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A recent white paper authored Ken Nogan, Risk Control Consultant at PMA Insurance Group, reports that the number of people ages 65 and older in the workforce has increased over 100 percent since 1977 and more than half of those workers are working full-time.

These workers are at a higher risk for falls and can take two to three times longer to heal from an injury as compared to a younger counterpart. Falls account for over a third all injuries in workers over age 65, according to the white paper.

The author suggests doing an ergonomic evaluation of workstations and workspaces to identify causes of fatigue and strain. He also recommends that safety measures include slip and fall prevention and that companies consider risk control measures to meet the needs of this demographic. The complete white paper is available from PMAGroup.com.

Safety Modifications Important for Aging Workforce, ClaimsJournal.com, March 10, 2009 Continue reading

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22News reported about the Massachusetts Labor department’s information fair, which was held recently in Springfield. Experts from the department offered information for concerned workers, answering questions about getting injured at work and other issues.

One man told 22News that he suffered injuries on the job but was hesitant to complain for fear that his boss might fire him. A representative from the occupational health division assured the man that he is covered under the law by OSHA.

Many injured workers fail to report injuries for these same reasons; however, they should understand that in many cases they are entitled to workers’ compensation to cover medical costs, disability payments, and 60% of their average income.

Information fair for Mass. Labor unions, WWLP.com, March 4, 2009 Continue reading

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Allston’s Brazilian Immigrant Center is partnering with the Massachusetts Occupational Safety Health Administration to offer a workplace health and safety training workshop for Brazilian workers next Saturday, March 14. The workshop will take place on Saturday from 8am to 6pm Framingham, but the location is still to be determined.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 16 Brazilian workers died on the job between 1999 and 2007. Some Brazilian workers lack adequate work safety training, so this workshop is aimed at teaching those workers to avoid lead poisoning, prevent falls, handle electrical wires, and other tasks. The workshop will be conducted in Portuguese by instructor Rony Jabour.

Jabour said that many immigrant workers are reluctant to work with federal agencies like OSHA because of concerns about deportation, so the workshop will also cover OSHA’s role in protecting workers from workplace hazards. The cost for the workshop is $80 and workers will receive a certificate for having completed a 10-hour OSHA safety course at the end of the day. Contact Jabour at 978-767-0630 or oshaclas AT hotmail DOT com for more information.

Preventing work injuries among immigrants, MetroWest Daily News, March 8, 2009 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, a driver veered off the road and hit four construction workers. One was listed in critical condition and another was seriously injured. The construction worksite accident occurred around 9pm on Tuesday night when the driver of a white Camara drove through the orange cones and hit a group of workers.

The driver responsible for the accident is in fair condition and reportedly in police custody. The driver’s vehicle sustained severe front end damage and was towed away. At this time it is not known if drugs or alcohol have may played a role in the car crash.

The identities of the injured construction workers and the driver have not been released. Police reopened the roadway two hours after investigating the crash and construction resumed as normal.

Four Construction Workers Hurt By Driver, WOKV, March 4, 2009
4 construction workers hit by car; no fatalities, Associated Press, March 4, 2009 Continue reading

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On Tuesday, a construction worker was injured after a crane lowering a concrete wall into place shifted and the wall fell onto the man’s legs. The other workers were able to free the injured worker before firefighters arrived at the scene of the accident. The 23-year-old construction accident victim was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

Construction workers face a number of hazards on the job. In addition to crane accidents, they might also be at risk for on-site explosions, falls, fires, welding accidents, excavation accidents, and machinery accidents. Such hazards can result in permanent physical, emotional, and psychological damage, which can make it difficult for the victim to return to work.

Worker Hurt In Bellevue Construction Accident, KIROTV.com, February 24, 2009
Construction worker injured in Bellevue, Seattle PI, February 24, 2009 Continue reading

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According to preliminary data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the gas and oil industries account for almost two-thirds of the 2007 deaths in the private mining sector. In those industries, the death rate was 24.8 per 100,000 workers.

The construction industry also has a high rate of fatalities, because it exposes workers to hazards such as potential explosions, fires, crane accidents, and falls. The death rate across all industries nationwide is much lower: 3.7. So far, there is no data available for 2008.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s website, “Fatality rates are higher when there is an increased number of active drilling and workover rigs. This is hypothesized to be a result of an increase in the proportion of inexperienced workers, longer working hours (more overtime) and the utilization of all available rigs (older equipment with fewer safeguards).”

For this reason, it is crucial that oil, gas, and construction companies make safety a high priority, both in worker training and day-to-day operations to prevent accidental injury or death.

Oil, gas industry has high fatality rate, February 22, 2009, Shreveport Times Continue reading

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Last week, a construction accident seriously injured a worker when a crane lowering the worker into a well hit an electrical wire. The construction accident occurred around 8:45am and the worker was flown by helicopter to a local hospital, where his condition is unknown.

The local power company had to deactivate power lines where the worker was being extricated, causing blackout conditions for approximately 3,300 businesses and homes in the area. Several traffic lights also lost power. Power was restored around 9:15am.

A second worker was standing in the hole underneath at the time of the construction accident. Fortunately, the worker was not touching the worker on the pipe or the pipe itself, so that worker was not injured and did not require medical treatment. Police have not released the name of the injured worker.

Palm Beach Gardens construction accident shocks, injures worker, February 19, 2009, PalmBeachPost.com
Construction worker shocked in Palm Beach Gardens, February 19, 2009, WPTV.com Continue reading

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Last Thursday marked the third house explosion in Massachusetts in the past three months. The gas explosion occurred in Somerset, where a utility crew responded to reports of a gas leak and told firefighters the leak was under control. Firefighters were knocking on doors that evening checking for elevated gas levels, but crews from New England Gas Co. told the firefighters they could leave.

Minutes later, a single-family house exploded, sending debris through the neighborhood and forcing 200 neighbors to evacuate. A firefighter and utility worker were both injured. The gas crews planned to dig into the street to check the leak, but they did not shut off the gas supply to the neighborhood.

According to the United States Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 323 people died and 1,341 were injured because of gas leaks or explosions between 1998 and 2008. In Massachusetts, six people died and 12 were injured from similar explosions during that same time frame. In December, a Scituate man died in a house explosion, and last month another man was severely injured in Gloucester. The recent spike in gas explosions raises concerns about the safety of Massachusetts workers and residents.

“I would say these explosions are early warning flags, if nothing else,” Stephen Connors, director of analysis at the MIT Energy Initiative, told the Boston Globe.

Before explosion, gas crew waved off help, Boston Globe, February 21, 2009 Continue reading

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On Friday, a construction worker was killed after falling approximately 35 feet from the platform of an extended forklift near the site of a home under construction. The forklift accident occurred around 1:30pm, and the victim has been identified as 46-year-old James Shanks, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Another worker, 43-year-old Jay Smith, was injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. His medical status was unknown. A representative from the sheriff’s office said that four workers were applying stucco to the chimney of the house and standing on an elevated platform. Other workers said they heard a popping sound as the forklift threw two of the men off.

In addition to forklift accidents, construction workers may also be at risk for fires, explosions, welding accidents, exposure to hazardous substances, and many more hazards on the job.

Construction accident victims identified, Coastal Courier, February 16, 2009 Continue reading

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In Easthampton, Massachusetts, a 19-year-old car wash worker nearly died when her scarf got caught in a rotating scrubber, cutting off her airway.

A customer, John A. O’Leary, of Southampton, Massachusetts, saw the worker in danger, jumped out of his car as it moved along the wash rail, and cut her free using a pocket knife. O’Leary also revived the injured worker using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The worker, Stephani M. Carpluk, of Chicopee, spent three days in treatment for face and neck injuries at Baystate Medical Center before getting released from the hospital.

The Easthampton police have provided the Occupational Safety and Health Administration with pictures and reports of the car wash accident. OSHA said it plans to investigate.

OSHA to Investigate Carwash Choking Accident, ModernCarCare.com, February 12, 2009
Federal agency to investigate accident at Easthampton car wash that nearly strangled Chicopee worker, The Republican, February 11, 2009 Continue reading

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