What can employers and employees do to help prevent heat stress during the summer?

Washington – OSHA has issued a proposed rule that would update personal protective equipment requirements to incorporate the latest American National Standards Institute’s eye and face protection standard.

Chicago – Working near a window could improve an employee’s sleep and overall quality of life, suggests a study from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Lansing, MI — Michigan OSHA, along with the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, has published a 25-page guidance document intended to help employers safely return workers to office settings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — A new video from OSHA describes how to use the agency’s new Severe Injury Report data dashboard.

Washington — OSHA has updated its internal guidance on communicating with the families of workers killed on the job.

Washington — The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 requires pesticide manufacturers to translate safety and health information on product labels into Spanish. New and updated resources from the Environmental Protection Agency are intended to help.

Washington — In an effort to help protect workers from wildfire smoke, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Forest Service have updated their AirNow Fire and Smoke Map mobile app.

Washington — Employers can help prevent the spread of common respiratory viruses indoors by ensuring proper workplace ventilation and limiting the use of small, shared spaces, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

Darien, IL — Not a fan of “springing forward” and “falling back” an hour every year? If so, you’re not alone.

Washington — Citing high-profile transit incidents in which worker fatigue played a role, the Federal Transit Administration is considering minimum standards for hours of service and fatigue risk management programs for the industry.

The acquisition of AdaptToSolve expands Minuteman Security & Life Safety's East Coast presence and enhances its ability to deliver integrated security and life safety solutions.

To leverage its geo-diverse redundancy, COPS Monitoring will deploy two identical NetApp SANs in its New Jersey and Texas facilities.

At its three mixed-used Ottawa properties housing 600+ residential units, 10 ground-floor retail units and 149,000 square feet of office space, the company required a solution to centralize security operations, effectively monitoring public spaces, while also ensuring the privacy of tenants in their individual spaces.

The acquisition of Vortex Security is said to increase Guardian Protection’s customer base primarily in its central Florida footprint.

Everon has been honored with the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Award for its exceptional efforts in recruiting, hiring, and retaining military veterans.

Data analytics has a lot to offer on an industrial worksite from an efficiency, safety and cost-savings perspective. But, my employees are concerned with the level of data collection this requires and their privacy. How can I address this?

Dig into the details on keeping records for OSHA, including recording, reporting and submitting.

What role does data analysis play in ensuring the safety of connected workers, and how can it be used to identify potential hazards and prevent incidents?

We have the technology in place to support a safer facility, but how do we get people to make it a reality?

The QuickSCAN mobile app provides workers with on-the-go access to Safety Data Sheets.

The VelocityEHS mobile app helps employees conduct inspections and observations from their mobile devices, even when offline.

OmniPro is a collision avoidance system with Visual Artificial Intelligence, which enables line-of-travel, crosswalk, and blind-spot alerting of pedestrians and vehicles.

Phoenix – The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health believes OSHA will reject the state’s residential construction fall protection standard, and has scheduled free classes on complying with federal fall protection requirements.

Washington – Prompted by the 2013 fire and explosion that killed 12 firefighters at a Texas fertilizer facility, as well as other recent incidents, OSHA is considering the development of a standard on emergency response and preparedness.

Silver Spring, MD — The rate of nonfatal, work-related musculoskeletal disorders requiring days away from work in the construction industry has continued to decline, while the median DAFW for such injuries remains on the rise, according to a recent report from the Center for Construction Research and Training – also known as CPWR.

Washington — A new guidance memo from OSHA outlines whether certain treatments for musculoskeletal injuries are recordable.

Washington — “If it isn’t equitable, it’s not ergonomic.” Paige DeBaylo, research manager at the National Safety Council MSD Solutions Lab, offered that insight during a July 11 webinar discussing a recently published NSC report.

Consider the number of disposable gloves used every day in hospitals, offices, schools, warehouses, labs and even our own homes.

Washington – At least 83 workers in the United States died between 2003 and 2010 because of incidents involving insects, arachnids and mites, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington – Asbestos is one of the first 10 chemicals to be evaluated for potential health and environmental risks under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Nov. 29.

Washington — A pair of recent Environmental Protection Agency proposals regarding asbestos are cause for alarm, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) is cautioning, while the agency contends it is attempting to expand restrictions on the substance.

Research Triangle Park, NC — To help protect workers who engage in mold cleanup and treatment, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Worker Training Program has updated its guidance document.

Washington — OSHA will prioritize rulemaking for a standard on preventing workplace violence in health care and social settings, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh testified during a May 17 House subcommittee hearing.

Washington — Workplace violence led to nearly 18,000 deaths over a recent 27-year period, according to a recently published report from NIOSH and two other federal agencies.

Washington — New commercial passenger aircraft must have a secondary flight deck barrier to protect the cockpit from “unauthorized intrusion” under a Federal Aviation Administration final rule announced June 14.

Washington — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is asking for comment on proposed enforcement guidance aimed at preventing and addressing worker harassment based on sex, race and other protected traits.

Washington — OSHA “continues to be hampered” by the lack of a permanent standard on infectious diseases and “needs to address worksite violence,” a new report states.

In Episode 46, the S+H team examines the December issue’s feature story on best practices for preventing workplace violence. Also, Atanu Das, owner of MSDS Writer, a consulting company, joins the podcast to discuss Safety Data Sheets in the “Five Questions With …” segment.

Washington — New guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is intended to prevent and address worker harassment based on sex, race and other protected traits, outlining when such behavior is against the law.

Washington — A handful of potential OSHA standards have advanced in the rulemaking process, according to the Department of Labor’s Spring 2024 regulatory agenda – released July 5.

Updates were recently made to the American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association consensus standard 121-2023 – Dropped Object Prevention Solutions.

Tallahassee, FL — Recently introduced legislation in Florida would lift restrictions on the number of hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work, and when.

Pierre, SD — A bill that would establish safety and operational regulations for driverless vehicles is advancing through the South Dakota Legislature.

Tallahassee, FL — A bill that would roll back restrictions on the number of hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work, and when, is advancing in the Florida Legislature.

Tallahassee, FL — Legislation that would prohibit local municipalities, counties or any other “political subdivision” in Florida from enacting regulations requiring worker protections against heat exposure is awaiting the governor’s approval.

Washington — Two senators have reintroduced a bill to establish the 32-hour workweek as an American standard.

Wood chippers and shredders are powerful machines. Ohio State University cautions that the knives used in wood chippers as well as in shredders can easily slice through fresh wood, and the engines are powerful enough to grind tree limbs and entire branches.

Woodworking machines – with their moving parts and sharp blades – can be extremely dangerous if not used correctly. Amputations, blindness and lacerations are common injuries related to working with these machines.

Tumwater, WA — The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has published guidance on a new state law intended to protect workers in the hospitality industry from sexual harassment and assault.