SafetyBlog

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a new report on meat and poultry worker safety. While the industry has claimed to have improved worker safety over the past decade, this report suggests otherwise.When most people think of "high-risk" industries for workers, meat and poultry probably doesn't come to mind. However, meat and poultry workers are subject to a wide variety of injuries and illnesses, ranging from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and lacerations, to food-borne il …

Doctors and medical experts have cautioned against the consumption of excess salt, believing it can increase the risk of adverse conditions like high-blood pressure (hypertension). The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans even recommends consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of the substance daily for adults. However, there's new evidence suggesting that high-sodium diets isn't necessarily bad.Study Sheds Light on SaltA consortium of researchers from McMaster University, Hamilton Health Servi …

June 1st marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. This is when the majority of tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic Ocean, posing a serious hazard to homeowners living along the U.S. coastline and their families. While there's no way to control the weather, there are steps you can take to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.Learn the Evacuation RoutesIf you live in or near a coastal city, familiarize yourself with the region's hurricane evacuation routes. Most cities have …

Nearly half of all cancer deaths in the United States are preventable, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Oncology.Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston scoured through data from two existing studies on health problems, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, to determine just how many cases of cancer are preventable. They discovered that most cancer cases are caused by some type of preventable habit or act …

Need another reason to squeeze more exercise into your busy lifestyle? In addition to building muscle and burning calories, there's new evidence indicating that exercise can also help to reduce the risk of cancer.Researchers found that people who exercised more experienced lower levels of cancer, particularly among 13 different types of cancer. According to the study, the greatest protection was offered for esophagus cancer, cutting participants risk by as much as 42%, followed by a 27% reduced …