Bayer Nebraska Corn Workers Now Paying for Own PPE

• German conglomerate Bayer is requiring contractors in company-owned Nebraska cornfields — including foreign H-2A program workers  — to pay for their own safety equipment, part of its shifting of costs to local detasseling contractors.
• This is a change from previous years when the company provided gloves, glasses and hats with netting to protect their faces from cuts.
• “Bayer requires independent companies to purchase, provide, monitor, and ensure that their employees are complying with Bayer safety standards. Expenses for PPE and other components are taken into account as part of our annual contract agreements with these independent companies,” according to its statement to Investigate Midwest.
• A few years ago, it also stopped covering contractors’ worker compensation insurance, according to the report.
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Utilities Sector Needs Better Hearing Protection: Study 

• The utilities sector needs better hearing conservation strategies, as it has one of the highest prevalences of hearing loss among noise-exposed workers, according to a recent NIOSH study published by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
• The highest prevalence subsectors were Hydroelectric Power Generation (37%) and steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (29%). 
• High-risk groups within utilities are identified for increased attention and targeted hearing conservation strategies.
• “While often overlooked, noise-exposed workers in this sector have among the highest prevalences of hearing loss and significantly higher risks,” the study authors wrote. “Increased attention and better hearing conservation strategies are needed.”
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