All articles tagged with #occupational safety
A San Fernando Valley stone worker with silicosis from engineered quartz countertops received a double lung transplant, marking a dramatic turn in his health after years of illness. California has seen hundreds of silicosis cases in recent years, many of which require transplants and have spurred legal action against manufacturers, underscoring a widening occupational-safety crisis in the stone industry.
California’s engineered-stone countertop boom is driving a rapid silicosis outbreak among Latino men, with 571 cases reported in 2023–Aug 2026 (up from 47 in 2019–2022). Diagnoses skew younger (median age 46) and deaths occur earlier (median 52), with dozens undergoing or awaiting lung transplants. The San Fernando Valley is a hotspot, and exposure typically spans 16–25 years of work. Regulators have advanced tougher safety rules (SB 20, 2025) and emergency measures, but compliance remains inconsistent, fueling calls to stronger actions, including a potential ban on fabrication of engineered stone.
California is considering banning the sale and installation of engineered quartz countertops to address a rising silicosis crisis among stone fabricators. While a 2024 rule tightened dry-cutting practices, health experts say it does not adequately protect workers, and a WOEMA petition asks regulators to ban the material, following Australia’s lead. The decision rests with the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board and could take years to implement; meanwhile industry groups argue that safety measures and amorphous silica alternatives render a ban unnecessary.
The US and European nations are considering vaccinating poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians, and lab technicians against the H5N1 bird flu to prevent a potential pandemic. Efforts include acquiring or manufacturing vaccines from companies like CSL Seqirus and GSK. The move follows the spread of a new bird flu strain that has affected wild birds, domestic poultry, and mammals, including dairy cattle in the US. Health officials are in discussions about the strategic deployment of these vaccines to curb the virus's spread and mutation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law preventing cities and counties from implementing heat protections for outdoor workers, despite the state's extreme heat conditions. This move has sparked outrage among workers and activists, who have long advocated for regulations ensuring paid rest breaks, water, and access to shade. The new law, which comes at a time of increasing heat risks due to climate change, has drawn criticism for prioritizing predictability over worker safety and blocking local efforts to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
An OSHA inspection found that a forklift incident at Boston's Logan Airport, resulting in the death of a worker, could have been prevented by the employer, Oxford Airport Technical Services. The inspection revealed several safety violations, including failure to ensure seatbelt usage, inadequate training for forklift operators, and failure to inspect and remove damaged forklifts from service. OSHA issued four serious citations against the company with proposed penalties.
A 26-year-old employee, Carolina “Brea” Franks, was tragically crushed to death after getting trapped in equipment at a North Carolina car wash. Franks, who had been working at the car wash for about five months, was pronounced dead at the scene. The North Carolina Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the incident, and the car wash company, Zips Car Wash, is cooperating with the investigation while the Weaverville location remains closed.
A 16-year-old employee at a Mississippi poultry plant died after being sucked into equipment, and it was revealed that he had obtained the job using the identity of a 32-year-old man. This incident highlights the ease with which migrant children are finding work in dangerous industries and the challenges companies face in verifying their true ages. The number of children working illegally has nearly doubled since 2019, with ongoing child labor investigations across industries. Mar-Jac Poultry, the company involved, blamed a staffing agency for the hiring of the teenager. The Labor Department is investigating the hiring of the minor and the accident itself, while the Department of Homeland Security is supporting the investigation. Other companies, including Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms, are also under investigation for alleged child labor violations.
A 16-year-old employee at a Mississippi poultry plant died after being sucked into equipment, and it was revealed that he had obtained the job using the identity of a 32-year-old man. This incident highlights the ease with which migrant children are finding work in dangerous industries and the challenges companies face in verifying their true ages. The number of children working illegally has nearly doubled since 2019, with ongoing child labor investigations across industries. Mar-Jac Poultry, the company involved, blamed a staffing agency for the hiring of the teenager. The Labor Department is investigating the hiring of the minor and the accident itself, while the Department of Homeland Security is supporting the investigation. Other companies, including Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms, are also under investigation for alleged child labor violations.
Silicosis, a lung disease caused by exposure to crystalline silica, is affecting young workers, particularly Latino immigrants, who are exposed to silica dust when cutting and grinding engineered stone countertops. Consumers can help address the issue by questioning safety standards used by manufacturers and opting for alternative countertop materials. Researching the product's impact on workers and choosing fabrication shops that sell refurbished countertops can also make a difference. Consumer demand can drive improvements in product safety and encourage stronger safety enforcement.
According to new data from the CDC, Americans working in construction, food preparation, personal care, service, and transportation occupations were most likely to die from drug overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also found that the drug overdose death rate in 2021 was 50% higher than in 2019. Construction workers were four times more likely to die from drug overdoses compared to the general population. The study attributes the higher mortality rates to factors such as workplace injuries, work-related stress, and limited access to healthcare benefits. The drugs most commonly involved in overdose cases were synthetic opioids.
California is taking action to protect workers in the countertop industry, particularly those who work with quartz, from developing silicosis, an irreversible lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust. The state has identified 77 sickened workers, with at least ten deaths and the need for lung transplants. The majority of affected workers are young Spanish-speaking Latino men who have emigrated from Central America. California's Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board is fast-tracking the development of new regulations to prevent dust inhalation, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is considering a ban on quartz countertops. Experts warn that this issue is not limited to California and estimate that around 100,000 people work in this industry across the United States.
Texas construction workers are set to lose their right to rest breaks as a new law, HB 2127, takes effect on September 1. The law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, overturns local ordinances in cities like Austin and Dallas that mandate regular rest breaks for construction workers. This comes as Texas experiences a record-breaking heat wave, with temperatures reaching 105 degrees or more for 11 consecutive days in Austin. Advocates warn that the lack of rest breaks poses serious health risks for workers, as heat-related incidents and deaths are already a concern in the state. Critics argue that the law undermines worker safety and removes important protections for construction workers in extreme heat conditions.
A 16-year-old boy, Duvan Pérez, was killed in an accident at the Mar-Jac Poultry processing plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Questions have been raised about how a minor was working at the plant, as federal law prohibits minors from working in meat and poultry plants due to safety concerns. Pérez was conducting sanitation operations when the accident occurred. Multiple investigations, including by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division, have been initiated. This is not the first fatal accident at the plant, which has had three deaths and one amputation in the past three years.
A man died after getting stuck in a machine at a business in south Columbus. Emergency services were called to the scene, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is being investigated as an industrial accident, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified.