The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Ready Campaign recently offered safety tips for the holiday season, and this year it chose to deliver them via a poem.
"It is clear that more and more businesses are building the concept of sustainability into their operations," said Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "We believe the next innovation is integrating worker safety and health into these sustainability strategies."
"We are the safest, most culturally rich, most exciting city in the country. Every time visitors come, they can experience something new,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "We are focused on making sure the benefits of tourism stretch into every borough and every community."
Along with the good news, some of the year's safety and health highlights were bad or even ugly, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics' confirmation in December that workplace fatalities increased in the most recent fiscal year to the highest number since 2008.
The report describes a cluster of 60 cases of PMF identified in current and former coal miners at one Eastern Kentucky radiology practice during January 2015–August 2016, a cluster that was not uncovered by the national surveillance program.
Fatal exposures to electricity were down in 2015, but fatalities due to exposure to temperature extremes rose, while occupational deaths from nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol, unintentional overdose, increased 45 percent in 2015 to 165, and there were 136 workers who died in incidents associated with confined spaces in 2015.
"For the first time in a generation, we are able to restrict chemicals already in commerce that pose risks to public health and the environment," said Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
The agency issued a Request for Information on whether to propose such a standard and also scheduled the public meeting for Jan. 10, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
The day was established in 2009, with Dec. 6 chosen for the Monongah, W.Va., mining disaster, the worst loss of life in a single day in the history of U.S. mining: At least 362 coal miners died in the explosion on Dec. 6, 1907.
It is a good idea to check for leaks before there is snow and ice but, remember, water expands when it freezes and there is a chance of bursts once the winter season has come in. If there are areas with leaks, try to fix them as soon as possible.
Plan ahead by providing proper machine guarding equipment sooner rather than later; if not to prepare for future regulations, do it to keep employees safe.
Security breaches and cyber attacks on the health care system are increasing, and such breaches now average $3.8 million in cost per attack, HHS reported.
EPA must select the first 10 "Work Plan" chemicals for this risk assessment by the end of 2016, and it has planned to publish the list in mid-December.
The alert states that erection/climbing/dismantling of tower cranes is a potentially hazardous process involving work at heights, awkward postures, lifting and aligning components of significant size and mass, and installing temporary support systems, all of which often are done under significant time pressure due to the need for road closures, suitable daylight hours, or short weather windows.
During the next year, FHWA, first responders, and other partners are preparing with an eye on the inaugural National Traffic Incident Response Week, preparing motorists and local public safety professionals to take safe actions and prevent responder, driver, or passenger deaths.
The department is boosting security at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade after a threat by ISIS.
The Council estimates as many as 437 people may be killed.
The FAA is asking air travelers to take an active role in flight safety.
The agency warns the industry to take note of unique hazards in winter.
A safety professional must consider the levels of understanding to risk when working with sites or individuals. We are walking lessons learned, and that is our advantage.