Recent Blog Posts

Outbreak News Today, 20 may 2017 After a period of heavy flooding, which helped spread viral infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a dengue epidemic in the city of Piura, where 19 people have died according to a euronews report (computer translated).  According to official figures, 3,150 cases have been confirmed in Peru in the latest outbreak, with…

DIR, 19 May 2017 As Northern California braces for triple digit temperatures, Cal/OSHA urges all employers to revisit their Injury and Illness Prevention Programs and their emergency response procedures to make sure they are thoroughly prepared for high heat.  Sacramento’s National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in the 90s today and through the weekend.  Early next week temperatures will reach…

Huffington Post, 27 April 2017 Government agencies, and their enforcement of safety regulations, play a crucial role in protecting workers in dangerous workplaces.  There is a real cost to curtailing enforcement and stripping away protections—a cost that is borne out in more workers being killed on the job and more getting sick and injured. Yet despite the strong empirical evidence…

American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition, Seattle, WA, June 4-7, 2017 The Conscious Company Global Leaders Forum, San Francisco, CA, June 7-9, 2017 Work, Stress and Health 2017, Minneapolis, MN, June 7-10, 2017 Safety 2017: ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exhibition, Denver, CO, June 19-22, 2017 National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) Women’s Leadership Conference, Portland, OR, June 20-22, 2017…

DOL, April 2017 President Donald J. Trump nominated R. Alexander Acosta to be the 27th United States Secretary of Labor. He was sworn in on April 28, 2017.  Secretary Acosta is the son of Cuban refugees, a native of Miami, and first-generation college graduate. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.   Following law school, he worked as a…

Sacramento Bee, 8 April 2017 Man says he warned Goodwill of lax safety before co-worker was crushed.  Dave Goudie, a former Goodwill employee who witnessed the death of Abraham Garza, said the young father’s death could have been prevented with proper training.  Cal-OSHA has hit Sacramento Goodwill with more than $100,000 in fines for safety violations.  Serious and willful safety…

The Hill, 11 April 2017 The White House will lift President Trump’s federal hiring freeze on Wednesday following fire from critics who said it hampered the government from carrying out core functions.  The end of the freeze is part of guidance ordering federal departments and agencies to submit restructuring plans to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the…

OSHA, April 2017 Industrial machinery manufacturer Innovance Inc. contacted OSHA’s free On-site Consultation Program for help establishing an effective safety and health program at the company’s three plants in Minnesota.  One of the first steps was creating a safety committee, composed of employees from all levels of the company and management representatives.  The committee makes sure employees feel comfortable reporting…

  Sustainatopia, San Francisco, CA, May 7-10, 2017 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Annual Meeting, Brussels, Belgium, May 7-11, 2017 Sustainable Brands Redefining the Good Life, Detroit, MI, May 22-25, 2017 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition, Seattle, WA, June 4-7, 2017 The Conscious Company Global Leaders Forum, San Francisco, CA, June 7-9, 2017 Work, Stress and Health 2017,…

Eurosurveillance, 30 March 2017 Since first identified in 2013, the H7N9 virus has caused several waves of human infections in China, with a current wave including a number of patients with very severe disease.  Jiangsu is one of the most impacted provinces, whereby as of 31 January 2017, the number of human infections (n = 109) in the ongoing fifth…