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 Department of Transportation has revised civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.

In California, employers of outdoor workers must provide drinking water “as close as practicable to the areas where employees are working.”

Washington — The Department of Transportation has updated civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Dec. 28.

Helsinki — A strong corporate culture is linked to many positive workplace safety attributes, a recent research review concludes.

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

Many states require that an automated external defibrillator (AED) be onsite in all public buildings and doctors’ offices. How can an AED help keep my employees safe?

Should I use ice to treat a burn?

How do I know if a bleeding injury is serious?

Philadelphia — Two physician groups are recommending topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – with or without menthol gel – as a non-opioid “first-line therapy” for treating acute pain from non-low-back musculoskeletal injuries.

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.

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.

Washington — In a push to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders, the National Safety Council is calling on employers across all industries to sign a pledge to improve workplace safety, reduce MSD risk and enhance worker well-being.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council MSD Solutions Lab is partnering with Safetytech Accelerator to design, build and operate an open innovation lab with the goal of facilitating the development of next-generation technology aimed at preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Make plans now to attend the “MSD Pledge 2.0: Empowering Organizations to Transform Workplace Safety” virtual summit, set for 1 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 16.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking information from facilities that stockpile N95 respirators and high-level protective surgical gowns as part of a research study that will examine how storage conditions affect the deterioration of personal protective equipment.

Washington – Are you one of the thousands of men who grow facial hair – and awareness for men’s cancer – in November? If you are, and you wear a respirator at work, NIOSH has guidance for you.

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 — Staffing agencies and host employers share responsibility for protecting temporary workers from respiratory and noise hazards, according to separate bulletins recently released by OSHA as part of its Temporary Worker Initiative.

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

Alexandria, VA — The American Staffing Association, through an alliance with OSHA, is set to host a webinar on Nov. 9 to discuss how to protect temporary workers from exposure to airborne contaminants.

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

Washington — OSHA has issued a final rule that adds two fit testing protocols to the agency’s respiratory protection standard (1910.134).

Why do some employers fail to follow fit testing requirements? Experts weigh in on the challenges and go over the basics.

Washington — In an effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has temporarily suspended its requirement for annual respirator fit testing in the health care industry.

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.

Washington — In response to a nationwide shortage of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has announced further temporary easing of regulations related to respiratory protection.

Washington — A new video is aimed at helping organizations – particularly those in health care – understand the qualitative fit testing process.

Washington — OSHA is extending its temporary leniency on annual respirator fit testing to all covered employers, not only those in the health care industry.

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.

Washington — OSHA recently released a poster and video that detail seven steps to properly put on and remove a respirator at work.

Washington — In an effort to better protect workers in the health care and public safety sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, NIOSH is approving a new class of powered air-purifying respirators, under an interim final rule published by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tumwater, WA — Ethylene oxide should not be used to sterilize filtering facepiece respirators for reuse because “this extremely hazardous toxic chemical poses a severe risk to human health,” the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries warns in a new alert.

Dallas — The OSHA Region 6 Training Institute Education Centers has developed a webinar on the proper implementation of a respiratory protection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tumwater, WA — A new e-tool from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is intended to help employers and workers choose the appropriate mask, facial covering or respirator based on the COVID-19 exposure risk level of specific job duties.

Washington — NIOSH has extended until Dec. 14 the comment period for a Request for Information on the deployment and use of elastomeric half-mask respirators in health care settings and emergency medical services organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — In an effort to dispel “incorrect claims” about the efficacy of N95 respirators to protect wearers against COVID-19 infection, OSHA has added a section on respirators and particle size to its series of answers to frequently asked questions on protecting workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

Washington — NIOSH has approved – for both personal protection and source control – the first elastomeric half-mask respirator without an exhalation valve.

Washington — Filtering facepiece respirators with an exhalation valve can be modified to reduce respiratory particle emissions – improving their effectiveness as a source control, according to a technical report recently published by the NIOSH National Personal Protective Laboratory.

Washington — Prompted by an “increased domestic supply” of NIOSH-approved respirators, the Food and Drug Administration is recommending health care facilities transition away from strategies intended to conserve supplies of disposable respirators amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 — NIOSH has issued a pair of fact sheets on filtering facepiece respirators, detailing how to tell if an N95 is approved by the agency as well as procedures for fit testing and testing filtration efficiency.

Washington — Knowing how to select, use and maintain NIOSH-approved respirators can help promote proper respiratory protection practices and protect construction workers from unsafe airborne contaminants, according to a new toolbox talk published by the agency and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.