Longmeadow, MA – A majority of fast-food workers have suffered an injury while on the job within the past year, a new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health indicates.

Tumwater, WA – A chemical used in car and truck washes can harm workers, according to research from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

Washington – Texas and Wyoming earned the lowest possible scores from the American Lung Association when it comes to smoke-free workplaces, the association states in its annual “State of Tobacco Control” report for 2017.

Washington — The American Hotel and Lodging Association and five major corporations have announced their commitment to improve employee safety in the industry, including measures designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault.

Springfield, IL — Beginning July 1, hotels and casinos in Illinois will be required to have anti-sexual harassment policies that include, for certain workers, access to a safety button or notification device that alerts security staff.

Washington — A total of 73 U.S. hotel companies have committed to the “5-Star Promise” – a pledge to improve employee safety in the industry, including measures designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault – since its launch in September 2018, the American Hotel and Lodging Association has announced.

Washington — The American Hotel and Lodging Association has developed what it calls “enhanced” cleaning guidelines and workplace protocols “to meet the new health and safety challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19.”

Washington — Aimed at protecting restaurant/food and beverage workers from exposure to COVID-19, a new OSHA safety alert lists measures employers should take during the pandemic.

Los Angeles — Adverse working conditions at fast-food restaurants – as well as worker and customer failure to comply with physical distancing and mask-wearing protocols – may put fast-food employees in Los Angeles at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, according to a recently released report from the University of California, Los Angeles and UC Berkeley.

Los Angeles — Nearly a quarter of the fast-food workforce in Los Angeles County tested positive for COVID-19 during the first 18 months of the pandemic, a likely result of adverse working conditions and shaky compliance with safety measures, a recent report from the University of California, Los Angeles and UC Berkeley suggests.

Sacramento, CA — Legislation signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sept. 5 authorizes the creation of a council charged with establishing minimum standards on working conditions, hours and wages for fast-food workers statewide.

Emmitsburg, MD — Of the estimated 26,000 fire-related firefighter injuries that occurred annually from 2015 to 2017, 87% were related to structure fires, according to data published in the July edition of the U.S. Fire Administration’s “Topical Fire Report Series.”

Tumwater, WA — A new webpage from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is intended to help employers protect workers – both indoors and out – from the adverse effects of wildfire smoke.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published guidance on cleaning and disinfecting non-emergency vehicles used to transport patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, as well as safeguarding their drivers.

Washington — OSHA is planning to convene a small business panel on Oct. 4 to discuss a potential standard on emergency response, the Small Business Administration has announced.

Morgantown, WV — A new safety advisory from NIOSH is aimed at helping firefighters understand how to use multi-gas monitors when responding to natural gas or propane incidents.

Philadelphia — Drexel University’s Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends has created model organizational policies aimed at addressing stress and violence in fire-based emergency medical services workers.

Can today’s gas detector technology keep up with the current trends in lowering gas exposure limits?

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has released a hazard alert warning of the dangers of exploding tanks during metal recycling.

Munich — The International Platinum Group Metals Association has released a guide intended to improve safety for workers who are exposed to platinum group metals.

Chesham, England — Safe handling and disposal of metalworking fluids is the topic of a new video series and revised guide from the United Kingdom Lubricants Association.

Washington – A lack of mandatory standards on Ebola for health care workers leaves nurses unprepared and vulnerable to infection, a registered nurse and union official testified during an Oct. 24 House hearing.

Tumwater, WA — In response to a labor union petition, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is working on new standards for reinforcing steel and post-tensioning in construction.

San Francisco — The Washington State Nurses Association is among four labor unions suing Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and OSHA in an effort to compel the agency to move forward with rulemaking on an infectious diseases standard that would require employers in the health care industry to protect workers from exposure to harmful infectious diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola and influenza.

Silver Spring, MD — The nation’s largest union and professional association of direct care registered nurses is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update agency guidance and reinstate the “recommendation to everyone to wear masks in public or in physical proximity to others outside their own household.”

Silver Spring, MD — The nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses is urging Congress to pass pending legislation that would “end the industry-created nurse staffing crisis” by setting mandated staffing levels in hospitals, as well as take other actions that would improve working conditions for nurses.

Washington — OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have scheduled a national Workers Memorial Day ceremony for April 27 at the Department of Labor headquarters.

Washington – OSHA should consider developing separate guidance for the construction industry on best practices pertaining to temporary workers, stakeholders suggested to an advisory committee workgroup that met May 7.

Washington – Staffing firms and host employers looking to better protect temporary workers from job hazards can now review recommended practices in a guidance document issued Aug. 25 by NIOSH and OSHA.

Washington – Newly released draft guidance an OSHA advisory committee recommends that staffing firms and host employers implement a safety and health program describing the responsibilities of both entities to protect temporary workers.

Philadelphia – Staffing agencies that hire temporary workers need to be regulated more vigorously, and employers that use those agencies should carry a heavier load of responsibility for workers’ safety, a trio of Temple University law students concluded in a recent report examining how staffing agencies and host employers may “pass the buck” to get around proper safety training and other requirements.

Olympia, WA – Temporary workers file lost-workday claims about twice as often as permanent workers, according to a recent study from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Olympia, WA — A new Washington state law will require construction and manufacturing employers who use temporary workers to identify and document workplace hazards, communicate those hazards to staffing agencies, and make sure workers are informed and properly trained.

Washington — NIOSH and the American Staffing Association have announced a multiyear partnership agreement to advance protections for temporary workers.

Washington — Federal lawmakers are divided down party lines over a proposed rule from the National Labor Relations Board that would restore the board’s previous definition of “joint employer.”

Washington — The House Education and the Workforce Committee has advanced a resolution aimed at repealing the Department of Labor’s rule on determining if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor.

Washington — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Labor’s rule on determining if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor.

Help protect construction workers from injuries caused by falling tape measures with the Gear Keeper RT4 5603 Retractable Tape Measure Tether.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has set a deadline of Sept. 30 for certified medical examiners to submit the results of physical qualification exams of commercial truck and bus drivers that were completed while the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners was offline from Dec. 1, 2017, through Aug. 13, 2018.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking comment on potentially expanding a program intended to determine to what extent crashes involving commercial trucks and buses are preventable.

The 3-Layer Performance Face Mask and 2-Layer Face Mask are constructed with soft, breathable layers.

Before wearing a mouth-covering mask for the day, apply two or three sprays of this alcohol-free 24-hour mouth mask/fabric sanitizer directly on the outer surface of the mask.

The NIOSH-approved Protex N95 Particulate Respirator Model SR9520 offers a minimum of 95% filtration efficiency.

This lift-front hood, part of the Ultralight Series of Arc Flash PPE, offers wearers a larger viewing area through a clear gray color faceshield.

What should a safety manager look for in seasonal safety footwear?

Sacramento, CA – Almost 1 million people in California have work-related asthma, according to a new surveillance report from the California Department of Public Health.

Falls Church, VA – The average salary for industrial hygienists has increased more than $10,000 in the past five years, according to survey results released May 30 by the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Basel, Switzerland – Health care professionals’ judgment varies significantly when they conduct medical evaluations to determine whether workers should receive disability benefits for an injury or illness, and standards are needed to improve the process, according to researchers from the University of Basel.

Austin, TX – Shorter words and sentences, clearer headings, and less jargon are among the changes the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation has made to its form letters for injured employees.

Austin, TX — The Texas Department of Insurance’s Division of Workers’ Compensation has produced a series of educational videos intended to simplify the subject of workers’ comp for employees.