Monday, October 6, 2014

Google to Make Security Guards Employees, Rather Than Contractors

Looks like Google is searching for the safe side of employment status. Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from blogs.wsj.com

In a move that could reverberate around Silicon Valley, Google plans to hire more than 200 security guards as its own employees, rather than through an outside contractor.

The guards will be eligible for the same benefits as other Googlers, including health insurance, retirement benefits, on-site medical services, leave for new parents and more.

The move comes amid rising concerns about income disparities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A think tank with ties to organized labor issued a report in August highlighting the differences in pay, benefits and working conditions between tech-company employees and service workers such as security guards, janitors and landscapers who primarily work for outside contractors.

Google’s moves on social issues can be influential. Several other Silicon Valley heavyweights, including Facebook and Apple , released details on the gender and racial composition of their workforces after Google did so in June.

“Building an in-house security team is something we are excited to do,” said a Google spokeswoman in a statement. “A year ago we in-sourced the Google security operations center and we are looking forward to making these valued positions both full- and part-time Google employees.”

Google said its contractor providing security guards, Security Industry Specialists, Inc., will continue to work with the search giant...

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As U.S. Ebola Fears Widen, Reports of Possible Cases Grow

Infections are a major issue in workers' compensation claims. As health workers continue to become exposed to Ebola virus the question remain what action the Federal government will take to ease the burden upon the nation's insurance industry. Today's post is shared from the njytimes.com/
DALLAS — In Washington, a patient who had traveled to Nigeria and who was suspected of having Ebola was placed in isolation at Howard University Hospital on Thursday. In New Haven, two Yale University graduate students plan to sequester themselves when they return this weekend from Liberia, where they have helped the government develop a system to track the Ebola epidemic.
And at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday, a sick man who had just arrived from Brussels was rushed to a hospital amid concerns that he was showing Ebola-like symptoms, a fear later dismissed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With fears about Ebola widening across the United States, federal health officials said Saturday that they were receiving an escalating number of reports of possible Ebola infection, particularly after a Liberian man tested positive for the deadly disease in Dallas last week, the first Ebola case diagnosed in this country. Since the disease began spreading rapidly across West Africa this summer, the C.D.C. said, it has assessed more than 100 possible cases, but only the Dallas case has been confirmed.

But increased attention about the virus has jangled nerves around the country, particularly among West African immigrant communities and recent travelers to that region, and placed health care workers on a kind of high alert. “We expect that we will see more rumors, or concerns, or possibilities of cases,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of...

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Taking Action on Workplace Stress

Taking Action on Workplace Stress NEW! FREE!

Presenter:	John Oudyk, Occupational Hygienist, OHCOW
Date:	Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Time:	1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

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Product Description

Is work stressing your employees out? If so, they’re not alone. In Canada, over a quarter of working adults report feeling highly stressed at work. Factors such as excessive demands, lack of control, insecure job arrangements, inadequate resources and support, and workplace bullying and harassment can all took their toll on the well-being of workers.

This free webinar takes a closer look at ways to identify and measure these psychosocial hazards, and outlines mental injury prevention tools and resources to help your organization take action on workplace stress.

Who should attend

Health and safety professionals and committee members, managers, supervisors, employers, and anyone interested in a better understanding of workplace stress.

About the presenter

As an Occupational Hygienist for the last 25 years with the Hamilton Clinic of the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, John has measured all kinds of hazards in workplaces ranging from offices to foundries. In the 1990’s he began to measure psychosocial hazards in office settings and among firefighters. In 2009 he started working with the Mental Injuries Tool group to devise a questionnaire to help workplace parties assess psychosocial hazards at work. John has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and Masters in Health Research Methods from the McMaster University. He has an appointment as an Assistant Professor (part-time) in the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department.

System Requirements

After registering you will receive a confirmation email from GoTo Webinar containing instructions on how to join the webinar.

You do not need a microphone or a telephone to listen to this webinar - just listen to the presentation through your computer's speakers or headphones.

PC-based attendees

Internet Explorer 7.0, Mozilla Firefox 4.0, Google Chrome 5.0 (JavaScript enabled) or the latest version of each web browser
Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Cable modem, DSL or better Internet connection
Dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with 2GB of RAM (recommended)

Macintosh-based attendees

Safari 3.0, Firefox 4.0, Google Chrome 5.0 (JavaScript enabled) or the latest version of each web browser
Mac OS X 10.6 – Snow Leopard or newer
Intel processor (1GB of RAM or better recommended)
Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection

Friday, October 3, 2014

NIH: Is The Government Funding the Right Researchers?

The US National Institutes of Health control vast amount of funding dollars in the US. Selecting who and what to fund is a major task and leads to innovative thinking and approaches to challenging health problems. As the recent Ebola epidemic has highlighted, the NIH hasn't stayed ahead of the game. The post highlights that the NIH should be compelled to revaluate its funding deternination. Today's post is share from the nytimes.com/

WASHINGTON — Every year the National Institutes of Health receives almost $30 billion in federal funds to invest in biomedical research. The bulk of that money goes to researchers who are in many cases esteemed in their fields — but also, in many cases, beyond the age when most scientists make their most important contributions to their fields.

A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research from 2005 examined the age at which over 2,000 Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists in the 20th century came up with the idea that led to their breakthrough. Most were between 35 and 39. Yet the median age of first-time recipients of R01 grants, the most common and sought-after form of N.I.H. funding, is 42, while the median age of all recipients is 52. More people over 65 are funded with research grants than those under age 35.

As a physician who conducted N.I.H.-funded research before entering politics, I saw firsthand how the most innovative thinking frequently came from younger scientists. The N.I.H. is likewise aware of the disparity; its director, Francis S. Collins, has spoken out about the folly of not investing in young scientists, and his organization has taken some small steps to target younger researchers. As a result, the average age of first-time grant recipients has stopped rising.

However, the problem still exists, and the N.I.H. does not have a serious plan to fix it.

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NTSB: Truck showed no signs of trying to avoid North Texas softball team's bus

Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from www.dallasnews.com

Investigators in the Oklahoma crash that killed four women’s softball players from North Central Texas College said Sunday that the truck showed no signs of braking or maneuvering out of the way before it slammed into the team’s bus.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sunday that the truck drove through the median for 820 feet on a shallow angle before colliding with the bus. It did not brake or appear to take any action to avoid the crash. They found no apparent problems with the truck’s brakes.
The 18-wheeler veered across the Interstate 35 median near Davis and crashed into the team’s bus late Friday. The team’s head coach Van Hedrick was driving 15 players back from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., when they were hit by about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said.
Three women died at the scene, and one died at an area hospital. All were from Texas.
The NTSB is assisting Oklahoma Highway Patrol in the investigation. They obtained search warrants for the truck and bus. The investigation will include toxicology reports of both drivers and could take months.
Investigators will turn over the results to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
The Highway Patrol identified those who died as Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; Brooke Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge in Collin County; Jaiden Pelton, 20, of Telephone in Fannin County; and Katelynn...

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Ford Recalls 850,000 Vehicles Over Air-Bag Issue

Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from online.wsj.com

Ford Fusion sedans were recalled. Associated Press
Ford Motor Co. recalled about 850,000 vehicles, including two of its most popular models, on Friday amid concerns that an electrical glitch could cause the vehicles' air bags to malfunction during an accident.
The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker recalled 2013 and 2014 model year Fusion sedans, Escape crossovers, C-Max hybrids and Lincoln MKZ luxury cars sold in North America, Canada and Mexico.
A short circuit in the vehicles' restraint control module could disable front and side curtain air bags in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury, Ford said. The short will illuminate a vehicle's air bag warning light. Ford said it is unaware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the defect.
This is the second time in the past two days a U.S. auto maker has issued an air-bag related recall. On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV recalled about 350,000 vehicles around the world to repair a faulty ignition switch that in some cases could cut power to the vehicle's air bags, steering and engine.
For Ford, the latest recall throws a harsh spotlight on its Ford Escape crossover. The vehicle has been recalled 12 times over the past two years for a variety of issues ranging from carpet padding that may depress the accelerator pedal to coolant system leaks that may cause the engine to overheat.
"Vehicle launches are complex and each one has its own issues," a Ford spokeswoman said. "We work through them and while...

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Huntington Beach Schools Suspend Asbestos Removal Effort In Response To Complaints

Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from losangeles.cbslocal.com

A Huntington Beach school board official says this notice announcing a halt to asbestos abatement on Sept. 17 wasn't made quickly enough. (Screenshot: OVSD.org)

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — School officials in Huntington Beach have halted an asbestos abatement project after hearing complaints from parents and a vocal school board member.

KNX 1070’s Mike Landa reports the modernization program at 11 schools in the Ocean View School District (OVSD) includes a district-wide effort to remove asbestos from the campuseSchool board member John Briscoe filed an official complaint with CAL/OSHA for possible asbestos handling violations citing what he calls evidence of ceiling tiles being “disturbed, moved, removed and even missing” during the modernization effort, which includes restroom renovations, fire alarm upgrades, and roofing work.

According to the school district’s website, OVSD began the multi-million-dollar project in July on all of its campuses: Circle View, College View, Golden View, Hope View, Lake View, Mesa View, Oak View, Spring View, Star View, Sun View, and Vista View.

A notice posted on the OVSD website states the following: “As of September 17, 2014 Asbestos Abatement has been put on hold at ALL sites until further notice.”

The notice also states the district has inspected each...

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Copyright

Monday, October 6, 2014

Google to Make Security Guards Employees, Rather Than Contractors

As U.S. Ebola Fears Widen, Reports of Possible Cases Grow

Taking Action on Workplace Stress

Taking Action on Workplace Stress NEW! FREE!