An incident in India shows what can go wrong when safety regulations aren’t enforced; a company has to pay $750K for an overly aggressive drug-testing program; more about drug overdoses and workers’ comp; find out whether you need a workplace violence policy; and ASSE supports VPP changes. It’s all in this week’s Safety News Summary.
From Manufacturing Weekly, Charlie Walker compares two explosions at fireworks factories, one in the U.S. and one in India. Can we thank OSHA for the less catastrophic results at the U.S. plant?
A company has to pay three-quarters of a million dollars to settle a lawsuit over its drug-testing program. Tim Gould writes about the story in HR Morning.
A worker suffered a serious shoulder injury when a bolt weighing several pounds fell on him. He was prescribed hydrocodone for his pain until he was able to have surgery. The surgery was delayed because the workers’ comp insurance company appealed the award of benefits to the worker. In the meantime, suffering from pain, the worker died of a drug overdose. Worker’s Comp Insider takes a look at this case.
Does your company need a workplace violence policy? Andrew Lu answers that question in Findlaw’s corporate counsel blog, In House.
We recently told you about recommendations on changing OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Now, the American Society of Safety Engineers has weighed in, supporting the recommendations, but with some reservations. The VPP recognizes employers and workers in the private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries.
See something on the web recently about safety that you think others should read? Let us know about it in the comments box below, and we’ll feature it in an upcoming Safety News Summary.