Safety Inspections in Alberta will increase and include after hour inspections, according to statement released earlier this week by Alberta’s Minister of Human Services, Dave Hancock. “There are many sectors of our province’s workforce that don’t clock in from 9 to 5,” said Hancock. “Revising the working hours of our OHS officers to include weekends [...]

For 12 people their next day at work will be their last. These occupational deaths are spread across the United States, but inherently some states pose a higher rate of worker fatality. Here is a look at the most dangerous states. 5. North Dakota With agriculture, petroleum and food processing serving as the major industries [...]

During November, Ontario mining inspectors will focus on hazards involving ventilation systems at selected underground mines. The increased enforcement is part of the province’s Safe At Work Ontario strategy, launched in June 2008. Ventilation hazards pose a serious concern in underground mines, many of which operate diesel equipment. The air in poorly ventilated mines can [...]

After a workplace accident at ended in the death of a steelworker, the Alberta Federation of Labour is calling safer working environments. According to Gil McGowan of the Alberta Federation of Labour the number of workplace fatalities is on the rise and changes need to be made to prevent these tragedies from occurring. “From our [...]

According to a recent blog post by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, David Michaels, OSHA will begin to target texting while driving to crack down on employee injuries and death. In 2009, distracted driving accounted for more than 5,400 traffic fatalities, or 16 percent of traffic fatalities. In terms of workplace [...]

OSHA is hosting an informal stakeholder meeting November 3 to solicit comments and suggestions on occupational hearing loss prevention. The purpose of these meetings is to gather information on best practices for hearing conservation programs, personal protective equipment and feasible engineering controls, according to a statement from OSHA. Every year, between 20,000 and 25,000 workers [...]

OSHA has rescinded a January 2009 letter of interpretation regarding the use of a particular shock-absorbing lanyard in aerial work platforms. The original letter of interpretation stated because of the requirement of certain lanyards to have an anchor point at a height of 18.5 feet, their usage would likely not comply with OSHA standards when [...]

Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers are increasing inspections of single and multi-family con­struction projects, as the third of three planned focused inspections for 2011 is now underway. “Throughout the province, we’re beginning to see an increase in new home con­struction. We need to ensure safety on these job sites is a priority,” said [...]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a law requiring group homes and other facilities licensed to take in juvenile delinquents to comply with the state’s Violence Prevention Law. New York’s violence prevention law, which until now only applied to the public sector, requires employers to have in place a program to prevent and deal [...]

Portable power drills are one of the most useful tools in the construction industry, but without the proper safety training they can quickly become one of the most dangerous. According to a study released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission more than 2,500 people a year receive hospital treatment for power drill injuries. To [...]