Two employees have died following an explosion at a Louisville, Kentucky, factory that caused a partial collapse of the building and blew out windows in nearby homes and businesses, the company said Wednesday.

There's a reason we heard so much about extreme heat deaths over the summer.

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) was initiated by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) together with a group of editors and publishers of scholarly journals after a meeting in  December 2012 during the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The document recognizes the need to improve the ways in which the outputs of scientific research are evaluated.

DORA puts into question the use of Journal Impact Factor as a main tool for assessment, and proposes the consideration of various other factors towards more sophisticated and meaningful approaches. DORA is a worldwide initiative covering all scholarly disciplines.

To read the whole declaration, please follow the link: http://am.ascb.org/dora/

A new EU BON acknowledged article looks at the recently introduced in scientific literature methods for constructing Spatially Explicit Rarefaction (SER) and their implication for ecologists and conservation biologist. The research was published in the journal Ecological Indicators.

Abstract: 

Recently, methods for constructing Spatially Explicit Rarefaction (SER) curves have been introduced in the scientific literature to describe the relation between the recorded species richness and sampling effort and taking into account for the spatial autocorrelation in the data. Despite these methodological advances, the use of SERs has not become routine and ecologists continue to use rarefaction methods that are not spatially explicit. Using two study cases from Italian vegetation surveys, we demonstrate that classic rarefaction methods that do not account for spatial structure can produce inaccurate results. Furthermore, our goal in this paper is to demonstrate how SERs can overcome the problem of spatial autocorrelation in the analysis of plant or animal communities. Our analyses demonstrate that using a spatially-explicit method for constructing rarefaction curves can substantially alter estimates of relative species richness. For both analyzed data sets, we found that the rank ordering of standardized species richness estimates was reversed between the two methods. We strongly advise the use of Spatially Explicit Rarefaction methods when analyzing biodiversity: the inclusion of spatial autocorrelation into rarefaction analyses can substantially alter conclusions and change the way we might prioritize or manage nature reserves.

Original Source: 

Bacaro, G., Altobelli, A., Camelletti, M., Ciccarelli, D., Martellos, S., Palmer, M.W., Ricotta, C., Rocchini, D., Scheiner, S.M., Tordoni, E., Chiarucci, A. (2016). Incorporating spatial autocorrelation in rarefaction methods: implications for ecologists and conservation biologists. Ecological Indicators, 69: 233-238. [5years-IF: 3.494] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.04.026

RectorSeal continues to press forward on the acquisition trail. On Feb. 6, RectorSeal announced the acquisition of Dust Free indoor air quality products.

When times are good, people become complacent. Riding in gas guzzling land-yachts and dwelling in cavernous McMansions tends to dull the senses and lulls people into a false sense of security. The scale that was once used to measure the distance between wants and needs became dangerously off-kilter.

Milwaukee Tool has once again expanded its presence in the United States with the opening of its newest manufacturing facility, which is located in Grenada County, Mississippi.

Offsite construction methods like prefabrication, modularization, preassembly and offsite multi-trade fabrication have been around for decades.

On Sept. 6, Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., the parent company of Simpson Strong-Tie, rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of the company’s 30th anniversary as a publicly listed company.

The emergence of manufactured stone has provided plasterers with a viable (and good looking) niche market.

Isokorb is an off-the-shelf solution to thermal bridging in the building envelope.

Washington – A recently released OSHA fact sheet on preventing amputations from food slicers and meat grinders incorporates findings from the agency’s new injury reporting requirements.

Washington — Fires and explosions from flammable atmospheres in confined spaces are the most common causes of hot work-related fatalities among workers, the Chemical Safety Board states in a recently released fact sheet.

Oakland, CA – Two new fact sheets from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, outline worker safety rights and employer requirements for protecting temporary workers.

Olympia, WA — A new Washington state law will require construction and manufacturing employers who use temporary workers to identify and document workplace hazards, communicate those hazards to staffing agencies, and make sure workers are informed and properly trained.

Washington — Certain personal risk factors increase workers’ risk for heat-related injury and illness, OSHA cautions.

Washington – OSHA recently issued a fact sheet about protecting workers from abrasive blasting materials.

Washington — A new fact sheet from OSHA seeks to help shipyard employers evaluate their fire and rescue services.

Washington — More than half of recordable injuries in commercial fishing are preventable with proper housekeeping and sanitary practices, OSHA states in a recently released fact sheet.

Washington – OSHA is warning employees and employers about the dangers of falling from pallets raised by forklifts in its latest edition of Fatal Facts.

Iselin, NJ — A recent survey of manufacturing and warehouse employees shows that 75% receive less than 30 minutes of safety training a week, while 20% receive no weekly training.

Vancouver, British Columbia — Protecting workers from struck-by injuries related to heavy equipment or vehicles is the goal of new employed-aimed resources from the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia.

Washington – The American Industrial Hygiene Association has published a fact sheet that aims to improve safety for workers in the nanotechnology industry.

Cambridge, MA — Early screening for psychosocial risk factors may aid in a worker’s recovery from an on-the-job injury, a new white paper from the Workers Compensation Research Institute suggests.

Washington – A recently released fact sheet from OSHA is intended to protect longshore workers who handle baggage at cruise ship terminals.

Washington – OSHA has published three new fact sheets outlining workers’ rights and the procedures for filing whistleblower complaints.

Washington — A new fact sheet from OSHA details protections for employees who report workplace health and safety concerns related to COVID-19, and includes other relevant information for whistleblowers.

Washington — Citing a growing trend of people pointing lasers at airplanes, the Federal Aviation Administration is calling for product labels warning consumers that the safety of flight crews and passengers is being put at risk.

What are some of the underlying reasons why hand injuries are still so common?

Washington — Demonstrating a commitment to worker safety, and getting a firsthand look at whether safety and health programs are working. These are two of the reasons business owners and managers should personally conduct periodic walkaround inspections, OSHA states in a recently released fact sheet.

Portland, OR – A hazard alert from the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program emphasizes the importance of abiding by the manufacturer’s instructions for construction equipment and building materials.

Washington — A new fact sheet from OSHA is intended to help protect workers from hazards associated with shipboard pedestal cranes.

Oakland, CA — Two fact sheets, along with an updated FAQ document, from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health highlight the latest revisions to the state’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 – adopted April 21 by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

After finishing 2022 with a respectable recovery from pandemic upheaval, the fire alarm industry is expected to carry strong momentum through this year and beyond.

Take a look at the facts and figures featured in the SDM 100 report for 2011: There’s much to smile about this year, as more than eight in 10 of SDM 100 companies (82 percent) thinks 2011 will bestow increased revenues compared with last year. 

The SDM 100 has been published since 1991. Its primary objective is to measure consumer dollars gained by alarm companies, in order to present an account of the size of the market captured by the 100 largest security providers. SDM 100 firms are ranked by their recurring monthly revenue. RMR is the amount of contractually recurring revenues due from customers, for such services as monitoring, contracted service and system maintenance, and leasing of security systems.

Washington — A new fact sheet from NIOSH is aimed at workers who use quick coupling devices to change excavator buckets and other attachments.

In 2008, ADS Security was the SDM 2008 Dealer of the Year Honoree. Since then nothing — and everything — has changed at the company, which is the 2014 Dealer of the Year.

Washington — The National Occupational Research Agenda Manufacturing Sector Council has created an online resource guide intended to assist organizations in beginning, maintaining or enhancing their hazardous energy control programs.

Washington — NIOSH has published a new fact sheet intended to help construction employers and workers prevent falls from roofs, ladders and scaffolds.

Although aerial lifts have replaced ladders and scaffolding on many jobsites, several hazards are associated with their use.

Washington — Fully operational Positive Train Control technology “would have intervened” to stop a fatal Amtrak passenger train derailment in which crew members were inadequately trained and tested on various aspects of a new route, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded after its investigation into the December 2017 incident in DuPont, WA.

East Lansing, MI — Employers who have skid steer loaders should develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive injury prevention program that includes training workers on hazard recognition and avoidance.

Bilbao, Spain — Excessive workloads, conflicting demands and a lack of support from management are some of the psychosocial factors that can contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, according to a literature review conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Washington — NIOSH has issued a pair of fact sheets on filtering facepiece respirators, detailing how to tell if an N95 is approved by the agency as well as procedures for fit testing and testing filtration efficiency.

Washington — OSHA and the Food and Drug Administration have teamed up to develop a checklist intended to help food manufacturers protect worker health and practice food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chicago — A new Local Emphasis Program from OSHA is aimed at protecting workers in Wisconsin food manufacturing establishments from machine and amputation hazards.