Worker safety

Abhe & Svoboda fires union salt amid safety complaints

Nonunion paint contractor Abhe & Svoboda faces civil rights, labor and safety complaints on a $22 million Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) painting project underneath the Ross Island Bridge.

UNDER THE ROSS ISLAND BRIDGE: Investigating a low-bid nonunion contractor, a union finds problems aplenty

Under the Ross Island Bridge Feb. 8, a painter plummeted 40 feet and landed on his own son, putting both in the hospital.

Work shouldn’t hurt, says OSEA

Oregon Special Education personnel all too frequently are injured by their students.

Portland Public Schools’ OTHER lead exposure problem

Chips and dust from lead paint are all over the place as Franklin High School undergoes renovation.

Lead crisis in schools: Could underfunding of maintenance be the culprit?

Decades of cuts have made insufficient maintenance the new normal.

Oregon labor honors fallen workers

41 workers died in job-related accidents in Oregon last year.

DEADLY DUST: OSHA’s new silica rule will save lives

The silica rule covering 2 million construction workers is the most significant OSHA move in decades.

Silicosis hits home

The disease can strike anyone exposed, even someone who teaches good safety practices to others.

Workplace deaths rising

Job-related deaths are on the rise in Oregon and throughout the United States.

Over 10,000 severe worker injuries reported in first year of new OSHA requirement

Most of the hazards that led to severe injuries could easily have been prevented.

Governor Brown appoints two labor nominees to workers’ comp committee

Kevin Billman of UFCW and IBEW Local 48 staff attorney Diana Winther are nominees for MLAC.

The Demolition of Workers’ Compensation

All around the country, state legislatures are whittling away at workers’ comp systems

Washington workers’ comp: Fending off attacks on the system

Republican lawmakers and business interests have pushed to cut benefits to save on premiums

Oregon workers comp: Low premiums, high benefits. How do they do it?

Some of the savings are, literally, on the backs of workers.

On the hunt for cancer at Wah Chang

Thousands of workers may have been exposed to radiation

Federal OSHA’s Silica Neverland

Six years after Obama took office, workers are still waiting for protection from deadly dust.

Operating Engineers Local 701 member killed in crane accident

OSHA is investigating why a 35-foot beam detached and pierced the cab of his crane

New program offers scholarships for kids of workers killed, injured on job

The newly formed Oregon group is a chapter of a national organization

Painters, Floor Coverers distribute $500 bonuses for safety training

The bonus checks are a way to honor the best-trained workforce in the industry

Remembering fallen workers

Thirty-nine workers died in job-related accidents in Oregon in 2013.

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