Articles Posted in 2013

Investing in a safe workplace environment may help a company’s financial performance, a new study suggests. The study found that companies that minimize the risk of work accidents have healthier bottom lines. The study was conducted by the employee healthcare company HealthNEXT and published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The researchers concluded…

Manufacturing workers may one day slip into an exoskeleton to help them lift objects safely, researchers in the European Union say. They are developing a robotic exoskeleton device that workers can wear to prevent injuries from lifting. The researchers hope to create a device that is easy to maneuver, wearable and intelligent. The device would…

Workplace fatalities across the United States dropped in 2012 from the previous year, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the number of construction deaths is on the increase. Across the country, 4,883 workers died in job accidents in 2012, down from 4,693 in the 2011. However, according to the…

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 200,000 people in the United States currently live with spinal injuries. These injuries can cause varying degrees of paralysis, loss of sensation and the inability to perform routine activities or even return to work. Spinal injuries are not only among the most catastrophic type of workplace…

A recent study in New Zealand finds that illiterate workers are not able to fill out hazard reports because they don’t understand their employers’ health and safety policies. The findings may resonate with workplaces in Georgia where many foreign workers lack the language skills to fill out reports and understand job safety policies and instructions.…

Employees at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores across the country may soon have safer workplace conditions. A recent agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor requires Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to improve workplace conditions in all of its 2,857 stores. The settlement comes in resolution of two workplace safety inspection cases. In 2012, the Occupational Safety…

Teenagers are at greater risk of auto accidents than other drivers. So not surprisingly, fatal motor vehicle accidents are a risk for workers between the ages of 16 and 24. From 2003 to 2010, motor vehicle accidents killed 843 workers ages 16-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The accidents accounted for…

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, forklift accidents killed 90 U.S. workers in 2011. Operator training plays a major role in keeping workers from being injured in forklift accidents. Operating a forklift differs from operating other types of vehicles. While most motor vehicles have four points of suspension, forklifts have only three, which…

Lower back pain is a common occupational condition, with thousands of workers suffering this condition after injuries or repetitive stress on the job. According to a new analysis, short-term low back pain may become chronic and even lead to long-term disability. The results of the analysis were published in The Journal of Pain. The analysis…

The role of gender in the safety of construction work has not been investigated in depth. After all, just 9% of construction workers in the country are women. However, female construction workers face some specific workplace safety issues. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently launched a website page dedicated to the safety of female…