Workplace Safety Issues

Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences Featured Resources provide the latest information on workplace safety,
health and well-being. Additional information can be filtered by topic in the supporting navigation to the left of the article content.

This Injury Surveillance Update was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Young Workers: Injury Surveillance and Prevention Project and supported by cooperative agreement # 5U60OH008490 from CDC NIOSH and published in September 2018.

This article by S+H Magazine reports that half of the teen workers in Massachusetts who were injured on the job between 2011 and 2015 said they did not receive health and safety training from their employers, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health annual report on teen worker safety.

“Do No Harm” — Healthcare Workers and Aggressive Patient Behavior

While 20% of all workplace injuries happen to healthcare professionals, healthcare workers suffer 50% of assaults. Of assaults on healthcare workers, 80% of violent incidents resulted from interacting with a patient.

Pool Chemical Safety from CA Dept Public Health

Chemicals used to clean and disinfect pools can be hazardous. Common problems include eye damage, difficulty breathing such as from asthma, and skin burns. Resources on this page can help workers, employers, and pool operators prevent pool injuries and illnesses.

Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac Fever are collectively known as Legionellosis, a disease caused by Legionella bacteria. This topic page provides information on the disease and how to prevent its occurrence in the workplace.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) establish performance and design standards for respiratory protective devices (RPDs) to protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards and toxic industrial chemicals. This is the most recent document (July 2018).