workplace safety

HAZMAT team, Close up shot both of Hazmat teamwork hold the hazard chemical tank to collect the danger material from site to safety storage area.

Trump cuts demolish agency focused on toxic chemicals and workplace hazards

10:58am May 02, 2025

The Trump administration has decimated an agency responsible for carrying out much of the research and prevention efforts to curb exposure to dangerous substances and situations in the workplace.

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National

Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

6:00am July 21, 2024

More than 250 people have died since 2013 when trenches they were working in caved in. In most cases, the employers failed to follow basic government regulations for making trenches safe.

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National

Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

6:00am July 21, 2024

More than 250 people have died since 2013 when trenches they were working in caved in. In most cases, the employers failed to follow basic government regulations for making trenches safe.

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"There's a lot of memories here, some good, some bad," said Danny Smith, reflecting on his years working at the now-defunct Solid Energy mine in Pike County, Ky. Smith, 51, suffers from an advanced and incurable stage of black lung disease.

As coal miners suffer and die from severe black lung, a proposed fix may fall short

5:00am November 07, 2023

For decades, miners have called for limits on highly toxic silica dust, which they're exposed to while mining. An investigation shows its impact and the weakness of proposed rules to protect them.

National

Mars Wrigley fined after workers fall into vat of chocolate

3:35am February 13, 2023

by The Associated Press

Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate.

Used tires stacked at a Goodyear auto service location in South San Francisco, Calif., on July, 2020.

Why the government fails to limit many dangerous chemicals in the workplace

1:31pm December 15, 2022

by Sharon Lerner

The U.S. agency that's supposed to protect workers' health has all but given up on setting limits on a dangerous chemical released in tire manufacturing. Meanwhile, workers are dying.

Margaret Applegate (in yellow scarf), a United Airlines customer service agent, is accompanied by Lori Augustine, vice president of United's San Francisco hub, as Applegate gets a COVID-19 vaccine in September ahead of United's mandated deadline.

Health & Safety

Faced with losing their jobs, even the most hesitant are getting vaccinated

1:49pm October 07, 2021

by Andrea Hsu

Workplaces with vaccine mandates are seeing vaccination rates of 90% or higher. A complex mix of factors, including job security, is driving most workers to get the shots.

The waiting area of a pop-up vaccination site at St. John The Divine Cathedral sits empty as the rush for vaccinations winds down on June 27, 2021 in New York City. The demand for vaccinations has declined just as the Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus

Getting A Religious Exemption To A Vaccine Mandate May Not Be Easy. Here's Why

2:07pm September 28, 2021

With COVID-19 vaccine mandates taking effect around the country, requests for religious exemptions are on the rise. Under federal law, employers have a lot of discretion in granting the requests.

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Amazon on Tuesday over workplace safety concerns at two of the company's distribution and fulfillment centers in Queens and Staten Island.

New York Sues Amazon Over COVID-19 Workplace Safety

9:42am February 17, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

New York Attorney General Letitia James says Amazon refused to obey coronavirus guidelines that would protect its warehouse employees from infection.

Workers line up to enter a Tyson Foods pork processing plant last month in Logansport, Ind. Some of the worst workplace coronavirus outbreaks have been in the meatpacking industry. Major meatpackers JBS USA, Smithfield Foods and Tyson have said worker saf

Thousands Of Workers Say Their Jobs Are Unsafe As Economy Reopens

12:33pm June 11, 2020

by Chris Arnold

In places ranging from chicken processing plants to hair salons, workers say employers aren't doing enough to protect them from getting sick. Advocates blame a lack of mandatory federal safety rules.

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