Study shows nurses are exposed to risks from blood exposure during insertion and removal of peripheral IV catheter
About one in two nurses experience blood exposure, other than from a needlestick, on their skin or in their eyes, nose or mouth at least once a month when inserting a peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter, according to a new study by the International Healthcare Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia. Exposure to blood carries the risk of infection from pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and MRSA.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/07/4318118/study-shows-nurses-are-exposed.html
A new plan to protect healthcare workers from bloodborne diseases
To prevent accidental needlestick injuries that can spread HIV, hepatitis and other bloodborne diseases, a group at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is partnering with the American Nurses Association (ANA) to target what they call “one of the most serious occupational risks healthcare workers face.” UVA’s International Healthcare Worker Safety Center, in collaboration with ANA, has drawn up a “roadmap” to a safer future for America’s healthcare workers. The eight-page call to action, which outlines steps to advance the prevention of accidental needlesticks and other “sharps” injuries, has won the backing of 18 healthcare groups across the country.
http://www.healthcanal.com/public-health-safety/27383-new-plan-protect-healthcare-workers-from-bloodborne-diseases.html
Risking their health while caring for others: Reproductive health hazards of germ-killers
Nurses face many hazards on the job, and one that clearly demands more detailed analysis than it’s received to date is the effect of occupational chemical exposures on nurses’ reproductive health. A recent study by researchers at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Harvard School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found that female nurses exposed to sterilizing agents and chemotherapy drugs at work are at least twice as likely to have miscarriages than those who are not.
http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2012/03/risking_their_health_while_car.php#more
US Labor Department extends comment period on proposed rule to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for in-home care workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has announced a nine-day extension of the comment period for its proposed rule to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for nearly 2 million workers who provide in-home care services. The department now will extend the comment period through March 21.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20120456.htm
Report faults federal agency in deadly W.Va. mine accident
The top House Democrat with jurisdiction over worker safety renewed his call for Congress to pass mine safety legislation after a new report found understaffed and inexperienced federal officials missed warning signs ahead of the deadliest mining accident in 40 years.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/worker-safety/214517-report-faulting-federal-agency-in-deadly-mine-accident-spurs-calls-for-action-on-capitol-hill
UBB mine superintendent to plead guilty
Federal prosecutors on Thursday asked a judge to schedule a hearing so former Upper Big Branch Mine superintendent Gary May can plead guilty, further confirming that May is cooperating with the ongoing criminal investigation of the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in nearly 40 years.
http://wvgazette.com/News/201203080131
MSHA seeks info for miners’ rights survey
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is seeking public comment on data collection relating to miners’ rights in the workplace. The agency is conducting a pilot study to determine how to assess miners’ understanding of their rights under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. MSHA also wants to determine the degree to which miners believe they are free to exercise those rights at work.
http://safety.blr.com/workplace-safety-news/safety-administration/safety-general/MSHA-Seeks-Info-for-Miners-Rights-Survey/
Growth of composting strains oversight of industry
California’s next big step in recycling – composting its meat scraps, broken egg shells, coffee grounds and other detritus of eating – is straining the state’s ability to effectively manage the ever-growing and sometimes dangerous industry. In October, 16-year-old Armando Ramirez and his brother, 22-year-old Heladio Ramirez, died of poisoning after Armando had been cleaning out a stormwater drain at the Community Recycling & Resource Recovery composting facility near Bakersfield.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/growth-composting-strains-oversight-industry-15166
Car washes have to clean up their act and stop treating workers like dirt
Workers chronically stiffed of the minimum wage they are supposed to be guaranteed. Stolen tips. Overtime not counted or not properly paid. Regular exposure, without proper safeguards, to chemicals that cn harm health long term. Injuries sustained by working with hazardous machinery — and often no recompense. In one industry, too often ignored, can be found the full range of the worst practices to which low-income and immigrant workers are subjected.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/car-washes-clean-act-stop-treating-workers-dirt-article-1.1035733
