On-the-job lead exposure still a problem, CDC says

On-the-job lead exposures falling, but still a problem: CDC The number of U.S. workers aged 16 and older with elevated blood lead levels has dropped by more than half over the past two decades — from 14 per 100,000 in 1994 to 6.3 per 100,000 in 2009, a new study reveals. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/articles/2011/06/30/on-the-job-lead-exposures-falling-but-still-a-problem-cdc U.S. Labor Dept. [...]

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Mine workers need strong whistleblower protections to protect them from employers like Massey

Mine workers need strong whistleblower protections Massey Energy’s intimidation of workers and falsification of safety records highlights the need for Congress to enact strong whistleblower protections and give the government more ability to keep mine workers safe, Public Citizen said today. http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3371 Massey could have prevented mine accident, report says The explosion at the Massey [...]

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Too big to sue? The impact of the Wal-Mart case on today’s female workers

Too big to sue? High Court thwarts Wal-Mart gender discrimination case As legions of Walmart workers shuffled into work on Monday, the Supreme Court smacked down a major class-action lawsuit that might potentially have shifted the legal landscape on women’s rights in the workplace. The core of the decision is not about whether Walmart did [...]

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How did a BP worker die this time?

Ethics office investigating Alcee Hastings A Congressional panel is investigating allegations that Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) sexually harassed a member of his staff after the woman filed a lawsuit in conjunction with the conservative group Judicial Watch. http://www.rollcall.com/news/ethics_office_investigating_alcee_hastings-206702-1.html The Darrell Issa plan to close the courts to workers Darrell Issa kept up the hyperbolic assault [...]

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New safety standards on the way for offshore drilling, Bromwich says

Obama’s offshore drilling regulator says new safety rules are on the way The government is poised to propose new rules that aim to boost the safety of offshore drilling and tighten standards for emergency equipment guarding sub-sea wells, a top regulator said today. The looming changes will build on already broad changes that the Bureau [...]

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Women v. Wal-Mart: The fight continues

Wal-Mart case is a blow for big cases and their lawyers With the dismissal of a sex-discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of 1.5 million women who have worked at Wal-Mart, the Supreme Court on Monday significantly tightened the rules for how a large group of individuals can join together to sue a company for alleged [...]

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Supreme Court rules against women in massive class-action suit against Wal-Mart

Supreme Court rules for Wal-Mart in massive job discrimination lawsuit The Supreme Court put the brakes on a massive job discrimination lawsuit against mega-retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., saying sweeping class-action status that could potentially involve hundreds of thousands of current and former female workers was simply too large. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/20/supreme-court-rules-for-wal-mart-in-massive-job-discrimination-lawsuit/ U.S. nuclear regulators weaken safety rules, [...]

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Who’s paying for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ rehab? And why ordinary Americans won’t have the same help treating brain trauma

Who’s paying for Gabrielle Giffords’ rehabilitation? As the Associated Press reported this morning, Giffords has spent the past five months in a rehabilitation facility and has regained some of her speaking ability. Now she’ll move to the suburban Houston home of her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, and continue daily intensive therapy on an outpatient basis. [...]

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Norfolk’s police training program cited by VA after fatal head injuries incurred

Metro officials to testify on safety on Capitol Hill Metro’s general manager and chief safety officer are both expected to testify before the region’s Congressional delegation Wednesday afternoon that the transit system has installed better safety equipment and done more training to help prevent accidents since the June 2009 Red Line crash. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/metro-officials-to-testify-on-safety-on-capitol-hill/2011/06/15/AGSCN7VH_blog.html Union accuses [...]

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At Hanford nuke site, workers discouraged from asking questions about safety matters

Safety board: DOE and Bechtel ignored safety at Hanford nuke site A government watchdog has accused officials at the giant Hanford nuclear weapons complex in Washington of discouraging workers from raising safety questions about a radioactive waste treatment plant, including by removing a project engineer the day after he complained about safety problems. http://www.fairwarning.org/2011/06/safety-board-doe-and-bechtel-buried-safety-reports-retaliated-against-whistleblowers-at-hanford-nuke-site/ Exploitation [...]

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