An article published in Friday’s New York Times brings the issue of General Motors and its massive recalls sharply back into focus. It tells the story of a 27-year-old Virginia woman who died in a car crash only days after receiving a recall notice on her 2006 Saturn. That notice…
A mysterious outbreak of E. coli here in Oregon has left one child dead and resulted in injuries to two others, leaving parents and public health officials alike struggling for answers here in the Pacific Northwest. As The Oregonian reported last week “all three children – ages 3, 4…
The death this week of a 33-year-old Mill City man is being investigated by the sheriff’s office in Linn County but, based on a report in the Salem Statesman-Journal, there are strong indications that it fits the definition of an Oregon industrial accident. As I wrote in this space…
A report released by the Bureau of Labor statistics earlier this month draws attention to a disquieting trend: though the number of workplace deaths fell nationally last year, here in Oregon the numbers went up. According to reporting by The Oregonian, the BLS report found that “the number of…
The extraordinary tragedy that unfolded at Hagg Lake late last month is spurring calls for action. As reported by The Oregonian, four people, representing three generations of the same family, all drowned in the lake on August 25. The bodies of a three-year-old boy along with those of his “mother,…
Historically Labor Day weekend is second only to New Years when it comes to driving danger on Oregon’s roads. So it is good that both the Oregon State Police and a number of local departments are going out of their way to remind Oregonians and visitors to drive safely this…
Portland residents began to get some sense this week of how the “street fee,” the proposal to help fund city roads and maintenance that has been debated all summer, may eventually help to improve health and safety around our city. According to an article published this week in The…
As we all prepare for another school year, SafeKids Oregon, an organization that regular readers will know I admire and support, is distributing an important report that is worth every parent’s attention. “Changing the Culture of Youth Sports” (see link below) offers essential information and perspective on injuries to children…
A story from Ohio last week highlights the danger of industrial accidents throughout the United States and the need for all of us to be vigilant. According to Ohio.com, the website of the Akron Beacon-Journal newspaper, “a 45-year-old man was killed after he was pulled into a machine while working at…
A recent article in Slate highlighted an important but little noticed executive order signed by President Obama on the last day of July. According to the online magazine, the “Fair Play and Safe Workplaces” order, as it is formally known, “requires companies bidding for federal contracts worth more than $500,000…
