Chicago – With summer approaching, three medical organizations have teamed up to issue tips to help prevent lawn mower injuries.

Anyone working outdoors is at risk of exposure to poisonous plants, including poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

If you witnessed a worker being struck by lightning, would you know how to help?

Outdoor workers occasionally encounter animals when they’re on the job. The Humane Society and U.S. Postal Service provide guidelines on how to avoid dog attacks and bites.

Disasters can manifest in a variety of ways. Taking preventive measures and planning ahead can help you remain calm in an emergency.

How much hydration is enough?

From homes and workplaces to sidewalks and playgrounds, cement is everywhere. According to the Portland Cement Association, cement is one of the safest building materials available – when precautions are observed.

Outdoor workers face a variety of hazards on the job. Beyond the usual suspects – severe weather, extreme temperatures, and traffic – an additional concern may be present: ticks.

Pressure washers are used to clean large areas, including buildings, parking lots, vehicles and other machinery. These high-powered tools also are used in disaster cleanup. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a pressure washer’s intense spray can cause wounds and other serious injuries that may at first appear minor.

The threat of lightning is one of the hazards of working outdoors. OSHA points out that employees who work outdoors in open spaces or on or near tall objects have a significant risk for exposure to lightning.

Even if you don’t live or work in an earthquake-prone area, don’t dismiss the threat. Earthquakes can occur in all 50 states.

Secaucus, NJ — Lyme disease is becoming more common outside the Northeast and more prevalent in the United States overall, a recent study by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics shows.

The American Academy of Dermatology cautions outdoor workers to be aware of an invisible hazard: the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Exposure to these rays for hours is a major risk factor for a number of skin cancers, including melanoma – the most serious form.

Rainfall, snow melt, coastal storms, storm surges, and dam and water system overflows all can lead to flooding. Floodwater can, in turn, cause power outages, disrupt transportation and damage buildings. In 2017, 182 people died from flooding-related incidents, data from Weather.gov shows.

Millions of tons of asphalt are produced and used in the paving and roofing industries every year, the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation notes, and more than 500,000 workers are exposed to fumes from asphalt.

Heat-related illnesses accounted for 783 worker deaths and nearly 70,000 serious injuries in the United States from 1992 to 2016. And in 2018 alone, 3,950 workers experienced days away from work as a result of nonfatal injuries and illnesses from on-the-job heat exposure.

According to the National Safety Council, in 2018, 53 children died in hot cars. Although these incidents are more common in the summer months, they’re not limited to July and August.

Spring is a great time to get started on your garden. But gardening takes a toll on your body, particularly your hands, wrists, knees and back.

Columbus, OH — Golf cart users, be “FORE!”-warned: The zippy means of transportation – no longer limited to golf courses – carries “considerable risk of injury and morbidity” to drivers and passengers of all ages, especially kids and older adults, say researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

A 45-year-old roofer died after he fell 30 feet from a rain-slick roof of an apartment building under construction.

Earthquakes don’t last long, but they can have long-lasting effects on both people and property. Is your workplace prepared?

Which locations in my building are at highest risk for water leaks, and how can I prevent them?

Outdoor workers are unique in that they regularly share their workspaces with wasps, bees, hornets and other stinging insects. It’s important for workers to know how to respond to and treat stings, especially because some people may be allergic.

National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 11-15. This year’s theme is “Work zones are a sign to slow down.”

Lightning can strike with little or no warning. That’s why it can’t be ignored or taken lightly by employers or workers – particularly those who spend time outdoors.

In Episode 27, the S+H editorial team discusses lightning safety for workers as the summer months approach. The team is also joined by NIOSH social scientist Gigi Petery, co-director of the agency’s National Center for Productive Aging and Work.

Did you know your car could cause a wildfire if you’re not careful? The Oregon Department of Transportation says more than 70% of the state’s wildfires in 2021 were caused by people.

Tornadoes can happen at any time of year but, depending on where you live, certain months see more activity. Are your workers prepared for a tornado warning?

Flooding can happen anywhere in the country, and it’s a year-round hazard that happens in all 50 states. As little as 6 inches of floodwater can cause vehicles to lose control and stall, the National Weather Service warns.

What do we need to consider when choosing high-visibility multi-season workwear?

Proper hydration is essential for preventing heat-related illnesses.

Here are some tips for staying safe from lightning before, during and after lightning storms.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board has scheduled a meeting to consider whether OSHA's responses to some of the board's recommendations have been "unacceptable," and to launch its Most Wanted Chemical Safety Improvements Program.

Falls Church, VA – Oil and gas workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica during directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations, a new NIOSH study concludes.

Washington – OSHA recently published four letters of interpretation regarding its revised Hazard Communication Standard.

Charleston, WV – A number of combustible dust-related incidents, injuries and deaths over the past decade might have been prevented had OSHA promulgated a standard covering the hazard, according to a Chemical Safety Board report released July 16.

Washington – A deadly metal dust explosion in China offers a fresh reminder of combustible dust hazards, which the United States should address through an OSHA standard, Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said in a statement released Aug. 5.

The Chemical Safety Board has reiterated its call for OSHA to promulgate a comprehensive combustible dust standard.

Washington – Two new fact sheets from OSHA provide information intended to protect workers from combustible dust explosion hazards and agricultural emergencies.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is reiterating its call for OSHA to enact a comprehensive general industry standard for combustible dust – a potential hazard the board calls a “critical issue in industrial safety.”

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is seeking to better understand why efforts to manage and control combustible dust hazards “have often failed” to prevent explosions.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board has extended to Dec. 31 its deadline for comment on a recent initiative that seeks to better understand why efforts to manage and control combustible dust hazards “have often failed” to prevent explosions.

West Lafayette, IN — Using newly developed algorithms, researchers from Purdue University have designed an image- and video-based application to detect combustible dust concentrations suspended in the air.

Washington — Managing and controlling combustible dust should be considered a unique hazard – not simply “tidying up the place,” the Chemical Safety Board says in a recently released learning review document that includes input from workers and industry stakeholders.

“Some people are not aware that they are dealing with a combustible dust because it might not have caused them any trouble in the past and is a seemingly innocuous material,” one expert says.

Greenbelt, MD — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors across North America conducted 35,764 brake system inspections and identified 4,295 vehicles – or 12% – with out-of-service conditions during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Brake Safety Week, the organization announced recently.

Washington — The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General will conduct an audit of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s ability to complete required safety and health inspections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boise, ID — As a result of “continuing incidences of fatalities and injuries” at grain handling facilities within the jurisdiction of its Boise area office, OSHA on Dec. 31 renewed a Local Emphasis Program focused on inspections at these facilities.

Greenbelt, MD — Inspectors across North America will examine braking systems, lights, tires and other commercial motor vehicle components May 17-19 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual International Roadcheck.

Washington — OSHA recently announced the start of a three-month increase of inspections at hospitals and nursing care facilities that treat COVID-19 patients.