9/11 Responders Program Now Includes Additional Pentagon, Shanksville Workers
- The World Trade Center Health Program has expanded enrollment to include additional responders who served on 9/11 and in the following weeks at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania following the publication of an interim final rule effective September 11, 2024.
- NIOSH said as of earlier this week, there were a total of 1,330 Pentagon and Shanksville responders enrolled in the WTC Health Program, however those were limited by law to members of a fire or police department (active or retired), and people who worked for a recovery or cleanup contractor, or was a volunteer; and performed rescue, recovery, demolition, debris cleanup, or other related services.
- As of the 23rd anniversary of the attacks, eligible individuals include employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) or any other federal agency, contractors of the DOD or any other federal agency, and members of a regular or reserve component of the uniformed services.
- Previous research shows it is possible that up to 8,500 people may have responded at the Pentagon site and more than 1,000 people responded to the Shanksville crash site.
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Safety Concerns Could be Keeping Young Workers From Construction Jobs
- Two construction industry groups are concerned that the construction industry’s workplace injury and fatality rate could be holding back young would-be construction workers from pursuing jobs in the sector.
- The Associated General Contractors of America and the Associated Builders and Contractors forecast the industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor.
- The associations’ are campaigning for policies at the state and federal level that encourage greater attention to trades that perform work at construction sites.
- Safety courses and what can be learned from them could improve a construction industry injury and fatality rate is holding back prospects.
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Contractor Points Finger at Sub in Michigan Trench Collapse
- After firefighters rescued a man from a collapsed 10-foot-deep fiber optic cable trench, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) fined his employer, Southfield-based Internattional Inc., $72,460 for five safety violations.
- The company name as it appears in online state licensing records is a misspelled version of “international,” according to the MLive report.
- The company is appealing the penalties, because it subcontracted the work out to somebody else and the subcontractor made the mistake, according to the report, which cited company president Daniella Herman.
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