Get your biweekly fill of risk-related blog posts – Rita Schwab does a great job in hosting Cavalcade of Risk #80 at her blog Supporting Safer Healthcare.
And in other news …
Construction – According to the release of a report from the Workers Defense Project, Texas is the most dangerous state in the union for construction workers. In 2007, 142 Texas construction workers died, more than any other state. California ranked second, with 81 deaths. According to the report, surveys with more than 300 construction workers revealed that more than two-thirds of the respondents did not receive basic safety training before starting their jobs.
VA compensability – Jon quoted in WaPo – In February, my colleague Jon Coppelman posted about the case of a Virginia truck driver who was found by the side of the road laying by his truck and who subsequently died after lingering in a coma. Sunday, The Washington Post covered the story of Arthur Pierce quoting John and Workers Comp Insider about the attempt by Pierce’s wife to change Virgina law related to cases like her husband’s. Apparently, investigators who reconstructed the scene learned that Pierce fell about 12 feet and injured his head. If he had been found dead at the scene, the fatal injuries would have been presumed to arise out of employment, but due to a quirk in the Virgina law, that presumption does not extend to those who linger for a matter of time before dying, even if that time is just a few hours. So far, her efforts to change the law have been unsuccessful but she plans to try again in January.
Slim Jim Plant Explosion – Insurance Journal has a report that investigators at the scene of last week’s North Carolina Slim Jim tragedy have determined that a gas leak caused the explosion and that the ATF has concluded the explosion was an accident and closed its criminal investigation.
NIOSH – Protect your family from take home toxins – report on exposures to substances such as lead, asbestos and beryllium, transported from the workplace to home.
Seasonal Safety – Florida AgSafe had a good library of safety articles and guidelines for agricultural workers – also, check out their Safety News and Notes newsletter, which is archived on the site or you can sign up to get them by mail.
Tags: agriculture, construction, explosions, Slim Jim plant, Texas, Virginia
