With 2011 just days away, the mining industry is about to close the book on the deadliest year in nearly two decades. Nonetheless, a proposed overhaul of mine safety regulation failed in Congress.
A bill giving federal employees expanded protections against retaliation for blowing the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse died in Congress on Wednesday night, after a 12-year lobbying effort won last-minute unanimous approval for it in the House but failed to gain similar approval under special voting rules in the Senate.
Texas officials have filed criminal charges against a West Texas physician over accusations that they say he orchestrated against two nurses who had filed a complaint against him with the state medical board.
State legislators and the State Department of Labor met with the producers of the “Spiderman” musical this morning in order to express grave concern that the show is unsafe after a fourth actor went down with a major injury this week.
It could be curtains for the career of injured “Spider-Man” stunt man Christopher Tierney, who was badly hurt when he fell Monday – the fourth medical mishap to mar the show.
While the Broadway super-musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” may seem cursed following a string of unfortunate accidents — a fourth serious injury befell a performer this week — it is by no means the first major show to experience calamity.
Most workers have seen notices about their right to a minimum wage or safe workplace posted in the company break room or elsewhere on the job. Employers are required to post those notices by federal law. But there is no requirement for employers to post any sort of notice about workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), including the right to form a union.
Even as packed mall parking lots during the holiday season indicate the economy’s slow recovery, plenty of workers are spending December tightening their belts and preparing to look for new jobs. In recent weeks major public and private employers from a range of industries announced mass layoffs in coming weeks and/or throughout 2011.
Chemical giant DuPont has agreed to pay $3.3 million to the Environmental Protection Agency to settle charges of withholding results of health studies on toxic chemicals.
Note: Workplace Health & Safety Digest will be away for the next week. The next Workplace Health & Safety Digest will be published Jan. 3. Happy holidays!
