Early signs COVID-19 vaccines may not stop Delta transmission: PHE

A new story from Reuters indicates there are early signs people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to transmit the Delta variant of the virus as easily as those who have not, according to scientists at Public Health England. The highly infectious Delta variant has become the dominant coronavirus type globally. Reuters

Fed-OSHA fines construction firm $1.3M in double worksite fatality

Fed-OSHA has fined a Massachusetts excavation firm for 28 willful, repeat, serious and other violations and handed down $1.35 million in fines after two employees were fatally struck by a dump truck and pushed into a 9-foot deep trench at a sewer project in Boston in February. Boston Herald

IOSH cites contractor at university after steam tunnel incident

A contractor that recently took over management of the University of Iowa utility system has been cited by Iowa OSHA for safety violations after an employee fell 20 feet from a ladder into an underground steam tunnel in March and was injured. In addition to other cited violations, the company reportedly failed to report the employee’s hospitalization within 24 hours, missing the deadline by four hours, records show. The Gazette

University of Northern Iowa faculty union files lawsuit over lack of COVID mandates

The faculty union at the University of Northern Iowa has filed a workplace safety complaint against the Regents with Fed-OSHA, contending the lack of mandates is creating an unsafe workplace. Radio Iowa

Offshore oil and gas worker fatalities are underreported

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the federal government created the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), to improve safety and enforce environmental regulations in the offshore oil and gas industry, but inconsistent and missing data, as well as loopholes that allow some fatalities to go unreported, make the offshore industry appear safer than it really is. WWNO