Washington – The Department of Labor has announced a pair of interim final rules that allow OSHA to adjust its civil penalties to account for inflation.

Washington – The “deterrent effect” of OSHA fines takes a hit when the agency reduces penalties in cases involving willful violations and worker deaths – and OSHA too often agrees to reduce fines in exchange for an employer’s promise to quickly abate hazards, according to a report released June 30 by the Center for Progressive Reform.

Toronto – Government safety and health inspections that result in penalties for non-compliant employers encourage organizations to take action to reduce work-related injuries, according to research from the Institute for Work & Health.

Washington – The Department of Labor has published a final rule increasing civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.

Washington – A new database from the Center for Progressive Reform spotlights state criminal cases and advocacy campaigns against employers that have failed to comply with worker safety laws.

Olympia, WA — The owner of a Seattle construction company is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge stemming from a 2016 employee death, marking the first time a workplace fatality in Washington state has prompted a felony charge, according to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries.

Indianapolis — An Indiana law scheduled to go into effect July 1 raises the maximum monetary penalty for on-the-job fatalities.

Washington — Two dozen Democratic senators have taken issue with the dollar amounts OSHA has chosen to levy against employers in its individual COVID-19-related fines.

Washington — The Department of Labor is advising OSHA and other enforcement agencies not to publish press releases – “absent extraordinary circumstances” – about fines and penalties levied against employers for worker safety and health violations “before achieving a successful outcome,” according to a DOL guidance memo obtained by The New York Times.

Washington — The House Education and Labor Committee is proposing substantial increases to OSHA fines as part of the budget resolution for fiscal year 2022, which begins Oct. 1.

Washington — Legislation introduced Oct. 20 by House and Senate Democrats would direct OSHA to publicize major workplace safety violations by widely distributing the news to local media outlets and other groups.

Pocatello, ID — The owner of a tanker testing and repair company was sentenced to one month in prison and five months of home confinement for lying to OSHA and making illegal repairs to a cargo tanker, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 19.

Seattle — The owner of a West Seattle construction company has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for his role in a fatal trench collapse, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — In an effort to enhance enforcement of and compliance with workplace safety standards, OSHA has expanded the criteria for placement in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program to include violations of all hazards and agency standards, OSHA announced Sept. 15.

Washington — The maximum penalty for a “willful” or “repeat” OSHA violation has increased to $156,259 after the agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other Department of Labor agencies automatically increased civil penalty amounts to adjust for inflation.

Washington — OSHA has published final data on the agency’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2023.

Chattanooga, TN — Long-term work disability claims for musculoskeletal issues have climbed 40% overall and 62% among men since 2010, and are especially prevalent among workers in occupations that require heavy lifting, repetitive motion or prolonged sitting, a recent analysis from insurance company Unum shows.

Melbourne, Australia — Musculoskeletal disorders cost people around the world nearly 140 million years lost to ill-health, disability or early death, results a recent study out of Australia and Iran indicate.

Silver Spring, MD — Employers in the construction industry need to promote “effective, non-opioid pain-management methods” for injured workers, a nonprofit safety group is saying after two of its recent studies found construction workers with musculoskeletal disorders are three times more likely than their co-workers to use prescription opioids.

Columbus, OH — The physical benefits that exoskeletons provide to the musculoskeletal system may be negated by the “mental strain” that results when workers wearing the devices perform tasks that require them to think about their actions, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Texas A&M universities indicate.

Pittsburgh – The percentage of improperly fitted respirators increases with the length of time between worker fit tests, giving support to the annual fit-testing requirements in OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, according to new research from NIOSH.

Washington — NIOSH has withdrawn a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have established standards for total inward leakage of half-mask air-purifying particulate respirators.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its revised respirator descriptions for pesticide labels and is seeking public comment.

Washington — Seal checks should be conducted every time respiratory protection is used on the job, and employers and workers should ensure the equipment is worn properly so an adequate seal is achieved, NIOSH states in a recently published list of frequently asked questions about user seal checks.

Washington — Manufacturers of certain N95 respirators will be able to submit a single application to NIOSH, rather than to both the Food and Drug Administration and NIOSH, before marketing their product to the health care industry, according to an FDA final order published in the May 17 Federal Register.

Washington — NIOSH has issued a guide intended to help employers select appropriate air-purifying respirators based on the environment and contaminants at specific jobsites.

Washington — OSHA area offices must apply a four-part test before issuing General Duty Clause citations for respiratory hazards that do not have a permissible exposure limit, the agency states in a memorandum sent to regional administrators.

Washington — Reusable respirators could prove a “viable option” for health care facilities’ respiratory protection programs, especially in preparation for a public health emergency, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — NIOSH is looking for inventors, researchers and respirator manufacturers to partner on a project intended to develop new designs for powered air-purifying respirators for health care workers.

Washington — In recognition of 100 years of efforts to advance workplace respirator awareness, NIOSH has marked Sept. 3-6 as its inaugural Respiratory Protection Week.

Durham, NC — In an effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators used by health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at Duke Health say they have successfully tested a decontamination process that allows the masks to be reused safely.

Bethesda, MD — Three methods to decontaminate N95 filtering facepiece respirators for reuse are being recommended by the National Institutes of Health after researchers at the agency successfully tested their effectiveness and the repeat functional integrity of the respirator after each sanitization.

Washington — In effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA is permitting the reuse of respirators that undergo certain decontamination processes, according to an April 24 temporary enforcement memo.

West Lafayette, IN — Researchers from Purdue University have developed new designs for N95 facemasks they say will extend the shelf life of the respiratory protection commonly used by health care workers.

Washington — Prompted by an “increased domestic supply” of NIOSH-approved respirators, the Food and Drug Administration has revoked its emergency use authorizations for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators as well as decontamination and bioburden reduction systems.

Pittsburgh — NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has marked Sept. 7-10 as its annual Respiratory Protection Week, an event intended to promote proper respiratory protection practices through the sharing of related research findings and educational tools.

Washington — The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is calling for two separate respiratory protection frameworks – one for workers, and one for the public – amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, in a recently published report.

Washington — NIOSH has selected 20 winning entries for the initial phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

Washington — NIOSH wants to update its estimate of the number of organizations and workers who use respirators – and evaluate the reasons behind their use.

Washington — NIOSH has chosen nine winners for the second phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

Infusion Direct Marketing Inc. announced it has recently launched a new website along with an expanded portfolio of marketing and technology services.

Boon Edam Inc. has announced the launch of the Boon Edam Security Integrator Certification Program. 

The “Editor’s Choice” and more new products and solutions as described by manufacturers.

The “Editor’s Choice” and more new products and solutions as described by manufacturers.

Everything online in the industry, from white papers to webinars

Everything online in the industry, from white papers to webinars

Everything online in the industry, from white papers to webinars    

2N, provider of internet-enabled intercoms and access control systems, has published a new white paper entitled, ‘Access Control 3.0: the new standards in residential access.’

Together with WORKTECH Academy, Brivo has created a model that enables a company to plot where it is on its journey to digital transformation and hybrid working.

According to the announcement, the new semi-monthly podcast sheds light on the positive aspects of keeping people safe while recognizing these true heroes of society and exploring the challenges they face and the industry as a whole.