What are powered industrial trucks? Powered industrial trucks, commonly called forklifts or lift trucks, are used in many industries, primarily to move materials. They can also be used to raise, lower, or remove large objects or a number of smaller objects on pallets or in boxes, crates, or other containers. Powered industrial trucks can either be ridden by the operator or controlled by a walking operator. Over-the-road haulage trucks and earth-moving equipment that has been modified to accept forks are not considered powered industrial trucks. Powered Industrial Truck (P.I.T.) (29 […]

Hot weather is here and it’s no secret that extreme heat can be dangerous. In 2018, there were 108 heat-related fatalities and thousands of workers affected by excess heat exposure reported nationwide, making extreme heat the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OSHA does not have a specific standard that covers working in hot environments. Nonetheless, under the OSH Act, employers have a duty to protect workers from recognized serious hazards in the workplace, which include heat-related hazards. […]

From reducing salt intake to preventing smoking, social marketing may be the key to establishing behavior change, according to USF College of Public Health faculty and students who attended the 6th World Social Marketing Conference. “I have always been fascinated by how effective corporations are at persuading people to buy […]

More than 200 perinatal health care workers and advocates joined the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC) for the eighth annual conference April 4-5 in Tampa, Fla. The FPQC, based at the USF College of Public Health’s Chiles Center, aims to advance perinatal health care quality and patient safety for all […]

Evoqua Water Technologies, LLC a Thomasville, Georgia based company that specializes in helping municipalities and industrial customers protect and improve natural water resources, faces steep penalties after failing to protect employees working in excessive heat. While working on a project conducting welding and fabrication in Key West, Florida, an employee sustained heat exhaustion and was hospitalized after working in direct sunlight. The heat index reached a whopping 83-88 degrees Fahrenheit. OSHA cited the employer for failure to protect workers exposed to outdoor heat hazards, as well as for failing to […]

Company: Stiles Construction Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida NAICS Code: 236116, New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) Employees: 25 On-Site/ 250 Corporate Wide Stiles Construction is a privately held company that provides many different types of construction services. They specialize in high-rise residential, mixed use residential, car dealerships, parking garages, supermarkets, and municipal work just to name a few. Stiles Construction is a part of Stiles Corporation, a full-service commercial real estate firm with a clear mission: Invest. Build. Manage. Stiles services include development, construction, tenant project management, brokerage, property […]

Written by: Luis Silva, Health Consultant The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated the reporting rule on January 1, 2015, expanding the list of severe injuries that all employers must report to OSHA.  Previously, employers had to report all work-related fatalities and only work-related hospitalizations of three or more […]

The 2019 Annual Chiles Lecture and Symposium at the USF College of Public Health took place on April 12. The mission and aim of the event focused on neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and opioid use among mothers and the impact it has on their newborn babies. The COPH’s Chiles Center […]