Occupational Health News Roundup

These three men were killed while trying to rescue six miners trapped at Crandall Canyon in Utah:

In other news:

New York Times: Firefighters Joseph Graffagnino, 33, and Robert Beddia, 53, died battling a blaze in the Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero.

Associated Press: UFCW president Joseph Hansen has called for a congressional investigation into techniques used by officials during immigration raids last year at six Swift & Co meatpacking plants. Workers report being denied their legal rights during the raid, including access to telephones, bathrooms, and legal counsel (via Majikthise).

Occupational Hazards: Fifteen years after anti-sweatshop campaigns focused attention on labor conditions in multinational companiesâ supply chains, thousands of developing-world factories have made workplace safety and health improvements. For widespread and significant change to be made, though, standards and sourcing decisions need to be improved. 

New York Times: Nina Bermanâs photos of veterans wounded in Iraq are on display at a New York gallery and on the Times website.

Baltimore Sun: Maryland Governor Martin OâMalley has signed an executive order granting collective bargaining rights to the stateâs home health aides and child care workers whose pay is subsidized by the state (via AFL-CIO Weblog).

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"Destined to fail."  That is the troubling conclusion of MSHA's 12-month investigation of the coal mine disaster at the Crandall Canyon coal mine that killed nine men last August.  They were: Kerry Allred, 58; Dale Black, 48; Don Erickson, 50; MSHA's Gary Jensen, 53; Brandon Kimber, 29; Luis…
NPR's Howard Berkes reported this week on the disposition of criminal and civil charges stemming from the disaster nearly four years ago at the Crandal Canyon mine in Utah. The makings of the catastrophe began months earlier, (previous posts here, here, here) but came to a deadly denouement in the…
The Mountain Eagle's Tom Bethell pulls no punches in today's editorial with an  in-your-face critique of the coal industry and their investment (not!) in safety technology.  He writes: "Name five U.S. coal companies that have generously supported research to develop a two-way PED, hardened…
Workers who manufacture microwave popcorn for ConAgra and Pop Weaver will soon be able to breathe easier, since both companies have announced that they will stop using diacetyl to flavor their popcorn. Other workers â including those who make flavorings, baked goods, and other companiesâ microwave…