REPORTED DECLINE IN WORKPLACE INJURIES & ILLNESSES
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses declined in 2010 to a rate of 3.5 cases per 100 full-time workers, down from 3.6 cases in 2009. This, however, represents nearly 3.1 million nonfatal workplace cases that were reported by private industry
employers.
The highest rate of injury and illness occurred in the health care and social assistance sectors with 5.2 cases per 100 workers, which still marks a decrease from 2009's 5.4 cases.
The incidence rate in private construction decreased 0.3 to 4.0 cases per 100.
Manufacturing was the only sector to experience an increase, which rose from 4.3 cases in 2009 to 4.4 in 2010.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis stated, "We are encouraged by the reported decline in incidence rates for workplace injuries and illnesses, which is reflective of the joint effort of government, business, unions and other organizations. Nevertheless, 3.1 million injuries and illnesses in the workplace is too high... As our economy continues to rebound and grow, we must ensure that safety and health are a part of that growth. Let's all remember that no job is a good job unless it is also a safe job."
The full 2010 report in PDF format can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
US EPA AWARDS EIGHT UNIVERSITIES BLACK CARBON GRANTS
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted more than $6.6 M in grants to eight universities to support research on the role and effects of black carbon on the environment.
Award recipients include the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Carnegie Mellon University;
University of California, Irvine;
University of California, Riverside;
University of Iowa;
University of Washington;
University of Wisconsin-Madison; and
Rutgers University.
Black carbon is the sooty material emitted from diesel-powered engines, brick kilns, coke ovens, traditional cook stoves and other sources that burn fossil or biomass fuels. Because black carbon particles only remain in the atmosphere for a few days, reducing them would affect a more immediate positive change in our climate.
Under the EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, the universities will analyze the impact of black carbon on air and water quality, investigate the behavior of black carbon aerosols in the atmosphere, develop computer models to study the effects of black carbon deposits on snow and ice, which hastens melting by absorbing sunlight, and examine the aging of black carbon in the atmosphere.
