Washington — The Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for fall 2018, released Oct. 17, contains few changes for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — OSHA is set to publish the long-awaited updates to its crane operator certification requirements in the Nov. 9 Federal Register.

Tumwater, WA — A new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries outlines the roles, responsibilities and procedures of erecting and dismantling tower cranes.

Fairfax, VA — The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators no longer will require a physical evaluation for workers to be eligible to take its certification exams. Instead, beginning Jan. 1, NCCCO will rely on employers to determine whether their workers are physically qualified to operate the equipment.

Oakland, CA — The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health – also known as Cal/OSHA – is reminding employers to protect workers from unhealthy air resulting from wildfire smoke.

Salem, OR — Extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest this summer has spurred Oregon OSHA to launch a Local Emphasis Program aimed at preventing heat-related illness.

Washington — OSHA has warned Arizona, South Carolina and Utah to adopt their own version of the agency’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 for health care workers or face possible revocation of their State Plan status, according to multiple reports.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has launched a Spanish-language online training course on bloodborne pathogens for health care, emergency response, hospitality and other industries.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has launched a free online training course on silica hazards for Spanish-speaking workers.

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.

Lansing, MI — Michigan OSHA has launched a state emphasis program aimed at identifying and reducing exposures to indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards.

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.

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.

Washington — OSHA plans to open a new regional office, merge two of its regions and rename its regional offices.

Rosemont, IL — The OSHA region that Bill Donovan oversees will soon be renamed, but what won’t change are the agency’s efforts to promote and protect worker safety and health.

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 — 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 is accepting nominations for its Lithium Battery Safety Advisory Committee, the agency announced in a notice published in the May 14 Federal Register.

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

Washington – A series of free, confidential health screenings will be available for coal miners as part of the NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

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.

Villejuif, France – Frequent use of workplace disinfectants may increase health care workers’ risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, suggest researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research.

San Diego — More than 4,600 coal miners have developed the most severe form of black lung disease since 1970, with nearly half of the cases emerging after 2000, according to a recent study from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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.

Washington — NIOSH will offer a series of free, confidential health screenings for coal miners through its Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

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.

Washington — Decreases in lung function observed among cleanup workers shortly after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster were no longer apparent within the next few years, results of a new study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences indicate – suggesting that some adverse health effects linked to the spill may resolve over time.

Chicago — Physicians contracted by mine operators to review chest X-rays of coal miners who file “totally debilitating disease” workers’ compensation claims with the Department of Labor’s Federal Black Lung Program may have a bias strongly related to financial conflict of interest, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggest.

London — Workers who use cleaning and disinfecting products may be more likely to develop asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – 50% and 43%, respectively – than those who don’t, results of a recent study led by British and Italian researchers show.

Washington — NIOSH has planned a series of free, confidential health screenings for current and former coal miners via the agency’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Toronto — Findings over the past decade – including the results of case studies in the past two to three years – have strengthened the link between the lung disease sarcoidosis and on-the-job exposures to, most notably, silica and silicates, dust from the World Trade Center, and metals, according to a recent research review.

Charlottesville, VA — Coal miners with black lung disease commonly face various mental health issues, including thoughts of suicide, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia show.

Washington — Proposed legislation would create funding for health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease by extending, for 10 years, a recently expired excise tax rate increase on coal production.

Chicago — The lung tissue of contemporary coal miners contains higher levels of respirable crystalline silica dust than was found in miners of past generations – which may explain an ongoing surge in cases of the most severe form of black lung disease, researchers at University of Illinois Chicago say.

Washington — NIOSH will offer a series of free, confidential health screenings for current and former coal miners as part of the agency’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Triangle, VA — United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts is calling on Congress to advance proposed legislation that would ease access to health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease.

Washington — A new guidance document from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is intended to help prevent respiratory illnesses and infections in the workplace.

Melbourne, Australia — A recent study of stone countertop industry workers reveals an “alarmingly high” occurrence of silicosis, indicating that government-mandated screening tests may be inadequate to diagnose the disease.

Ann Arbor, MI — Around 3 out of 4 workers have kept quiet when they’ve had an illness that could infect their co-workers, according to a recent study.

Richmond, CA – California needs to change the way it regulates refineries and adopt a system aimed at reducing risk to the lowest possible level, concludes a new report from the Chemical Safety Board.

Washington — Concerned about what it views as an agency oversight related to petroleum refining, the American Petroleum Institute is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess a draft revised final risk evaluation that states perchloroethylene – as a whole chemical substance – poses “unreasonable risk” to workers under certain conditions.

2017 was a good year for the economy — and manufacturers, dealers and integrators definitely felt the positive impact of these trends.

Doomsday didn’t happen. For all the concern many security dealers have shown in recent years — particularly about the rapidly changing residential market — all indicators seem to finally point to what was always the hope in the midst of the fear: that all the new entrants, technologies and business models would start to grow the pie for all.

When asked about their biggest challenge in the coming year, security integrators and manufacturers alike often say the same thing: attracting workers.

Security professionals reveal their thoughts on the security, monitoring and smart home markets.

Once relegated to simple locks and card reader panels, access control is assuming a starring role in overall business operations.

According to SDM’s 2023 Industry Forecast, more than 1 in 2 (56 percent) security professionals expect revenue from access control systems (on-premise and cloud-based) to increase in 2023, marking a healthy 10-point jump from the previous year.