Stronger Efforts Needed to Protect Nurses from Violence

A qualitative study from the Emergency Nurses Association shows that culture change and training are needed to help prevent violence against nurses. The study involved 46 emergency department nurses who wrote about their experiences with violence in the workplace. The respondents described a culture in which hospital administrators, prosecutors and judges accepted violence against nurses […]

Supporters and Opponents of Scaffold Law Lobby in Albany

Supporters and opponents of the state Labor Law 240, also known as the Scaffold Law, came to Albany last week to engage in lobbying combat. The law specifically impacts the lives of minority contractors and workers. Scaffold Law places heavy liability on contractors and property owners for a broad class of injuries caused by falls […]

13 AT&T Workers Suspended for Reporting Workplace Injuries

13 AT&T workers were suspended without pay for reporting workplace injuries, which has prompted a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department filed the lawsuit against the Ohio Bell Telephone Company, which operates as AT&T, on behalf of 13 employees who received unpaid suspension after reporting work-related injuries from 2011 to 2013. “It […]

Company Cited for Fatality during Underwater Work

OSHA has cited Lucas Marine Acquisitions Co. for 22 safety violations following an inspection prompted by a worker’s death. The employee died while participating in a storm protection project in August of 2013. He was doing surface supplied-air diving during underwater construction activities. This was the second violation for the company in 5 months, according […]

Williamsburg Recycling Facility Fined $40,000 in Heat-Related Death of Employee

A Williamsburg industrial recycling facility got hit with a $40,500 fine by the federal government after a worker collapses and died of heat-related causes last July. Cooper Tank Recycling, a transfer station on Maspeth Ave., was cited for 8 “serious health and safety” violations. OSHA launched an investigation after Aldero Cosme, 64, died from heat […]

A Commitment to Veterans by the Construction Industry

On February 10, the First Lady made an inspiring announcement: More than 100 companies in the construction industry have committed to hiring more than 100,000 American veterans over the next five years. Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative has made a powerful difference in the lives and of our veterans as well as their family members. […]

Delay of Long-Awaited Refinery Accident Report Signals Divisions at Chemical Safety Board

In almost 4 years since the explosion at the Tesoro Corp. oil refinery in Washington that killed seven workers, the independent federal agency investigating the accident has faced criticism from members of Congress and unions for failing to complete its final report. The delay was scheduled to come to an end In late January 2014 […]

Fatal Chemical Accidents Expose Weak Federal Laws

The U.S. government has recommended changes in federal rules following the tragedies in Indiana and Texas involving chemical accidents so that more industrial explosions wouldn’t happen. Recent tragedies involving explosions at plants across the U.S. have revealed gaps in the nation’s web of laws that govern the use of hazardous chemicals. The massive chemical spill […]