Workplace injuries are all too commonplace in the U.S., and many are totally preventable. Such was the case when a 50-year-old Michigan construction worker fell 22 feet down an elevator shaft while on the job.

A seasoned construction employee for the past 30 years, Gerrit Blok was secured with a harness while working on a second-floor elevator shaft. When Mr. Blok finished the job, he detached himself from his harness and unfortunately lost his balance while trying to grab his ladder. As a result of his fall, he sustained a head injury and possible broken bones; he is currently listed as being in critical condition.

Sadly, job site injuries are overwhelmingly prevalent in today’s workforce, especially on industrial sites. Too often, these injuries prove fatal. A 2012 study from the United States Department of Labor found that out of 4,600 fatal job injuries, 666 were directly related to falls, slips, and trips.

Clearly, even highly experienced employees need to ensure proper safety regulations are followed at all times in the workplace. Refresher safety courses can help a great deal; not only do they establish safeguards for all employees, they can help save companies a significant amount of money in the long run. Since reducing workplace injuries even by 10% can save nearly $60,000 per year, investing in the safety of employees can really pay off for workers and agencies alike.

Studies have shown that investing in preventative measures can significantly help reduce the cost of onsite injuries. These measures include regular equipment maintenance, purchasing equipment with better safety features, and ensuring that dangerous tasks are handled by automated machines or technology, rather than employees. Ensuring employees are properly trained and supervised can also help tremendously in keeping costs down and workers safe.

Northern Michigan Univerity’s psychology has plans to open an applied behavior analysis center to address the shortage of services in the area for children on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities.

Applied behavior analysis is used to develop language, social, academic, and living skills in kids ages 0 through 18 on the spectrum. It is also used to help decrease maladaptive behaviors that are often exhibited by children with developmental disorders, like self-injury.

“The U.P. is significantly under-serviced for Autism Spectrum Disorder,” said NMU psychology professor Jacob Daar. “There are only 10 Board Certified Behavior Analysts in the entire Upper Peninsula and not all of them work with individuals with autism. This proposed center at NMU will provide Upper Peninsula residents with access to high-quality assessment and therapy at no cost.”

Many studies have shown that the earlier children are exposed to behavioral intervention, the better it is at reducing some of the behaviors associated with it in adulthood.

“The goal of intervention is to architect a learning environment where the child is motivated to engage with the therapist and improve functional living skills,” Daar said. “This is accomplished through the use of structured activities, natural environment teaching and the provision of positive and meaningful feedback.”

Currently, NMU offers a degree in psychology and behavior analysis at the bachelor’s level, and a master’s degree in ABA. Now, NMU will also offer the opportunity for students to work towards other levels of certification with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

According to Adam Prus, professor and head of the psychology department, “The courses and supervised hours can be offered online, meaning students anywhere can become a Registered Behavior Technician through NMU’s program.”

The Obama administration is keeping the needs of American seniors in mind. Just this past week, the president finalized a new regulation that encourages states to help seniors develop retirement plans with automatic enrollment features for private-sector employees.

This regulation’s goal is to push Americans to set up their own retirement plan so they don’t have to rely solely on social security benefits. This rule will give each state its own road map for establishing retirement plans.

Some states have already passed their own legislation concerning retirement plans. These systems will enroll workers without a pension or a retirement savings plan into a program that will ensure they will not end up financially destitute. California just passed a plan last week to enroll around 6.8 million people. Connecticut and Maryland rolled out a plan within the past few months.

Additionally, the Labor Department announced that they have created a proposal that will enable large cities to create similar plans. These cities must have a population that is larger than Wyoming — the least populous state in the nation with 586,000 people in 2015 — to qualify.

The Labor Department’s rule is designed to allow states to bypass the tough requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which some states believe is a huge barrier to many residents.

According to The Wall Street Journal, workers would contribute a portion of their earnings to a retirement savings account under this plan, and then the state would be responsible for investing the savings and setting up investment plans. The state would also be responsible for making sure the payroll deductions and employee savings are secure.

However, retirees in Detroit may not be so lucky. Considering that the city has had a history of financial instability within the past couple decades, those who are coming close to retirement age are finding their pensions and savings to be greatly reduced from what they originally thought.

When the city declared bankruptcy in 2013, the city-owned about $3 billion towards pension funding, but their settlements determined that the city would not be able to fiscally contribute to additional pension systems for over a decade, no matter how much Obama pushes.

Throughout the nation, the average age of retirement is 63-years-old.

Last month, the city of Ann Arbor abruptly ended its contract with ReCommunity, the company in charge of operations at the Platt Road recycling plant. Now, ReCommunity is suing the city for wrongful termination.

Ann Arbor officials claim that the firing was a result of repeated safety concerns and violations at the plant, including two severe worker injuries within the past year.

“Worker safety, public safety, kind of trumps everything else,” said City Administrator Howard Lazarus, who made the final decision to terminate the contract.

ReCommunity, though, argues that the city was looking for excuses to get out of a contract that was no longer financially feasible to them after a downturn in the recycling market, and that the plant was in dire need of support and upgrades that were continually denied.

“Safety is paramount to ReCommunity, and taking efforts to ensure a safe working environment for its employees is a major focus of ReCommunity at all of its facilities,” said Michael Hindelang, the company’s lawyer.

ReCommunity is also facing a disputed workers compensation claim after a heavy piece of machinery fell onto a technician’s arm, severing his muscles and tendons and leaving him unable to use his grip.

Another injury took place last year when a worker had his foot crushed under a bin that was being carried by a forklift. Most safety workboots require a protective toe cap with an impact resistance rating of 50 or 75, but that wasn’t enough to protect from the weight of the bin.

“The company can’t comment on any specific incidents,” Hindelang said, “but in general the safety of employees is very important to ReCommunity, and ReCommunity has significant training and safety resources — and injury prevention resources — in place.”

The city also noted fire hazards, unsecured areas, chemical spills, and more during its safety inspection in June.

ReCommunity president Sean Duffy maintains that the conditions were a result of the city’s lack of financial and structural support for the plant.

“It’s always ongoing repairs or maintenance that we’re doing within those facilities,” Duffy said. “The type of business that we run is not the easiest business out there.”

In downtown Detroit, a joint venture of Detroit-based developers, Means Group and Roxbury Group, has bought The Metropolitan Building from the Downtown Development Authority.

The purchase is considered a significant step toward a $32 million redevelopment project to turn the historic Weston-and-Ellington-designed building into an Element hotel, announced the developers.

“The redevelopment of The Metropolitan Building serves an important role Downtown’s revitalization and we are thankful to our partners for helping make it happen through their commitment and collaboration,” said Eric Means, the Means Group CEO. “Not only are we activating a building that has sat vacant for 40 years, but we are filling a critical gap in city’s hotel market by introducing Michigan’s first Starwood’s Element hotel brand, offering a high-quality, extended stay option, in Detroit.”

Indeed, in the same way that 54% of buyers are willing to pay more for a home with desirable features like hardwood floors, the buyers of the Metropolitan were attracted to its neo-gothic exterior and ornate interior features. The beautiful, 91-year-old Metropolitan building once housed a jewelry business, but was vacated in 1977. It’s fallen into disrepair.

The plans for the new hotel were announced in May, and call for 110 hotel rooms, top-to-bottom renovation of the 100,000 square foot interior, a 2,000 square foot meeting space, and an outdoor patio on the 11th floor’s rear rooftop, in addition to the restoration of the 14-story exterior.

The Element brand, which is owned by Connecticut-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, was launched as an initiative to create eco-friendly hotels. This development is being funded by new market tax credits, historic tax credits and other incentives from Michigan’s Community Revitalization Program.