Pennsylvania manufacturing groups urge caution following governor’s push for legalization
Pennsylvania manufacturing and business advocacy groups are criticizing the idea of legalizing recreational cannabis, on grounds of employment challenges and workplace safety risks, after the governor called for the legislature to take up legalization to help with the state’s economic recovery. Pennsylvania Business Report
Work-related exposure to pollutants increases risk of heart defects in Hispanic communities: Study
Occupational exposure to pollutants including, those from wood burning, pesticides, metals, and vehicle combustion, increases the risk of developing heart abnormalities among Hispanic individuals, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Of all occupational chemical exposures present in the study, work-related vehicle exhaust has the most reports of exposure. Beyond Pesticides
Fed-OSHA responds to fatal accident at Albany-area landfill
A 72-year-old man was fatally injured at a Colonie, New York landfill on Friday while cutting a pipe when the saw he was using kicked back. Fed-OSHA is investigating. WNYT (Albany, N.Y.) [with video]
Man fatally crushed on Michigan pipeline replacement project
A 49-year-old Howell, Michigan man died Thursday from injuries sustained while working on the Saginaw Trail pipeline replacement project when matting used to aid the travel of heavy equipment on certain ground toppled and crushed him. The man reportedly was pinned between a dump truck and a large wooden road mat. Hometown Life
IOSHA issues $21K penalty to gas station where employee was killed
Indiana OSHA has cited an Indianapolis gas station where a clerk was shot and killed in late February. One violation charges failure to close protective doors and windows, which exposed employees to hazards such as robberies with weapons, threats of violence, and assaults. Fox 59
Former employees, families sue companies working on Ohio nuclear plant
A lawsuit filed on behalf of former nuclear employees and their families accuses several U.S. Department of Energy contractors of poisoning workers and the people, land, air and water for miles around the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant that was in southern Ohio. The lawsuit is requesting a medical monitoring program that would evaluate the multi-generational impact of radioactive contamination. Columbus Dispatch