OSHA has announced last week that it will be issuing a final rule to improve workplace safety and health for those workers performing electric power generation, transmission and distribution work. The rule is expected to save nearly 20 lives and prevent 118 injuries every year and has been supported by labor organizations and electrical contractors […]
Author Archives: FOA
First responders who were exposed to particulate matter during and after 9/11 at Ground Zero may be at higher risk for sleep apnea and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to two new studies. Both studies, conducted by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital, involved the same group of more than 800 first responders exposed to various levels […]
An investigation of the cell tower industry found that between 2003 and 2010 the average fatality rate was more than 10 times greater than that of the construction industry! This is a reminder that the industry is extremely dangerous and that the employers of the workers killed in these incidents may only be fined minimally. […]
The workplace can be extremely dangerous if proper precautions aren’t taken. It’s also important to be aware of the hazards in the workplace that cause injuries and or deaths. 1. Chemicals: Corrosive chemicals have a variety of uses, including making new chemicals and products. However, chemicals can cause burns to the eyes and the skin, […]
4,609 workers were killed on the job of a construction site in 2011. This is about 90 deaths per week or 13 deaths every single day. Construction site work injuries involving contractors accounted for 12% of all fatal work injuries in 2011. Construction work is considered to have the largest number of fatalities reported for […]
Last week, two workers died after two communications towers collapsed near Blaine, KS. The men have been identified as 25-year-old Seth Garner and 38-year old Martin Powers. The men died last Tuesday while working at the 250 foot level of the telecommunications tower that collapsed. Power died at the scene and Garner at a local […]
Here are some general precautions you should always take while on the job to avoid injuries in the workplace: • Never take shortcuts! Always be thorough to avoid injuries and mistakes that could cause serious injuries • Take responsibility and clean up if you make a mess that could harm others • Always follow correct […]
Many veterans are being placed in the state’s Medicaid program rather than federal programs due to the poor coordination of health benefits by the state Department of Health and local social services departments. Auditors found many examples where necessary referrals were not made for federal benefits, which limits veterans’ health options, costing the state and […]
The deadly explosion in Harlem the other week was said to be caused by a leak in a gas pipe, one part of the nation’s enormous and aging gas system. The leak lead to 8 deaths and injuries in dozens. How old the pipe was and how the leak started remain unclear. Some academics, however, […]
In 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). It was believed to be the most sweeping reform of the nation’s food safety laws in nearly a century. What received less attention of the law’s whistleblower provision. Also known as Section 402, this provision amends the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to […]