Washington — E-cigarette use among U.S. adult workers rose slightly in recent years, results of a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

Greenbelt, MD — Following up on their release of a report detailing 11 best practices for minimizing cancer risk among firefighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section have unveiled new posters to highlight each practice.

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.

Chantilly, VA — Fire and emergency medical service workers are being urged not to ignore or downplay the warning signs of a heart attack – a leading cause of firefighter fatalities – as part of a new awareness campaign launched by the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Washington — Legislation that would prevent the T-Band spectrum – a public safety radio network intended to ease communication among first responders in 11 metropolitan areas – from being auctioned to other users has garnered support from International Association of Fire Chiefs President and Board Chair Gary Ludwig and International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger.

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.

Harrisburg, PA — The combination of high-intensity lights and high-visibility markings on emergency vehicles may make first responders working nighttime roadway scenes difficult for approaching motorists to see – even when the responders are wearing hi-vis vests, the “surprising” results of a recent study show.

Shreveport, LA — Firefighters’ risk of developing atrial fibrillation – an abnormal heart rhythm that can trigger serious health problems – increases with the number of fires they respond to, results of a recent study show.

Lyon, France — The World Health Organization has reclassified firefighting as a carcinogenic profession.

Washington — Concerned that firefighters’ protective gear may contain potentially harmful “forever chemicals,” the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association are advising their members to take precautions to reduce exposure.

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.

Emmitsburg, MD — A new training module from the Emergency Responder Safety Institute focuses on the use of personal protective equipment when responding to roadway incidents.

Washington — A new video is intended to help firefighters stay safe when responding to fire incidents at row houses.

Gaithersburg, MD — Recently developed artificial intelligence software can determine whether firefighters may be about to experience a potentially fatal cardiac event, researchers say.

Washington — New online training from the National Volunteer Fire Council is intended to help fire departments better respond to pipeline emergencies.

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public hearing on proposed updates to its emergency response standard.

Washington — The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is providing more than $41 million in grants for hazardous materials safety programs and hazmat training for firefighters.

What importance does scheduling play in the prevention of cold stress?

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is warning companies and workers alike about the dangers of conducting hot work – welding, riveting, flame cutting or other spark-producing activities – near tanks that contain biological or organic material.

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 – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 19 rejected petitions for review for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cross-border trucking pilot program.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cross-border trucking pilot program will continue, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on July 26.

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.

Washington – The Department of Labor and OSHA have an “identical” interest with labor unions in defending a legal challenge to the Improve Tracking of Workplace Illnesses and Injuries final rule, making union intervention unnecessary, attorneys representing DOL said in a legal brief issued May 30.

Silver Spring, MD — Construction firms that employ at least some union workers are more likely to perform safety best practices and undergo OSHA training than those with no union employees, according to the results of a biennial survey commissioned by the Center for Construction Research and Training – also known as CPWR.

Triangle, VA — The United Mine Workers Association is suing the Mine Safety and Health Administration and its administrator, David Zatezalo, over the legality of the agency’s removal of a Sophia, WV, mine from Pattern of Violations status.

Triangle, VA — United Mine Workers of America President Cecil E. Roberts recently called proposed legislation that would reduce the scope of mine safety inspections in West Virginia and amend the state’s underground ventilation laws “one of the most outrageous attempts to slash critical protections for miners’ safety and health on the job that I have ever seen.”

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.

Washington — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has vacated a 2018 amendment to a 2017 Mine Safety and Health Administration rule that allowed a competent person to inspect the workplace as miners began work rather than prior to a shift – a decision United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts calls “a victory for miners everywhere.”

Washington — United Steelworkers is suing the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Andrew Wheeler, over the agency’s recent changes to the Obama-era Chemical Disaster Rule.

Washington — The AFL-CIO has outlined steps it says all levels of government should take to protect workers from exposure to COVID-19 before reopening the economy.

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 — Global Nurses United is demanding stronger COVID-19 guidance from the World Health Organization, including a call for more personal protective equipment for health care workers and acknowledgement from WHO on how the virus is spread.

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.

Pittsburgh — The United Steelworkers is calling on the paper industry to protect its workers against fungal infections – one of which has proved deadly.

Washington — Federal regulation of autonomous trucks must “prioritize both workers and safety,” the International Brotherhood of Teamsters says.

The chemicals I ordered over a year ago that are still on the shelf … do I need to re-label them?

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.

Newly introduced legislation would mandate site-controlling employers to record all worker injuries and illnesses, regardless of who employs the worker.

Washington – Two new resources from OSHA detail worker fatalities involving electrocution and engulfment and explain how similar events can be prevented.

Washington – An OSHA workgroup tasked with examining temporary worker safety issues is scheduled to meet monthly through November, the agency announced Aug. 18.

Washington – As part of its Temporary Worker Initiative, OSHA has released guidance documents intended to clarify training requirements and hazard communication responsibilities for employers of temporary workers.

Safety remains a challenge for this often-vulnerable segment of the workforce, which may account for at least 15 percent of the nation’s on-the-job deaths.

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.

Trenton, NJ — A new law in New Jersey will provide temporary workers with additional rights and protections against unsafe working conditions.

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.