Scaffolding collapses in downtown San Antonio; Fed-OSHA investigating
Fed-OSHA is investigating after steel scaffolding fell off the side of a downtown San Antonio office building last week and landed on a church. San Antonio Express-News [may require registration]
Freak accident leads to contractor’s death at Atlanta airport
Fed-OSHA is investigating after a contractor at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was killed last Wednesday as he was guiding a bag loading truck and became pinned between the truck and an airplane. WSB (Atlanta)
Trump administration reverses on beryllium rule
The Trump administration no longer plans to roll back safety rules protecting construction and shipyard workers from exposure to beryllium. Fed-OSHA says it will leave the protections in place for the construction and shipyard industries and develop a proposal to tailor the rule “more appropriately” for the two industries. KFGO (Fargo – Moorhead)
Study: Pesticide exposure may increase heart disease and stroke risk
New research concludes work-related exposure to high levels of pesticides raised the risk of heart disease and stroke in a generally healthy group of Japanese-American men in Hawaii. Pesticides have a long half-life, so health effects may occur years after exposure. By analyzing different time lags, the researchers found the maximum effect of exposure on heart disease and stroke risk was during the first 10 years. Science Daily
Medical imaging technology puts doctors at risk for cancer
Healthcare providers who use imaging technology called fluoroscopes may be exposed to the prolonged stream of radiation required to use the devices, according to court records, academic studies and government research that found doctors and medical staff who use the devices were twice as likely to die of cancer compared to those who don’t use them. Daily Herald
Wyoming releases investigation into 2018 excavation double-fatality
An investigation by Wyoming officials into the September 2018 collapse of a 12-foot-deep trench that killed two construction workers has concluded a developer violated permit requirements and failed to properly report wages. Gillette News Record