workplace safety News

Agriculture Workers Risk Safety and Health During Pandemic

States such as Virginia, Oregon and Washington have created their own enforceable rules to control, prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus among farmworkers. But federal mandates are necessary to ensure that employers are doing enough to protect workers, …

OSHA Inspector Called Ahead of Meat Plant Visit, to Be Safe

A federal safety inspector tipped off a coronavirus-tainted Pennsylvania meatpacking plant before visiting the next day — then failed to issue a citation, according to testimony in a lawsuit accusing the agency of failing to do its job. The inspector …

California Probes Amazon Worker Treatment During Pandemic

California’s attorney general and state and local agencies are investigating whether Amazon.com Inc has taken adequate steps to protect its workers from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a court filing on Monday. Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office, California’s Division of …

Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger Than State Reported

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the public, …

Retailers Pile on to Mask Mandates After Months on Sidelines

The chief executives of major U.S. retailers have been quick to voice concern about the safety of employees since the coronavirus struck. Four months into America’s battle with Covid-19, though, just a few national chains required customers to wear masks …

Amazon Tells Staff Hand-Washing Time Won’t Be Held Against Them

Amazon.com Inc. told employees at a New York warehouse, where workers have sued and gone on strike over safety concerns, that they won’t be punished for insufficient productivity or extra time washing their hands. In a message Amazon sent recently …

U.S. Automakers Stressing Covid Safety at Work and Home as Plants Rev Up

Automakers are speeding up U.S. assembly lines to meet recovering demand, increasingly confident coronavirus safety protocols are working to prevent outbreaks in their plants but wary of the challenges workers face outside. Screening workers for COVID-19 using temperature scans and …

AI Cameras Give Amazon Employees Real-Time Social Distancing Feedback

Amazon Inc. is pairing cameras with artificial intelligence to enforce social distancing among employees in its offices and warehouses. The system gives employees real time feedback on whether they are complying with the six feet social distancing rule. “Given social …

Senate Bill Would Grant Broad Coronavirus Liability Shield to Employers

Senate Republicans are drafting legislation that would let employers choose which government coronavirus safety guidelines to follow in order to be shielded from lawsuits if their customers or workers contract the virus, GOP Senator John Cornyn said Wednesday. Cornyn said …

Amazon is Sued Over Warehouses After New York Worker Brings Coronavirus Home, Cousin Dies

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc has been sued for allegedly fostering the spread of the coronavirus by mandating unsafe working conditions, causing at least one employee to contract COVID-19, bring it home, and see her cousin die. The complaint was …