Dorry’s blog

It has been three years since 29 miners perished in a Raleigh County, W.Va., mine explosion, and what do we have to show for it? Not much.

In the wake of the Upper Big Branch disaster, Congress has yet to enact legislation that would protect miners who plunge into the depths of the Earth- and it’s the miners who are suffering the consequences.

The New York Times’ Ian Urbina released an important exposé over the weekend about workers at a North Carolina furniture company who have been sickened by a chemical used in the furniture glue.  

Just in time for the National Asbestos Awareness Week, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said today that “… there is no level of asbestos exposure that is known to be completely safe.”  

Here is a collection of the recent stories on grain bin deaths, spearheaded by NPR, the Center for Public Integrity, and the Kansas City Star.

Be sure to look out for another story tonight on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

NPR

The Center for Public Integrity, NPR, and the Kansas City Star came out with a triple-threat of articles this weekend describing the dangers of work in grain bins, reductions of employer fines, and criminal prosecution of negligent employers. The reporters spent months researching, interviewing, and piecing their investigation together — and the stories paint a picture about the need to do more to protect workers from the hazards of working with grain bins.

Did you miss today’s audio conference with the Center for Law and Social Policy about the intersection of workers’ safety and paid sick leave? Fear not — we live-tweeted. See our tweets below by starting at the bottom and working your way up. Remember to follow @NationalCOSH on Twitter!

Check back later for a recording of the call.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is celebrating a year of improved safety- but the celebrations should be limited.

MSHA Chief Joseph Main last week at a West Virginia Mining Symposium- sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Association- indicated that the industry’s fatality and injury rates have fallen drastically since the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1977.

The Southern Policy Law Center and Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice came out with a report today that exposes the dangers Alabama’s poultry industry poses to plant workers and poultry consumers- dangers likely to intensify under proposed federal regulatory changes for the industry.

A new report from NHCOSH and the New Hampshire Department of Health and  Human Services found that immigrants in the state knew little about occupational health and safety.