Category: Sports and Entertainment
Workplace Safety and Health in a Barbie World
As the occupational safety and health community continues to combat very real and serious hazards, we are closing out the summer with a little fun. This summer Barbie and friends have recaptured national attention breaking box office records with movie ticket sales exceeding one billion dollars in just a few weeks. While Barbie’s first “job” Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsOlympic Work
As Olympic fever takes hold, we would like to take the opportunity to highlight research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that relates directly or indirectly to the athletes or their events. NIOSH has the responsibility of conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. Although Olympic competition Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsSuicide Among Former NFL Players
The question of whether football players are at higher risk of suicide than the general population has been raised in the popular and scientific literature. In 2012, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a paper primarily focused on death from heart disease among former National Football League (NFL) players (see Read More >
Posted on byHoliday Gifts from NIOSH
If you are lucky enough to get some time off over the holidays, you may find yourself looking for something to listen to, watch, or read. Our gift to you this holiday season is a compilation of the songs, movies and books with workplace safety and health themes that we have collected through the NIOSH Science Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsWork Songs
The 2015 American Music Awards air this Sunday, November 22nd (8 pm EST in case you’re interested). Why is NIOSH blogging about this you may ask? Well, we’ve blogged about workplace safety and health themes in: movies twice (three times if you count the recent blog on James Bond’s occupational hazards), books, the theater, Read More >
Posted on by 19 CommentsJames Bond Exposed…To 50 Years of Occupational Hazards
Your heart may race while your eyes follow the iconic figure that is James Bond as he holds it together to do his job: driving at high speed down alleyways, under railway crossings, and often through explosive fire and other obstructions. You may wonder how he will survive driving a car that has just been Read More >
Posted on by 17 CommentsTurn it Down: Reducing the Risk of Hearing Disorders Among Musicians
Have you ever gone to a concert or performance and found your ears ringing on the way home? Imagine if that was your job and your ears were exposed regularly to such loud sound levels? Orchestra players, music teachers, conductors, DJ’s, band members, singers, sound engineers, and many others may be exposed to dangerously high Read More >
Posted on by 16 CommentsRespiratory Hazards for Latino Horse Farm Workers
With the upcoming Belmont Stakes and the possibility of a Triple Crown winner, all eyes are on the world of horse racing. These races are the culmination of years of work far from the glory of the grand stage of horse racing. What is not seen on this grand stage is that there are many Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsThe Importance of Occupational Safety and Health: Making for a “Super” Workplace
There’s just something about superhero movie summer releases that gets us here at NIOSH excited about safety. This summer the source of our inspiration came from the Man of Steel© movie. In the film, pre-Superman Clark Kent is working as a commercial fisherman (a hazardous job if you’re not a man of steel). He risks Read More >
Posted on by 29 CommentsBrain Injury in the NFL
A new NIOSH Study finds that NFL players may be at a higher risk of death associated with Alzheimer’s and other impairments of the brain and nervous system than the general U.S. population. Read More >
Posted on by 25 CommentsNFL Players Tackling Heart Disease
Many football players are essentially paid to be big—really big—especially those whose job is to block or stop the big guys on the other team. There is a good chance that these players weigh in at sizes that are classified as obese as defined by body mass index (BMI). In the general population, high BMI Read More >
Posted on by 31 CommentsHigh Speeds, Higher Decibels
Stock car races are notoriously loud events. Just how loud? Drivers, pit crew, and other workers at the track face damaging noise exposures during practices and races. Read More >
Posted on by 67 CommentsVuvuzelas: What’s the Buzz?
Players, event staff, stadium workers, broadcasters, and referees at the World Cup have been repeatedly exposed at their matches to the thundering noise of vuvuzelas--plastic, meter-long South African horns. Vuvuzelas, especially when trumpeted by thousands of fans at once, can reach damaging decibel levels. The hearing health implications of dangerous noise levels also arise at other noisy sporting events and entertainment venues. Read More >
Posted on by 43 CommentsSafety and Health in the Horse-Racing Industry
It is estimated that over 146,000 individuals work in the horse-racing industry. This estimate includes jockeys, trainers, exercise riders, grooms, valets, starting gate attendants, apprentice jockeys, and veterinarians. Little is known about the health status or number and nature of injuries and illnesses to workers in this industry. However, there are many risk factors involved when a 115-pound jockey rides an 1,100 pound animal running 40 miles per hour. Read More >
Posted on by 16 CommentsUsing No-nose (Noseless) Bicycle Saddles to Prevent Genital Numbness and Sexual Dysfunction
Over 40,000 workers including police officers, emergency medical technicians, and security staff ride bicycles as part of their job. Research has shown that riding with a traditional bicycle saddle can create pressure in the groin and may lead to a loss of sensation and a decrease in blood supply to the genitals. No-nose bicycle saddles can significantly reduce this pressure and alleviate the resulting negative health consequences. Read More >
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