NAHB Offers Trenching, Excavation Safety Resources
Dec 05, 2008
“The trenching and excavation safety video and handbook provide our industry with critically important information for maintaining a safe work-site environment,” said NAHB Chairman of the Board Sandy J. Dunn.
HSE Launches Health, Safety Strategy
Dec 05, 2008
Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on Dec. 3 the launch of a consultation on its new strategy: "The Health and Safety of Great Britain -- Be Part of the Solution."
NIOSH/MSHA Tests Identify Strongest Ventilation Stoppings
Dec 05, 2008
In explosive blast tests at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory Lake Lyon Experimental Mine, an 8-inch-thick wet-laid solid concrete-block stopping coated on one side withstood the strongest pressure, according to this report.
AAOS Offers Snow Shoveling Safety Tips
Dec 05, 2008
The mundane seasonal chore of snow shoveling combines heavy lifting and cold weather can result in possible injuries to the back, shoulder muscles if shovelers do not take the proper precautions, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
New Director Named for NIEHS
Dec 05, 2008
Board-certified toxicologist Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., will take over in January at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Lone Bright Spot in Jobs Report: Health Care
Dec 05, 2008
Health care employment grew by 34,000 jobs in November and has grown by 369,000 jobs in the past year, according to this morning's BLS data, which showed other sectors shrinking sharply.
FDA, WebMD Form Public Health Information Partnership
Dec 05, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and WebMD have announced a collaboration that expands consumers' access to the agency's timely and reliable important health information. This joint effort reflects FDA's emphasis on using innovative, technology-based strategies to carry out its foremost mission, which is to promote and to protect the public health.
Postal Union's 10-4 Talks Stall
Dec 04, 2008
President William Burrus told members of the American Postal Workers Union that no significant progress has been made in talks about the Modified Work Week, where employees would work 10 hours per day, four days per week.
Hepatitis C Clinical Trial finds No Benefit from Low-Dose Peginterferon
Dec 04, 2008
An NIH funded multi-center clinical trial found no benefit from "maintenance therapy," low-dose peginterferon used for hepatitis C patients who have not responded to an initial round of treatment. In addition, the study showed a surprising health decline in patients with liver disease over the course of four years.
Noise, Vibration Controls Available to Most Australian Workers
Dec 04, 2008
But 17 percent of workers in the first-ever National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance survey said their employers do nothing to shield them from loud noise on the job, and 22 percent said nothing is done to dampen vibration of equipment or vehicles to which they are exposed.
NFPA: High Energy Costs Could Result in More Home Fires
Dec 03, 2008
The association says that at other times when fuel costs have risen, it has seen a corresponding increase in heating-related fires, and with today's combination of much higher energy costs and much higher unemployment, "we fear that . . . more people who are unable to pay for heating oil or utilities [will] use more dangerous ways of heating their homes."
U.S. Employees Earned $6.4 Trillion in 2007
Dec 03, 2008
Benefits--namely retirement and health benefits--cost employers another $1.5 trillion, for a total of nearly $8 trillion in employer compensation by year's end, according to a report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
FMCSA Improves Commercial Truck, Bus Drivers' Medical Requirements
Dec 03, 2008
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced it took new steps toward improving standards and setting uniform requirements for medical examiners, while also finalizing a streamlined process for combining the commercial driver's license (CDL) and medical certificate records for commercial truck and bus drivers operating on the nation's roads.