Care for mental health patients drove VA costs
With troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the cost of medical care for veterans is expected to skyrocket in coming years. A study released Wednesday suggests that a huge chunk of those costs could be devoted to treating the invisible wounds of war.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/care-for-mental-health-patients-drove-va-costs/2011/10/19/gIQADg9GyL_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
Proposed regulations could mean big changes for farm youth labor
An update of federal labor regulations governing youth employment could mean significant changes in the types of work young people can do on the farm, according to the leader of Ohio State University Extension’s Agricultural Safety and Health program.
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/latest/Proposed-regulations-could-mean-big-changes-for-farm-youth-labor-132147523.html
Coal mining industry insisted on new dust sampling technology, now they don’t want MSHA to use it
It’s too late for Ronald Martin of Dema, Kentucky. “I’m in last stage of black lung,” he wrote in shaky script, “please help the miners so they won’t suffer like I suffer. I can’t breathe but a little.” Mr. Martin sent his note to the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to comment on the agency’s proposed rule to reduce workers’ exposure to respirable coal mine dust—the dust that damaged his lungs so severely. Other coal miners also sent their comments to MSHA, urging the agency to put a more protective regulation in place as soon as possible to prevent younger miners from developing black lung disease.
http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2011/10/house_appropriations_committee.php
US Labor Department’s MSHA warns mining industry about dangers of cold weather
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched its annual “Winter Alert” campaign to call attention to the dangers caused by cold weather. Statistics show that coal-mine explosions occur most often during the colder months, October through March.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/msha/MSHA20111526.htm
Homebuilders decry new safety regulations
St. Louis-area homebuilders are pressing their case that new rules to prevent workers from falling from roofs could add thousands of dollars to new home prices and threaten contractors struggling in a hard-pressed industry. Their complaints are drawing attention in Congress, which has been examining regulations from the administration of President Barack Obama with an eagle eye.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7d24c2ef-9e79-5207-9cff-79ca36b695d7.html#ixzz1bGGRyJ6Z
Video games not to blame for youth unemployment, says Federal Reserve economist
The Great Recession has pushed the share of high school kids with jobs to its lowest level ever, thanks in part to competition from older workers, but not because of video games. A new Federal Reserve analysis finds that while kids are spending more time on college prep and summer classes, a more important culprit for rising youth joblessness is increasing competition from grownups taking the low-wage jobs that teenagers typically do.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/18/video-games-study-federal-reserve_n_1018003.html
Boom in concussion testing fueled by fear of head injuries
Amid increased awareness of the long-term damage that head-knocking sports collisions can inflict, many student-athletes are taking computer-based tests to examine their memory, reaction time and attention skills. The exams are used to help determine whether athletes have suffered concussions, and if they have recovered. The Washington Post reports that an estimated 2 million U.S. athletes, students as well as others, have been evaluated by the best-known exam, ImPACT, which stands for Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing.
http://www.fairwarning.org/2011/10/concerns-about-head-injuries-fuel-a-boom-in-concussion-testing/
OSHA proposes $169,260 fine for Minden company
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited America’s Fiberglass Animals of Minden for eight repeat and seven serious violations of safety and health standards found during an inspection at the company’s manufacturing plant conducted as a follow-up after the company moved operations from Hastings. Two failure-to-abate notices also were issued because the company had not corrected employee respiratory hazards cited at the Hastings location. Proposed fines total $169,260.
http://journalstar.com/business/local/article_1440df35-dfb6-51dd-a3e6-fbd18dbe6670.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz1bFTDQhk1
OSHA fines Polar Service Center of Lockwood
A Lockwood business that repairs and services tank trailers has been fined $151,000 for 14 violations of federal health and safety standards. On Oct. 7, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Polar Service Center with one willful violation for failing to use protective guards on portable grinders and 13 other serious violations.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_fbf52110-9d09-58cf-b483-43f31790b52a.html
