Coshnet's Blog

Silica dust. You may not have heard from it, but you likely know someone affected by exposure to it, which can lead to silicosis, lung cancer, and other debilitating diseases.

Workers can be exposed to dangerous levels of silica dust through cutting, drilling, grinding, or otherwise disturbing material that might contain silica, such as during construction jobs.

Yesterday, I wrote about a number of ways to improve health and safety for temp workers, but I omitted an important -- and timely -- one. 

A new Massachusetts law, the "Temporary Worker’s Right to Know Law," goes into effect today. 

It was bad enough that Kentucky miner Reuben Shemwell was so concerned about safety at his worksite that he filed a safety discrimination complaint with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). But he quickly saw things go from bad to worse when his employer, an affiliate of Armstrong Coal, reached a new low in retaliation – the company sued the employee to intimidate him and future employees for reporting hazards.

We awoke this weekend to the devastating news of a nightclub fire in southern Brazil that killed 233 people and injured dozens more. But worse is the knowledge that we’ve been there before – and we could have prevented it.