Workplace Safety Archives

Working at heights is a skilled profession but requires stringent safety practices to ensure that workers are protected from injury. In a recent case, the California state occupational safety and health agency fined a solar installation company over $190,000 for major safety and health violations after a worker was seriously injured in a fall. The… Read More

Firefighters regularly put themselves at risk of injury during the line of duty simply because of the nature of their roles. One rarely talked about topic is the higher-than-average possibility of firefighters being diagnosed with work-related cancers. How extensive is this concern? Between 2010 and 2015, almost 30,000 firefighters studied by the National Institute for… Read More

On June 11, manufacturers and industrial companies are asked to recognize and commemorate National Forklift Safety Day. Plenty of workers regularly use forklifts to do their jobs. However, like all machinery, forklift operations can lead to injuries and even fatalities. Research shows that nearly 100,000 forklift accidents are reported each year. Common Injuries Related to… Read More

Workers across Pennsylvania will recognize National Safety Stand-Down Week from May 6 to 10. Initiated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and other regulatory entities several years ago, the National Safety Stand-Down Week campaign offers an opportunity for businesses to revisit safety protocols and… Read More

It goes without saying that needles and other sharp objects can be dangerous. Needlestick and sharps injuries happen when needles or other sharp objects pierce someone’s skin. This can occur when people use, disassemble, or discard needles. These injuries can also occur due to other sharp objects, such as scissors and razor blades. According to… Read More

One of the most dangerous industries in the United States is construction. Construction-related inspections account for 60 percent of all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections. In 2009, nearly one in five work-related fatalities occurred within the construction industry, while private industry construction fatalities accounted for almost three times that of all workers nationally…. Read More

People employed in the retail sector in Pennsylvania know that the holiday shopping season will bring longer hours and heavier workloads. Although some workers welcome the opportunity to earn more money, the increased demands of stocking, packing, selling and delivering merchandise raise stress levels among workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health warns… Read More

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is taking a step to ensure that Pennsylvania employers fulfill their responsibilities to protect temporary workers. The agency is recommending that host employers as well as temporary staffing agencies detail in their contracts with one another their respective responsibilities regarding compliance with relevant OSHA standards. Having a contract that… Read More

Winter weather can make it harder to work safely on a Pennsylvania construction site. This is because surfaces that are coated in snow and ice can be too slick to walk or climb on safely. Ideally, scaffolding, ladders or other tools that a worker will climb on will be built from materials designed to withstand… Read More

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced its annual top 10 list of workplace safety violations reported in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. The list includes violations cited by inspectors between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018. All but one of the violations has appeared on the list in previous years. The top… Read More