Package delivery employees going to work sick
Public health experts say the odds are relatively low that sick warehouse workers or truck drivers would infect recipients of packages. However, an increasing number of package sorting and delivery workers around the country have fallen sick, but many still report for their shifts in crowded shipping facilities and warehouses and truck depots. Some warehouse workers say supervisors rebuffed them when they pleaded for bleach, masks, gloves and a ready supply of hand sanitizer. Hartford Courant
Boston hospital asks for donations of masks, gloves for front-line workers
A Lawrence, Massachusetts hospital says it is facing a potential shortage of medical supplies and is asking the public to donate personal protective equipment for front-line health care workers responding to COVID-19. Lawrence General Hospital said its most pressing needs include N95 masks, gloves and gowns. WCVB (Boston)
COVID-19 FAQs for perioperative nurses
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses offers answers to frequently asked questions on subjects including personal protective equipment, transmissions-based precautions, environmental cleaning, and sterilization. AORN
Fed-OSHA issues COVID-19 guidance for workplaces
Fed-OSHA last week issued guidance on preparing workplaces for COVID-19. The guidance is applicable to all employers and, first and foremost, recommends employers develop an infectious disease preparedness and response plan if they don’t have one already, writes attorney Megan Baroni of Robinson & Cole LLP. National Law Review
Hanford cleanup crews were given leaky respirators
Since the beginning of the cleanup of the Hanford nuclear weapons manufacturing site in Washington, the toll on employees’ health has prompted concerns that safety has been compromised in the push to get the job done. Newly-uncovered documents show an estimated 560 workers at the site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant between 2012 and October 2016 wore respirator gear that may have leaked. Seattle Times
Fed-OSHA fines discount store for violations at Wisconsin location
Fed-OSHA has fined Dollar Tree Stores more than $477,000 for safety violations at its Marinette, Wisconsin after inspectors say they found obstructed and unmarked emergency exits; blocked access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels; and unstable stacks of merchandise. WBAY (Green Bay, Wisc.)
Fed-OSHA is investigating a mid-February explosion at a Jamestown, Pennsylvania-area manufacturer of security products for defense and law enforcement. Sharon Herald