OSHA aims to release draft for measuring state safety plan effectiveness by early June
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to hold a public meeting in June on new ways to determine whether state-run workplace safety programs are as effective as their federal counterpart, in response to concerns about existing measures, the head of the agency’s state plan office said May 11.
http://www.bna.com/osha-aims-release-n12884909448/
Football, combat brain trauma similar
The same type of brain damage identified in 14 deceased professional football players has been pinpointed in veterans who endured bomb blasts in Iraq and Afghanistan – a finding that raises concerns that numerous other military personnel may be vulnerable to similar long-term impairments. An international team of researchers led by Boston scientists said in a study published Wednesday that they discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brains of four veterans after their deaths, including three who had survived explosions from improvised explosive devices. The fourth had suffered multiple concussions in and out of the military.
http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2012/05/16/boston-scientists-lead-team-that-pinpoints-brain-damage-vets-similar-football-injuries/cxhZosm8At1o5Er7dqjRUN/story.html
Child labor and agribusiness churn Washington’s food fight
For a moment in Washington, it seemed like the White House was finally getting serious about reforming the agricultural labor system, with a common sense rule about preventing harm to child workers. But under pressure from the agribusiness lobby, the administration appears to have retreated from an initiative to tighten protection for children’s safety and health in agricultural jobs.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-chen/agricultural-labor-reform_b_1511955.html?ref=tw
Raising the bar on supply chains
In the modern economy, supply chains stretch across the globe, creating both efficiencies and risks. Severe weather spurred by climate change, human rights abuses, worker health and safety, or environmental degradation – any of these can trigger disruption and financial losses for corporations and their investors. A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mindylubber/2012/05/17/raising-the-bar-on-supply-chains/
San Francisco left red-faced as orange pants are linked to worker abuses
Prison orange may be a source of embarrassment for the people who wear it. But a new investigation suggests city officials also should be embarrassed for having procured orange jail garments made by people who were subjected to sweatshop conditions.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/05/city-left-red-faced-orange-pants-are-linked-worker-abuses
Prosecutor says Marine fatal stabbing was a hate crime
The fatal stabbing last month of a Marine by a fellow Marine on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row was a hate crime, the lead prosecutor in the case said in court Wednesday. Michael Poth, 20, stabbed Philip M. Bushong, 23, after yelling a slur against homosexuals, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Liebman said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/prosecutor-says-marine-fatal-stabbing-was-a-hate-crime/2012/05/16/gIQAXx9jUU_story.html
Two workers hurt in Texas fracking tank site blast
Two workers were hurt in an explosion at a hydraulic fracturing tank site in south Texas early on Wednesday, a sheriff’s dispatcher said. U.S. workplace safety regulators cited the company that owns the site, Vann Energy Services LLC, three months ago for what inspectors called serious health and safety violations there.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-texas-fracking-explosionbre84f0vt-20120516,0,1812005.story
