Mark Ghaly, M.D., MPH, California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS) secretary, has extended California’s indoor mask mandate by another full month. The masking requirement intended to combat the coronavirus pandemic now runs through February 15. While citing a recent surge in the state’s positivity rate to over 21 percent, Ghaly also noted data on […]
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Fed-OSHA seeks suggestions for strengthening VPP
Fed-OSHA is holding a stakeholder meeting July 17, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the future direction of its Voluntary Protection Programs. The agency’s aim is to “reshape VPP so that it continues to represent safety and health excellence, leverages partner resources, further recognizes the successes of long-term participants, and supports smart program growth.” Fed-OSHA is […]
Curated Content Articles of Interest from Around the Web
- The safety of North Carolina workers is proving to be a key issue in the race to become the next state Commissioner of Labor
- Republican Luke Farley and Democrat Braxton Winston are competing to serve a four-year term that runs concurrently with governor and other members of the Council of State.
- Winston could be the first union member to serve in statewide office and has the backing of a bevy of labor groups, including the North Carolina Building Trade Council.
- As construction deaths have increased, Winston claims the rise is due to a decline in workplace inspections by the Department of Labor. “We’ve gone from a high of over 5,000 workplace inspections per year to less than 2,000,” he said recently.
READ MORE - Nebraska’s Wholestone Farms Cooperative faces $36,873 in OSHA fines for exposing workers in a palletizing area to ergonomic stressors likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.
- According to the agency’s recent announcement, investigators discovered that the Fremont coop required workers to manually lift boxes weighing as much as 99 pounds from the palletizing conveyor onto pallets at floor level and stack them up to nine boxes high.
- OSHA said the frequency and duration of lifts, as well as the weights lifted, motions repeated, forced exertions, and irregular postures exposed employees to the risk of injuries. The agency also cited the coop for slip and fall hazards and walking-working surface violations.
- “Musculoskeletal injuries are among the most frequent causes of lost or restricted work time and a known hazard in the meatpacking industry,” Matthew Thurlby, OSHA’s Omaha, Nebraska, area office director, said in an agency statement. “Such injuries occur when lifting heavy items, bending, working in awkward body postures, and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively.”
READ MORE - OSHA has issued an alert on the release of liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide during flash freezing food processes.
- The agency cited a case involving the release of nitrogen at a flash freezing facility that killed six workers and injured several others due to equipment failure, inadequate training and procedures, and faulty ventilation equipment.
- Several standards and guidance relate to protecting workers from the known hazards of nitrogen.
READ MORE - The latest death of a road works flagger in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County last week is now under investigation by OSHA.
- The federal agency initiated its investigation on Oct. 10 after a construction flagger was struck by an SUV in Manor Township that day.
READ MORE
NC Labor Commissioner Race Has Safety Focus
Worker Safety Front and Center in NC Labor Commissioner Race
Nebraska Farm Coop Cited for Ergonomic Hazards
OSHA Issues Alert on Flash Frozen Food Processes
Another Flagger Death Under OSHA Probe