Category: Occupational Heatlh
Meatpacking Industry Drafted an Executive Order to Keep Plants Open
Hundreds of emails offer a rare look at the meat industry’s influence and access to the highest levels of government.
Washington ranked #1 state for workers during pandemic
Oxfam America study ranks Washington best state — based on worker protections, healthcare and unemployment during COVID pandemic
Meatpacking Companies Dismissed Years of Pandemic Warnings
Government officials predicted that a pandemic would threaten critical businesses and warned them to prepare. Meatpacking companies largely ignored them.
COVID Plans Put to Test as Firefighters Crowd Camps for Peak Wildfire Season
Firefighting is an inherently dangerous job that now carries the additional risk of COVID-19 transmission.
These States Aren’t Waiting for the Feds to Create COVID-19 Worker Safety Rules
In the absence of federal action, some states are creating safety rules to protect workers from COVID-19.
Without Federal Protections, Farm Workers Risk Coronavirus Infection to Harvest Crops
Farms have already reported outbreaks among hundreds of workers in states that include California, Washington, Florida and Michigan.
As Businesses Reopen, Workplace Testing Is the ‘Wild West’
If a business chooses to provide testing that produces an inaccurate result, it will be on the hook for the consequences, experts say.
UW Hospital Workers Complain of Minimal Disclosure After COVID Exposures
Workers at the University of Washington Medical Center are complaining hospital authorities are not notifying them when they may have been exposed on the job.
Health Officials Wanted to Close a Meatpacking Plant, but the Governor Said No
Health officials in Grand Island, Nebraska, wanted the JBS meatpacking plant closed. But Gov. Pete Ricketts said no. Since then, cases have skyrocketed.
Worker health in the gig economy
Pay, flexibility, advancement: They all matter for workers’ health and safety, UW study shows.
Modern Wildfires Pose New Health Risks For Firefighters
New research underscores the risks that modern wildfires pose to firefighters’ long-term health, including an increased risk of cancer.
As Temperatures Climb, A New Push To Keep Workers Safe
Over the past decade, more than 350 workers nationwide have died from heat-related illness. Tens of thousands more have had serious heat-related illnesses.