Category: Food Service

Drug Overdose in the Workplace and the Role of Opioids

The drug overdose epidemic continues to afflict our country. Nationally, there were more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017 [i] involving opioids (such as fentanyl, heroin and hydrocodone), stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine), and alcohol.[ii] Nearly 70% of these deaths involved an opioid.[ii] Recent data show that drug overdoses at work are increasing. Read More >

Posted on by Dawn Castillo, MPH; Michael Fiore, MS; Emily Sparer-Fine, ScD; Hope M. Tiesman, PhD; Steve Wurzelbacher, PhD5 Comments

¿Reduce el calzado antideslizante los resbalones, tropezones y caídas en entornos de servicios alimentarios?

Los resbalones, tropezones y caídas son el segundo tipo de causa más común de las lesiones mortales relacionadas con el trabajo y el tercer tipo de causa más común de las lesiones no mortales relacionadas con el trabajo en los Estados Unidos (1, 2). Aunque las caídas desde alturas tienen más probabilidades de causar la Read More >

Posted on by Jennifer L. Bell, PhD; Jim Collins, PhD, MSME; Sharon Chiou, PhD; y Sydney Webb, PhD5 Comments

Does Slip-Resistant Footwear Reduce Slips, Trips, and Falls in Food Service?

Slips, trips, and falls are the second most common type of fatal work-related injuries and the third most common type of non-fatal work-related injuries in the United States (1, 2). Although falls from heights are more likely to result in a fatality, falls on the same level (which often start as a slip or trip) Read More >

Posted on by Jennifer L. Bell, PhD; Jim Collins, PhD, MSME; Sharon Chiou, PhD; and Sydney Webb, PhD14 Comments

Coffee Workers at Risk for Lung Disease

  Obliterative bronchiolitis, an irreversible form of lung disease in which the smallest airways in the lung (the bronchioles) become scarred and constricted, blocking the movement of air, was previously identified in flavoring manufacturing workers and microwave popcorn workers who were occupationally exposed to diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) or butter flavorings containing diacetyl. Now, NIOSH research finds Read More >

Posted on by Rachel L. Bailey, DO, MPH; Ryan F. LeBouf, PhD, CIH; and Kristin J. Cummings, MD, MPH 11 Comments

A Health and Safety Evaluation at an Airline Catering Facility

  The airline industry predicts that more than 24 million people will fly during the Thanksgiving holiday this year. If you are one of those passengers, chances are that you’ll have a snack or a soda on your way to your destination. Before reaching your seat, those snacks, beverages, and meals are prepared, assembled, and Read More >

Posted on by Jessica Ramsey,MS,CPE and Kristin Musolin,DO,MS10 Comments

A Wrench in the Gear: Lockout/tagout in the food industry

The food manufacturing industry includes animal slaughtering as well as the processing and packaging of meat, dairy, fruit, vegetable, grain, seafood, beverages, and bakery products. The industry employs nearly 1.5 million workers.1 Work in food manufacturing is typically fast-paced and workers can face exposure to hazards such as slips trips and falls, musculoskeletal disorders, and Read More >

Posted on by Jim Harris, Ph.D., P.E. ; Susan Afanuh, MA; Frank Renshaw, Ph.D., CIH, CSP; David L. Parker, MD, MPH; Theodore Braun, MBA; Thomas Cunningham, PhD 166 Comments

National Doughnut Day

Whether you are celebrating National Doughnut Day today with the traditional glazed or a trendy bacon-infused delicacy, take a moment to think about those who bring you these sugary breakfast treats.  We are not passing judgment nor endorsing your breakfast selection (that question is better addressed by you and your nutritionist) but instead encouraging all Read More >

Posted on by Julie Tisdale Pardi, MA 12 Comments

Diacetyl and Food Flavorings

Commercial flavorings used in the food service industry are often complex mixtures of flavoring chemicals, many of which are volatile, meaning that they evaporate into the air from their liquid or solid form. Diacetyl is a prominent chemical ingredient in butter flavorings and is a component of the vapors coming from these and other flavorings. Inhalation of butter flavoring chemical mixtures, including diacetyl, has been associated with severe obstructive lung disease popularly know as "popcorn lung." Read More >

Posted on by Lauralynn Taylor McKernan, ScD, CIH; Kevin Dunn, MSEE, CIH; Kathleen Kreiss, MD; David N. Weissman, MD 35 Comments