St. Paul, MN — Nicole Blissenbach is the new permanent commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan recently announced.

Washington — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to become executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to multiple reports.

Washington — Julie Su emphasized her commitment to “finding and expanding the vast areas of common ground between employers and employees” during her April 20 confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Gainesville, FL — Knowing when to log off and unplug from work can make managers better leaders, results of a recent study show.

Chicago — Results of a recent survey show that workers have trouble trusting employers and supervisors who use “therapy speak” but don’t follow it up with helpful actions.

Washington — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has announced his opposition to Julie Su’s nomination for labor secretary.

Montreal – A recent publication from the scientific research organization IRSST focuses on work-related cancer.

San Francisco – Pilots and cabin crew have about twice the incidence of melanoma – the most serious type of skin cancer – compared to the general population, a recent study indicates.

Boston — Flight attendants may be at greater risk of developing several types of cancer, recent research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health indicates.

Washington — NIOSH is gauging the feasibility of a national registry intended to track cases of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer linked to on-the-job exposure to asbestos.

Gaithersburg, MD — Wear and tear in firefighters’ protective clothing may lead to an increased release of chemicals linked to cancer, according to a new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Washington — Demonstrating a commitment to worker safety, and getting a firsthand look at whether safety and health programs are working. These are two of the reasons business owners and managers should personally conduct periodic walkaround inspections, OSHA states in a recently released fact sheet.

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Washington — Self-inspection checklists for ergonomics, young workers, workplace violence and infection control have been added to the OSHA/NIOSH Small Business Safety and Health Handbook.

Fairfax, VA – Despite Colorado and Washington state legalizing small quantities of marijuana for recreational use, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators has announced that its substance abuse policy still prohibits workers from using the drug.

Washington – Stakeholders are invited to participate in an informal OSHA hearing on May 19 in Washington to discuss a proposal to extend the compliance date for crane operator certification requirements.

Portland, OR – A hazard alert from the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program emphasizes the importance of abiding by the manufacturer’s instructions for construction equipment and building materials.

Washington — As part of a settlement agreement, OSHA has issued a proposed rule that would grant exemptions to its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard for work on or along railroad tracks.

Fairfax, VA — Virtual reality could provide a reliable measure in predicting a candidate’s ability to pass a crane certification exam, results of a recent study published by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators indicate.

Gaithersburg, MD — Using an equation they derived while studying the “motion of a so-called torsional pendulum,” researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have found a “surprising link” between the equation and the work of crane operators on construction sites.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is seeking public comment on proposed rules that would increase worker protections against extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the strongest such protections in the nation.”

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has adopted permanent rules intended to safeguard workers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the most protective of their kind in the United States.”

Washington — A State Plan covering Massachusetts’ state and local government employees is a step closer to reality after OSHA recently published a proposed rule outlining its initial approval.

Washington — A State Plan covering Massachusetts’ state and local government employees is now a reality after OSHA announced its initial approval.

Portland, OR — A recent study of residential construction supervisors in Oregon who received toolbox talks via text messages showed that their compliance with Oregon OSHA’s standard on safety meetings increased – and the delivery method was welcomed.

Columbia, SC — To help mark its 50th anniversary as a State Plan state, South Carolina OSHA is encouraging employers to provide at least 50 minutes of additional safety training to their workers during Safety Stand Down Week – set for Dec. 5-9.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is encouraging all employers and workers in the state to “celebrate their safety and health achievements” and examine and renew their current safety efforts during the agency’s 20th annual Safety Break for Oregon.

Washington — OSHA has certified a revised State Plan for Maine that covers state and local government workers.

Augusta, ME — The number of injuries among teen workers in Maine doubled over a recent 10-year period, data from the state’s Department of Labor shows.

Hunt Valley, MD — Maryland is the latest state to adopt a standard on heat illness prevention.

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Washington – A Sept. 24 proposed rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would prohibit hazardous materials carriers and associated companies from further operations if they do not pay civil penalties for violations within 90 days.

Washington – Beginning Nov. 1, Department of Transportation safety inspectors must follow new notification procedures when opening packages containing perishable hazardous materials that are deemed unsafe or non-compliant with safety regulations, according to a final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Washington – Crude oil shipped from the Bakken Formation – located in North Dakota, Montana and nearby Canadian provinces – may be more flammable than “traditional” heavy crude oil, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration warned shippers, sellers and emergency responders in a Jan. 2 safety advisory.

Washington – A new advisory bulletin from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration recounts one of the largest pipeline spills in the past five years and encourages pipeline owners and operators to take new preventive measures against leaks.

Washington – The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has established new review criteria for state excavation damage prevention programs, under a final rule published in the July 23 Federal Register.

Washington — Developments in automation in the transportation industry have prompted a pair of Requests for Information from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Washington — The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration recently published a set of FAQs on training requirements.

Atlanta – As many as 2.7 million U.S. workers may have asthma caused or aggravated by workplace conditions, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that as many as 2.7 million U.S. workers may have asthma caused or aggravated by workplace conditions. And federal statistics show that about 11 million workers are exposed to at least one of several agents associated with occupational asthma.

Washington – Adults with occupational asthma face a higher risk of developing pneumococcal disease, but only 54 percent of them are vaccinated to help ward off an infection, according to a new study from NIOSH.

Atlanta — Occupational exposures may have contributed to 11 percent to 21 percent of all asthma-related deaths among 15- to 64-year-olds between 1999 and 2016, according to a recently released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington — The health care and social assistance industry has the highest percentage of workers with asthma among major industry groups, according to a recent study from NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division.

Washington — Incomplete initiatives aimed at improving employer reporting of injuries are among the top management and performance challenges facing OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, according to a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General report released in November.

East Lansing, MI — Estimating that up to half of the 600,000 or so adult cases of asthma in Michigan may be caused or aggravated by on-the-job exposure, the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has launched a campaign intended to raise awareness of work-related asthma.

Macclesfield, England — Employees with asthma miss an average of almost 10% of their work hours, and most are restricted from performing their duties because of their symptoms, both of which negatively affect their emotional well-being, according to the findings of a recent study.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “an emerging public health threat” after researchers identified an increase in cases of silicosis – an incurable lung disease – among workers who handle engineered stone used to make household countertops.

Villejuif, France — Frequent use of common cleaning products and disinfectants at work may increase female nurses’ risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by up to 38%, results of a recent study led by researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research suggest.

Chicago — Health care workers commonly carry respiratory viruses on their hands, clothing and personal protective equipment after administering care to patients, accentuating the need to practice “complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination,” results of a recent study suggest.