workplace safety

Fume Bistro owner Terry Letson enters his restaurant in Napa, Calif., on Tuesday. A handful of businesses in Napa have made the decision to begin reopening their dining rooms with occupancy limits

As Businesses Reopen, A Fight Is Brewing Over Worker Safety Lawsuits

1:24pm May 06, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell insists any coronavirus relief bill must protect employers from lawsuits filed by workers who get sick. Workers' rights advocates oppose such a move.

Queue Listen Now

Hundreds of workers tested positive for COVID-19 at a Smithfield Foods hog-processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D.

U.S. Workplace Safety Rules Missing In The Pandemic

6:50pm May 01, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Some businesses and employee advocates say they're not getting much help from the federal government to ensure workers' safety from the coronavirus pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

RK workers depart a bus on their way to the job site at a new airport under construction in Salt Lake City.

Health & Safety

A Construction Company Embraces Frank Talk About Mental Health To Reduce Suicide

6:32am December 12, 2019

by Yuki Noguchi

The suicide of a construction worker in 2014 became a pivotal event for the Denver-based company that employed him. The death led management to make mental health care a part of the workplace culture.

Queue Listen Now

A lawsuit by 17 McDonald's workers accuses the fast-food chain of "undermining safety" with late-night work, store design changes and inadequate training.

National

McDonald's Failed To Protect Workers Against Violent Customers, Lawsuit Says

12:33pm November 21, 2019

by Alina Selyukh

A lawsuit by 17 McDonald's workers recounts threats, harassment and assaults, accusing the fast-food chain of "undermining safety" with late-night work, store design changes and inadequate training.

Cargill calls the robotic cattle driver "a first in the industry," and hopes that it will improve worker safety.

National

Cargill Tests Robotic Cattle Driver As A Way To Improve Worker Safety

1:43pm November 27, 2018

by Esther Honig

Hundreds of injuries — and some fatalities — are caused by cattle each year. But a new robot might be able to emulate some sounds and actions of workers, keeping them safe from kicks and attacks.

About 10,000 cardiac arrests happen in workplaces each year, according to the American Heart Association. Using an automatic external defibrillator can increase the chance of survival.

Can You Find The Defibrillator At Work? Half Of People Say No

3:15pm June 19, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

People who work in the hospitality and service industries were even less likely to know where to find an AED, according to a new survey. The devices can restart someone's heart after cardiac arrest.

Poultry workers at major U.S. meat-processing plants are highly susceptible to repetitive-motion injuries, denied bathroom breaks and are most often immigrants and refugees.

Tyson Foods Promises Better Conditions And Safety For Meat Workers

2:36pm April 26, 2017

by Peggy Lowe

Meat-processing employs more than a half-million people. An investigation found they've got some of the most dangerous factory jobs in America and suffer from injury, low pay and lack of work breaks.

California rules would require site-specific assessments to identify violence risks for health care workers and plans to mitigate them.

California Rules About Violence Against Health Workers Could Become A Model

5:41pm October 26, 2016

by Pauline Bartolone

New workplace health rules in California would go beyond existing safety standards by requiring private health care facilities to develop specific plans to mitigate risks of violence against workers.

A workplace safety tool, or a restriction of artistic vision?

Should Porn Stars Use Condoms? California Grapples With Regulation

8:28pm February 18, 2016

by April Dembosky

"We're talking about gloves, full body cover and goggles," says a porn industry executive of the California proposal to require condom use on the set. Proponents say it's about workplace safety.

The effects of opioid abuse can go unnoticed at work.

Opioid Abuse Takes A Toll On Workers And Their Employers

1:50pm January 20, 2016

by Yuki Noguchi

Many employers who test for drugs don't screen employees for opioids. Yet opioid abuse is linked to problems with workplace productivity and safety.

Queue Listen Now