East Coast trails West for smoke exposure protections
- Outdoor workers on the East Coast had to deal with thick wildfire smoke that drifted down from Canada.
- These employees don’t have the same protections as on the West Coast because there are OSHA rules for wildfire smoke exposure in Pacific states.
- California and Oregon enacted workplace health rules covering wildfire smoke and Washington state’s rule is coming, but federal OSHA and eastern state workplace agencies haven’t adopted similar regulations.
- If states in the east had the same rules as the west, employers would be required to provide free N95 respirators to their outdoor workers and take other precautions.
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Food manufacturing injuries decreased
- There was an overall decrease in the total number of injury claims from food manufacturers in the United States post-pandemic, according to a new report by AmTrust.
- The total number of workers’ comp claims declined by 13% from pre-COVID to post-pandemic, based on AmTrust’s analysis of 15,000 claims during the period 2018-2022.
- The most common injuries – and the most expensive injuries to treat – are strains.
- More than one-quarter of injuries were caused by strains and almost 31% of the most expensive workers’ compensation claims were for strains according to AmTrust’s claims analysis.
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OSHA orders South Dakota helicopter ambulance service to reinstate mechanic
- Avera Careflight was ordered to pay a mechanic $55,000 in back wages, and damages after a federal whistleblower investigation found a South Dakota-based helicopter ambulance servicer retaliated against him.
- The mechanic reported safety concerns and filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration.
- OSHA examined the mechanic’s complaint against Avera Careflight in Sioux Falls – a division of Avera McKennan – after the company terminated the mechanic’s employment.
- OSHA found that the company’s actions violated the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, and ordered them to reinstate the mechanic.
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Chronic noise can be a health risk
- Chronic noise exposure can be a health risk, including cardiovascular disease and other issues.
- The NIOSH Sound Level Meter app for iOS, designed by the NIOSH, was developed by acoustics engineers and medical experts to help workers prevent hearing loss and is helpful for detecting systemic risks.
- Users can search their ZIP code in an online noise map developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- The app’s accuracy was verified in an acoustics laboratory and published in a scientific journal.
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