Government says work injuries declined in 2010, continuing trend
American workers got hurt on the job at a lower rate last year, continuing a long-running trend. That finding comes from a new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. It showed declines in both the private and public sectors, but the level of reported injuries remained far higher on the government side of the work force, particularly local government.
http://www.fairwarning.org/2011/10/government-says-work-injuries-declined-in-2010-continuing-trend/
Ind. workplace injury rates stagnant with employment drop
Indiana’s workplace injury and illness rate remained the same in 2010 compared to 2009, although the Hoosier state had about 89,800 fewer workers last year. Workplaces reported 4.3 injuries and illnesses per 100 workers, according to data the Indiana Department of Labor released Thursday.
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/article_688c7143-0b4c-5a73-9e09-4aa9ba2b7c4b.html
California workers take Walmart’s warehouses to court
Juan Chavez and Everardo Carrillo are among thousands of immigrants who work unloading semi-trailer trucks in California’s “Inland Empire,” a vast sprawl of warehouses where goods arriving in container ships from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are staged for distribution to Walmart and other stores around the country. Until last year, workers earned $12 to $17 an hour at warehouses run by Schneider Logistics, a Wisconsin-based company that was the target of a class-action lawsuit filed by the group Warehouse Workers for Justice in Chicago earlier this year. On Monday, the California group Warehouse Workers United filed its own class action lawsuit charging Schneider and other logistics companies with labor law violations related to common tactics in the industry.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/12159/california_walmart_warehouses_feel_the_heat/
Why sick leave is important for LGBT families
Here are some basic facts: 44 million workers in the United States can’t take a single paid sick day when they are ill. Millions more lack paid sick time to care for an ill child or family member. Workers without paid sick days face an impossible choice when illness strikes – ignore their health needs and the health of their family, or lose a much-needed paycheck and risk losing their jobs. For LGBT workers and their families, the choice can be even more daunting.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/10/21/350189/why-sick-leave-is-important-for-lgbt-families/
Eliminating the hazards of texting and other distractions while driving on the job
Distracted driving has become an epidemic in the United States. In 2009, distracted drivers contributed to more than 5,400 traffic fatalities, accounting for 16 percent of all traffic fatalities that year. In response, last October the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOT), launched an initiative to combat this deadly practice. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of worker fatalities year after year.
http://social.dol.gov/blog/eliminating-the-hazards-of-texting-and-other-distractions-while-driving-on-the-job/
Death of city worker highlights need for protections for public workers
On Oct. 18, 58-year-old Bobby DeCristofaro was repairing a traffic light for the city of Quincy when he fell to his death after his bucket truck was struck by a tractor-trailer truck. DeCristofaro had worked for the city for 25 years. Unlike private employers, public employers are not covered under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. Massachusetts remains one of only five states whose public employees are not covered by the act.
http://ehstoday.com/standards/osha/worker_death_need_protections_1020/
OSHA adds 25 employers to Severe Violators list, 163 employers named in total
Tucked away on federal OSHA’s website is a list of 163 employers with the dishonorable label “severe violator.” The designation comes from an enforcement program launched in April 2010 to identify “recalcitrant employers who endanger workers by demonstrating indifference to their responsibilities under the law.” The label is not easy to get.
http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2011/10/osha_adds_25_employers_to_seve.php
A partnership job-seekers will like
At the Department of Labor, we’re proud that we’ve assembled the largest collection of job search, job placement and job training tools anywhere in the United States. But our resources are only as good as the ways we deliver them to the American people. That’s why I have 132 million reasons to be excited today about announcing our new Social Jobs Partnership with Facebook. Today, my department is proud to work with this iconic American company to connect people with jobs.
http://social.dol.gov/blog/a-partnership-job-seekers-will-like/
$147,840 in fines issued to steel firm for unsafe crane operations
OSHA has cited Steel Structures of Ohio for 17 safety and health violations, including one willful safety violation for unsafe crane operations at its Akron location. Proposed fines total $147,840. The willful safety violation was cited for failing to remove a crane from service that required necessary repairs before resuming crane operations.
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2011/10/20/147840-in-fines-issued-to-steel-firm-for-unsafe-crane-operations.aspx?admgarea=news
OSHA blasts W.Va. welding firm for 25 safety violations
OSHA has cited Mollett Welding and Mine Service Inc. after an inspection at its welding and machine shop facility in Stollings, W.Va., revealed 25 violations of safety and health standards. Proposed penalties total $59,400.
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2011/10/21/osha-blasts-wva-welding-firm-for-25-safety-violations.aspx?admgarea=news
