State-Level Work Zone Safety Strategies in Focus

The National Conference of State Legislatures has outlined a series of state strategies to increase work zone safety on roadways.
Despite a 7% decline in work zone fatalities in 2022, certain driving behaviors, such as speeding in work zones, increased, the lobbying group said.
Among the state-level efforts underway, the group said several legislatures and departments of transportation are seeking to address: Speed management in work zones;
Stricter penalties for dangerous driving behavior in work zones; and,Increasing public awareness of work zone safety.
READ MORE

The on-the-job death of a Missouri school nurse was due to “an accidental collision occurred between a client and nurse while the client was de-escalating from disruptive behaviors,” OSHA found in its investigation of the March 15 incident.
Angie Birk was one month into her new job as a nurse at a school for troubled youth.
A local news outlet obtained a letter that OSHA sent to the school, KVC Missouri, in July. It inspected the school shortly after Angie’s death.
“Conditions that led to the fatal incident were not related to workplace violence” but “the inspection revealed that employees may be exposed to hazards associated with workplace violence,” the letter read.
According to the report, OSHA decided not to issue a citation for failing to protect employees, but it did highlight “opportunities” to decrease employee risk.
READ MORE

Mental health challenges are more likely to be an outcome — rather than a cause — of work injuries, according to recently published research by Canadian academics.
The researchers, Steve Granger, an assistant professor of management at Concordia University, and Nick Turner of the University of Calgary, said the interconnected nature of work injuries and mental health challenges reinforces the importance of prevention.
“The evidence suggests that the relationship between preceding work injuries and later mental health challenges is more robust than the evidence from mental health challenges to later work injuries,” they said.
They also noted the necessity for comprehensive rehabilitation approaches that integrate both physical and psychological care.
READ MORE