Business & Economy

Workplace deaths dip; most still preventable

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By JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – Slightly fewer workers died in the state last year than in 2010, according to the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Michigan State University. But most of them could have been prevented, said Kenneth Rosenman, director of the division. “Workplace deaths are almost always avoidable, and there is no reason we shouldn’t be seeing a decrease in deaths.”
In 2011, the construction industry had the most deaths, followed by agriculture. Overall, the number of workplace deaths stayed relatively stable in 2011, when 141 workers died on the job compared with 145 in 2010. Work-related fatal injuries occurred in 43 of the state’s 83 counties in 2010.

Environment

Some honeybee deaths may be preventable, experts say

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By PATRICK LYONS
Capital News Service
LANSING — New research has linked honeybee colony deaths with insecticides used on corn and soybean seeds, but experts said it’s not the only thing wiping out bees that are essential for pollinating other crops. Purdue University researchers said that so-called neonicotinoid insecticides have been found in dead hives. Farmers use the chemicals to treat corn and soybean seeds prior to planting. The insecticides are spread through the release of talc that keeps the seeds from sticking together inside planters. The talc then settles on plants adjacent to the fields, like dandelions.