Study: COVID lockdowns may have no clear benefit vs. other voluntary measures
An international study evaluating COVID-19 responses concludes mandatory lockdown orders early in the pandemic may not provide significantly more benefits to slowing the spread of the disease than other voluntary measures, such as social distancing or travel reduction. The researchers compared countries that did and did not enact more restrictive lockdown orders, and determined there was “no clear, significant beneficial effect of [more restrictive measures] on case growth in any country.” Newsweek
Wall collapse kills one, injures four in North Carolina
A 12-foot concrete retaining wall collapsed Wednesday in Hendersonville, North Carolina, near a plumbing supply, kitchen and bath showroom, as a crew from an independent contractor was repairing the base of the wall. The incident resulted in the death of one employee and injuries to four others. WLOS [with video]
Man survives fall from cell tower
A man who fell between 145 and 160 feet off a cell tower on Tuesday was conscious after hitting the ground according to the St. Lawrence County, New York Sheriff’s Office. The employee’s fall was broken by a guy-wire that holds up the tower. Fed-OSHA was notified. WWNY
US lags in COVID-19 workplace safety, says former Fed-OSHA official
A former chief of staff and senior policy adviser at Fed-OSHA and current program director for the National Employment Law Project says Fed-OSHA should have done 10,000 to 20,000 safety inspections since March and instead has done only a few hundred. NPR [with audio]
New site-specific inspection directive targets workplaces with highest injury, illness rates
The Department of Labor last month updated Fed-OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting Directive inspection program, the agency’s primary site-specific, programmed inspection initiative targeting general industry, non-construction, workplaces with at least 20 employees, emphasizing recordkeeping requirements, write Melanie L. Paul and Mary L. Bradley, both of counsel to Jackson Lewis P.C. Here are the changes that have been incorporated into the new plan. National Law Review
Transit agency cited after union says drivers sickened by disinfectant spray
A division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation has been issued a serious violation notice and a proposed penalty of more than $7,000 penalty after chemicals known to cause respiratory and skin problems were used to disinfect buses. TB Cide Quat is one of the disinfectants recommended for use against the COVID-19 virus, but the union contends some drivers were sickened by excessive exposure to it. Yankee Institute for Public Policy
Head of New Jersey cannabis grower-dispensers trade group discusses legalization
The chair of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, which formed last year out of collaboration among the 12 licensed medical cannabis companies in New Jersey, discusses the mission of the new organization, legalization and its plans for 2021. NJ Advance Media For NJ.com