SafetyNow articles

It’s no secret that working in Concrete Construction is dangerous. The immediate safety hazards are well known. Getting speared or cut on rebar, sore from the hard physical labor; cuts or punctures from nails; and struck by tools, materials or equipment can all cause injuries. Add to that possible falls especially at the leading edge; cuts or shock from powered equipment; burns or explosion from heating equipment; carbon monoxide from poorly maintained/ventilated equipment; outdoor heat

WHAT’S AT STAKE
Every year, millions of workers are infected with a contagious respiratory illness: influenza, commonly known as the flu. Many workers who are sick with the flu refuse to let the illness prevent them from working, thinking they can “tough it out.” So they go to work with a reduced ability to work safely and productively, and they jeopardize the health of their co-workers.

WHAT’S THE DANGER
The flu viru

Seasonal flu is not only unpleasant for employers and employees, it’s expensive. Each flu season, nearly 111 million workdays are lost because of the flu, the US Department of Health & Human Services has found. That represents approximately $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity.

Most of us have seen a sick co-worker trying to make his way through the workday instead of being home resting or in bed. But coming to work with a cold, flu or other illness is a ba

The first meeting of the Emergency Committee (EC) convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) regarding clusters of microcephaly cases and other neurologic disorders in some areas affected by Zika virus was held by teleconference on 1 February 2016.

According to the Pan American Health Organization the Zika illness is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Symptoms of infection are usually mild and can la

A new study conducted by the National Safety Council (NSC), along with Indiana’s attorney general has found that 80% of Indiana employers have been impacted by prescription drug misuse and abuse by employees.

80% is a substantial figure, causing some to refer to this trend as a painkiller epidemic.

This figure is not unique to Indiana, the NSC notes that the results would likely be similar if other states were surveyed.

Following rising rates of layoffs in Alberta’s oil and gas industry in response to low oil prices, suicide rates in that province have increased by an alarming 30 percent this year. There were 327 suicides recorded between January and June 2015 and it is predicted that number could swell to 654 cases by year’s end.

According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, Alberta sees approximately 500 suicides in an average year.

Workers for

Workplace violence is a serious safety concern, especially among health care workers who suffer the highest rate of assaults of any industry. Under employment laws employers have an important obligation to protect or address workplace violence. However, statistics from WorkSafeBC show 3722 health care workers were injured by violence at work between 2005 and 2012. Every year about two million workers in the US experience workplace violence. It is alleged that 17 percent of all self-reported i