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As a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?

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FacebookAs a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?Pressure grows on social network after US senators challenge Instagram over impact of app on children’s mental health Dan Milmo Global technology editorSat 2 Oct 2021 01.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 2 Oct 2021 05.28 EDTUS lawmakers have left Facebook in no doubt this week that revelations about the impact of its Instagram app on teen mental health have further damaged the company’s reputation. The Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said the social network was “indefensibly delinquent” in its behaviour and had “chosen growth over children’s mental health”, after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Facebook’s internal research had flagged concerns that its photo-sharing app was damaging the wellbeing of young users.The pressure on Facebook is likely to increase on Sunday when a whistleblower appears on US TV to claim that the company is lying to the public and investors about the effectiveness of its attempts to remove hate, violence and misinformation from its platforms.The whistleblower, who has submitted thousands of internal documents to the US financial regulator, will then appear at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.The WSJ report and the whistleblower’s appearance take place against a backdrop of active attempts to rein in the power of Facebook and other tech companies. Here are some of the proposals being considered for regulating Facebook.A break-upThe US competition watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission, has lodged a lawsuit demanding that …

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Markets suffered in September, but October holds promise

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Markets suffered in September, but October holds promise

MANHATTAN (CN) — A perfect storm of negative news pummeled investors this week, as markets closed out the typically volatile month of September on a sour note with potential for a better Octoberon the horizon. The decline on Wall Street began early in the week: On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 571 points […]

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Jeff Bezos’s space flight firm ‘rife with sexism’, employees’ letter claims

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Jeff BezosJeff Bezos’s space flight firm ‘rife with sexism’, employees’ letter claimsOpen letter by current and ex-staffers alleges ‘consistently inappropriate’ behaviour by Blue Origin leaders Dan Milmo Global technology editorFri 1 Oct 2021 06.18 EDTLast modified on Fri 1 Oct 2021 07.14 EDTA group of current and former employees at Blue Origin, the space flight company owned by the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, has accused the business of operating a work environment that is “rife with sexism” and prefers “breakneck speed” to safety.An open letter written by Alexandra Abrams, the former head of employee communications at Blue Origin and 20 other current and former workers, says the company’s culture “reflects the worst of the world we live in now” and must change.The letter, published on the whistleblower forum Lioness, says: “Workforce gender gaps are common in the space industry, but at Blue Origin they also manifest in a particular brand of sexism. Numerous senior leaders have been known to be consistently inappropriate with women.”The letter goes on to allege that a senior figure in the organisation was reported a number of times for sexual harassment and that new female employees were warned to stay away from another executive, who had allegedly groped a female colleague. It adds that the workforce was “mostly male” and “overwhelmingly white”.A Blue Origin spokesperson said: “Blue Origin has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind. We provide numerous avenues for employees, including a 24/7 …

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US Department of Labor finds Tampa smelter willfully exposed workers to unsafe levels of airborne lead, despite experts’ warning

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US Department of Labor finds Tampa smelter willfully exposed  workers to unsafe levels of airborne lead, despite experts’ warning

September 30, 2021US Department of Labor finds Tampa smelter willfully exposedworkers to unsafe levels of airborne lead, despite experts’ warningOSHA proposes $319K in penalties to address violations

TAMPA, FL – Despite warnings since March 2020 of unsafe measures of lead exposure, a Tampa battery recycling facility and smelter failed to make changes that resulted in worker exposure to lead inhalation hazards, a federal workplace safety investigation found.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Envirofocus Technologies LLC – operating as Gopher Resource LLC – with a willful violation for exposing workers to inhalation hazards. The company also failed to provide employees with adequate respirators that could have kept worker exposure to hazardous substances at or below the allowable level.

OSHA also cited Gopher Resource for:

Allowing cadmium, lead and inorganic arsenic exposure levels above the permissible exposure limit.
Not implementing adequate engineering and work practice controls to prevent lead and inorganic arsenic exposure levels above the permissible exposure limit.
Failing to provide an annual update of the written compliance program for cadmium, inorganic lead and arsenic.
Allowing workers to share aluminized jackets that were damaged and stored in the open, and exposed to lead.
Requiring workers to wear respirators that were not fit-tested annually.
Using shoveling, sweeping or brushing methods to remove lead accumulations.
Not identifying all hazards on entry permits.

Proposed penalties total $319,876.

“This employer put their bottom line above the safety and well-being of their workers,” said OSHA Area Director Danelle Jindra in Tampa. “Every worker has the right to a safe workplace, and they should never have to decide between their own health and earning a living. Continuing to put workers in harm’s way is unacceptable, and OSHA will continue to hold employers like Gopher Resource responsible.”

OSHA also cited A & B Maintenance & Construction Inc., a Tampa-based company that provides supplemental maintenance at the Gopher facility, for exposing workers to health hazards by failing to maintain a written respiratory protection program and allowing lead exposure in excess of the permissible exposure limit. The company faces $16,384 in penalties.

Gopher Resource is a secondary lead smelter. It recycles automotive batteries by separating the battery components to capture lead, acid and plastic, then processes those materials.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about controlling exposure to chemical hazards and toxic substances.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

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Media Contacts:

Eric R. Lucero, 678-237-0630, lucero.eric.r@dol.govErika B. Ruthman, 678-237-0630, ruthman.erika.b@dol.gov

Release Number: 21-1718-ATL

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

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Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddies Tried to Get the VA to Sell Access to Veterans’ Medical Records

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By Isaac Arnsdor, ProPublica — Former President Donald Trump empowered associates from his private club to pursue a plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs to monetize patient data, according to documents newly released by congressional investigators. As ProPublica first reported in 2018, a trio based at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort weighed in on policy and […]

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DOL cites Colorado dairy farm operator after vacuum truck driver dies in manure pit

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DOL cites Colorado dairy farm operator after vacuum truck driver dies in manure pit

September 29, 2021US Department of Labor cites Colorado dairy farm operator for violationsafter vacuum truck driver suffers fatal injuries in unguarded manure pitShelton Land and Cattle exposed workers to drowning hazards

LASALLE, CO – A federal workplace safety investigation into the death of a 44-year-old worker, who drowned when the vacuum truck he was driving entered an unguarded manure holding pit, concluded that a LaSalle dairy farm failed to protect its workers from drowning and chemical hazards.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Shelton Land and Cattle Ltd. – doing business as Shelton Dairy Corp. – following its investigation of the March 30, 2021, incident. OSHA determined that the employer failed to implement measures to protect employees from drowning or crushing hazards, did not have a hazard communication program, and failed to train workers on hazardous chemicals in the workplace. The company faces $24,575 in proposed penalties.

Inspectors learned that the driver was offloading manure when the truck drove into the 12-foot deep pit, trapping the worker inside the submerged cab. The worker died the following day in a nearby hospital.

“Manure pits are known hazards in dairy farming operations,” said OSHA Area Director Amanda Kupper in Denver. “If required guarding had been installed, this worker’s life could have been spared.”

Shelton Land and Cattle operates a dairy farm with about 2,800 heads of cattle and 65 employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA requirement for agricultural operations.

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Media Contacts:

Chauntra Rideaux, 972-850-4710, rideaux.chauntra.d@dol.govJuan J. Rodríguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number: 21-1751-DAL

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

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Bond yields, debt-ceiling stalemate cause market fall

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Bond yields, debt-ceiling stalemate cause market fall

MANHATTAN (CN) — Markets tumbled on Tuesday, as a mixture of spiking bond yields and worries about the U.S. debt ceiling caused investors to reassess their positions. The selloff began early and never relented, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 571 points by the day’s end, a 1.6% decline. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq […]

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US Department of Labor awards more than $11.6M in grants to educate workers, employers on workplace safety, health

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US Department of Labor awards more than $11.6M in grants to educate workers, employers on workplace safety, health

September 28, 2021US Department of Labor awards more than $11.6M in grantsto educate workers, employers on workplace safety, healthHarwood Grants focus on targeted training, awareness, creation of safety programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the award of more than $11.6 million in grants to 93 nonprofit organizations nationwide to fund education and training on hazard recognition and prevention, and on rights of workers to safe workplaces and the responsibilities of employers to provide them.

Derived from the Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training program, the grants awarded by OSHA in fiscal year 2021 are in the Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, and Capacity Building categories. The grants are a critical part of OSHA’s effort to educate workers and assist employers.

OSHA awards these grants to nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor-management associations, colleges and universities. Target trainees include small-business employers and underserved vulnerable workers in high-hazard industries.

The grants honor the late Susan Harwood, former director of OSHA’s Office of Risk Assessment. In a 17-year career with the agency, she helped develop federal standards to protect workers from bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education, and assistance. Learn more about OSHA.

Learn more about the 2021 Susan Harwood Training Grant Program recipients.

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Media Contacts:

Denisha Braxton, 202-693-5061, braxton.denisha.l@dol.govAmanda McClure, 202-693-4675, mcclure.amanda.c@dol.gov

Release Number: 21-1757-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

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US Department of Labor cites JBS Foods Inc. for repeated safety failures after worker’s death at Swift Beef’s Colorado facility

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US Department of Labor cites JBS Foods Inc. for repeated safety failures after worker’s death at Swift Beef’s Colorado facility

September 28, 2021US Department of Labor cites JBS Foods Inc. for repeated safety failuresafter worker’s death at Swift Beef’s Colorado facilityLatest incident follows amputation injury month prior at same facility

GREELEY, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited JBS Foods Inc. – one of the nation’s largest meat and pork suppliers – again, for exposing employees to safety hazards at its Greeley facilities, this time following the death of a worker who was installing a paddlewheel.

OSHA investigators responded to the March 27 incident and determined that JBS failed to adequately secure a paddlewheel being installed to churn chemicals used in processing animal hides. The paddlewheel along with the trolley and hoist used to lift it fell. An employee fell into an oval vat which contained the chemicals.

OSHA cited JBS Foods Inc. – operating as Swift Beef Co. – for eight serious violations related to the unsafe lifting process, for hazardous chemical and training violations. JBS faces $58,709 in proposed penalties following this investigation.

The fatality occurred after several other incidents at the same facility, including a JBS worker who suffered an arm amputation after being pulled into a conveyor belt; another worker who suffered laceration injuries while removing a hide; and a third worker who was exposed to a thermal burn hazard. As a result, OSHA cited the company for 11 serious violations, including failing to ensure proper machine guarding and not implementing safe process procedures.

“Injuries are all too common for workers in the meat processing industry, but most are preventable when required safety and health regulations are followed,” said OSHA Area Director Amanda Kupper in Denver. “At the height of the pandemic, food processing industry workers helped feed our nation and keep our economy moving. The employees at this facility deserve better than to fear for their lives and their safety when they come to work.”

Headquartered in Greeley, JBS Foods is a world leader in beef, poultry and pork production, with operations in the U.S., Australia and Canada. Its products are sold under more than 40 brand names in the U.S. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. based in Brazil, the world’s largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than $50 billion in annual sales.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA.

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Media Contacts:

Chauntra Rideaux, 972-850-4710, rideaux.chauntra.d@dol.govJuan J. Rodríguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number21-1742-DEN

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

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ILO and its partners offer free COVID-19 risk assessment service to enhance workplace safety and business continuity

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ILO and its partners offer free COVID-19 risk assessment service to enhance workplace safety and business continuity

JAKARTA (Joint Press Release) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) together with the Ministry of Manpower, and the Embassy of Japan today (28/9) launched a risk assessment service to help businesses identify, assess and manage the distinctive COVID-19 risks within their workplaces. The risk assessment tools were developed based on the national guideline on COVID-19 prevention and control at the workplace to support safer and more sustainable businesses during the pandemic. The launch of the COVID-19 risk assessment service by Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia and Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia The service is provided for free to benefit up to 1,500 workplaces by strengthening their preventive measures as guided by professional occupational safety and health (OSH) doctors. The risk assessment service also allows enterprises to register up to five workplaces and review risk factors in the workplaces. It also conducts employee surveys to assess workers’ risk awareness and behaviors. Preventive actions will help companies and offices to develop a strategy to suppress the spread of the virus in the workplace clusters and beyond. By doing so, it will promote protection of workers’ safety and health as well as ensure business continuity.” Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower Participating enterprises will receive recommendations based on risk assessment results. OSH doctors under the Indonesian Medical Association for Occupational Health (IDKI), as the implementing partner, will provide suggestions on short and long-term infection control measures for each workplace as well as keep the enterprises abreast of public health advice to ensure their preparedness to respond to localized outbreaks. Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, praised the establishment of the free service as it will reinforce the tripartite collaboration to continue strengthening the OSH regulatory and management system at the national and workplace levels. The service will also help to overcome the intertwined health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic.“Preventive actions will help companies and offices to develop a strategy to suppress the spread of the virus in the workplace clusters and beyond. By doing so, it will promote protection of workers’ safety and health as well as ensure business continuity,” said Minister Fauziyah when officially launching the service. Taking together employers and workers to implement additional safety measures will help create a safe and healthy workplace and workforce which is the foundation of sustainable development.” Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste The ILO has long recognized that protection of workers is essential to ensuring access to decent work. OSH has been a core element of decent work and in the context of COVID-19 pandemic this has become ever more important. “Investing in the OSH management system will build resilience and improve response and recovery in the face of crisis. Taking together employers and workers to implement additional safety measures will help create a safe and healthy workplace and workforce which is the foundation of sustainable development,” said Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste. I believe that the risk assessment service will contribute to Indonesia’s countermeasures against the COVID-19.” Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, emphasized that the Government of Japan has been a long-lasting partner of the country. “In order to protect the health and safety of workers, it is important to recognize where the risk of infection lies at each workplace and to implement appropriate countermeasures against that risk. I believe that the risk assessment service will contribute to Indonesia’s countermeasures against the COVID-19.”The service is rolled out under the ILO’s Enhancing COVID-19 Prevention at and through Workplaces project, funded by the Government of Japan. It aims to enhance the protection of workers’ safety and health by harnessing the public and private sector engagement to build a culture of prevention of the COVID-19 occupational risks.Indonesian enterprises with more than 10 workers in each workplace can access and register to the service today by visiting www.ilocovidproject.id For further information please contact: Gita LinggaILO Senior Communications Officer Email: gita@ilo.orgAdelin Alexandra Communication Project Officer Email: alexandra@ilo.org

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