and state health investigators determined.

Blue Bell Ice Cream Back on Some Shelves Aug. 31

It's too bad the #VPPPA31 conference in Grapevine, Texas, will end before the ice cream makes it back to north Texas.

The OSHA/NIOSH toolkit contains an appendix that is an editable document any hospital can use to draw up its respiratory protection program.

Better Care for the Caregivers

Solutions are needed to address safety concerns of America's caregivers—nurses.

Sawmills are one of the industries with higher numbers or rates of amputations according to BLS data and on the OSHA NEP instruction

OSHA Updates Amputations National Emphasis Program

The document laying out the procedures for implement the program includes a list of industries with high numbers and rates of amputations, as reported to BLS. These range from machine shops to sawmills, retail and commercial bakeries, meat processing, and manufacturing various types of food.

The July 2013 disaster killed 47 people and devastated the center of Lac Megatic, Quebec.

Clock Ticking for Comments on Railcar Securement Rule

"Requiring that an additional, trained individual double check that the handbrakes have been set on a train will help stop preventable accidents," said FRA Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg.

Aug. 11, 2015 marked one full year since the last reported wild polio case in Africa, WHO announced.

WHO: No New Polio Cases in Africa for a Full Year

The continent appears to be on its way to becoming polio-free, according to the UN agency.

New York City has ordered building owners with cooling towers to submit long-range plans for ensuring they are not contaminated with the legionella bacterium.

AIHA Releases New Legionella Guideline

The association announced it Aug. 10, the same day the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported the outbreak in the Bronx has been contained.

This NASA photo shows "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce from the Veggie plant growth system on the International Space Station, which astronauts will sample for the first time Aug. 10, 2015.

ISS Crew Tasting Homegrown Greens Today

NASA announced they will eat half of a crop of "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce that was grown in the Veggie plant growth system on the International Space Station.

The OSHA document recommends complying with the ANSI standard, Z358.1-2014, which says plumbed systems should be activated weekly, to eliminate these hazards.

OSHA Warns of Contaminated Eyewash Water

A recent OSHA Infosheet highlights the risk of eye infections from contaminated water in improperly maintained emergency equipment.

This photo from the Manhattan DA

Two Charged with Manslaughter After Trench Fatality

Wilmer Cueva and Alfonso Prestia, respectively Sky Materials Corp.’s foreman and Harco Construction LLC’s senior superintendent, are charged along with their companies with recklessly causing the death of Carlos Moncayo, a Sky employee, in April 2015.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars