NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | April 15, 2016 | PAGE 7
Sheet Metal Workers learn about mesothelioma
Figure One: Reports filed by industry sector
7,636
HOSPITALIZATION
REPORTS
16%
26%
Other*
Manufacturing
3%
Oil and Gas Extraction
5%
Wholesale Trade
6%
Health Care and
Social Assistance
6%
Administrative and
Support and Waste
Management and
Remediation Services
19%
Construction
8%
11%
Retail Trade
Transportation and
Warehousing
2,644
AMPUTATION
REPORTS
11%
4%
Other*
The Sheet Metal Occupational
Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT)
has partnered with the Mesothe-
lioma Applied Research Foundation
to better educate sheet metal work-
ers about mesothelioma and assist
with treatment in the case of diagno-
sis.
SMOHIT was founded in 1986 to
address the impact of asbestos ex-
posure on those working in the sheet
metal industry. To date, more than
55,000 sheet metal workers have
been screened.
The rare cancer is primarily
caused by asbestos exposure, and
patients typically aren’t diagnosed
until 20 to 50 years after their expo-
sure. Of the 3,000 new diagnoses in
the United States annually, most of
them are either pleural or peritoneal.
Pleural mesothelioma, the most
common form, grows like a rind
around the lining of the lungs. Peri-
toneal mesothelioma develops in the
lining of the abdomen.
The Research Foundation is a
nonprofit that provides research
funding, education, support and ad-
vocacy for patients diagnosed with
mesothelioma. It attends many of
SMOHIT’s mesothelioma screen-
ings at union halls and training cen-
ters across the country to help work-
ers and calm any fears surrounding
screenings and diagnosis.
Just like with many forms of can-
cer, the earlier the diagnosis and
treatment, the better the outcome.
“A diagnosis is no longer a death
sentence,” said Randall Krocka,
SMOHIT administrator.
SMOHIT also monitors the
health of sheet metal workers as it
relates to workplace exposures and
hazards; it provides safety informa-
tion and training related to best
safety practices on and off the job; it
advocates for the health and safety
of its members with government
agencies and through allied organi-
zations; and it provides diet and ex-
ercise information to address the
health and wellness of union mem-
bers.
The organization works directly
with the International Training Insti-
tute (ITI) to provide training pro-
grams for the unionized sheet metal
industry.
For more information on SMO-
HIT, go to smohit.org or call 703-
739-7130.
Oil and Gas Extraction
4%
...OSHA reporting
Transportation and
Warehousing
4%
From Page 3
Administrative and Support
and Waste Management
and Remediation Services
5%
Retail Trade
57%
5%
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
10%
Construction
YEAR ONE OF OSHA’S SEVERE INJURY REPORTING REQUIREMENT
* Other industry sectors include: Accommodation and Food Services;
Other Services (except Public Administration); Agriculture, Forestry,
Fishing, and Hunting; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services;
Public Administration; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; Information;
Utilities; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; Educational Services;
Finance and Insurance; and Management of Companies and Enterprises.
ployers could have abated them
in straightforward, cost-effec-
tive ways, such as by providing
fall protection equipment, in-
stalling guarding over danger-
ous machinery, or clearly mark-
ing pathways.
To learn more about how to
report injuries, go to www.osha.
gov/report.html.
Former Massey Energy CEO gets year
in prison for blast that killed 29 miners
Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blank-
enship was sentenced to a year in federal
prison and fined $250,000 for conspiracy
to willfully violate mine health and safety
standards at Massey Energy’s Upper Big
Branch (UBB) mine, located in Raleigh
County, W. Va.
The UBB mine was the site of an explo-
sion April 5, 2010, that killed 29 workers.
United Mine Workers of America Presi-
dent Cecil Roberts said 52 peo-
ple have been killed at Massey
mines while Blankenship was
CEO. “The penalty he has re-
ceived means he will get one
week per death. That’s a trav-
esty,” Roberts said.
Roberts said Blankenship de-
serves to go to jail “for that is
surely where he belongs. And
although this sentence will not
begin to make him atone for his
crimes, there is a higher court he
will answer to someday, and I
have complete faith that the jus-
tice he receives there will be
more than adequate.”
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Thomas Perez called it a clear
case of the punishment not fit-
ting the crime.
“This sentence is the maxi-
mum allowable under the law,
but regrettably, the criminal pro-
visions of the Mine Act are far
too weak to truly hold account-
able those who put miners’ lives
at risk,” he said.
During the trial, in which jury
selection began on Oct. 1, 2015,
and the jury returned a guilty
verdict on Dec. 3, 2015, the jury
heard evidence from 27 wit-
nesses. Many were coal miners
who worked at the Upper Big
Branch mine prior to the 2010
explosion, and they testified in
detail from their firsthand
knowledge of the unsafe work-
ing conditions at UBB, viola-
tions of U.S. Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA)
regulations, and organized ef-
forts to obstruct and interfere
with MSHA inspectors.