Durham, NC – The incidence of falls from heights among union carpenters in Washington state dropped more than 80 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to a new study from Duke University.

Silver Spring, MD – Hospitals should put in place the “highest standards” for protective equipment and hands-on training to protect health care workers from Ebola, National Nurses United said in a statement issued Oct. 12.

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 – OSHA has changed its policy on allowing employees at non-union workplaces to choose a union-affiliated representative for “walkaround” inspections, according to an April 25 memo sent to regional administrators.

Silver Spring, MD – The AFL-CIO’s Executive Council has denounced efforts to roll back federal laws and regulations that “have protected working people on the job” for more than 50 years.

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.

Silver Spring, MD — In response to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the nation’s largest union and professional association of direct care registered nurses is petitioning OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard to protect frontline workers, patients and the public from the potentially deadly respiratory illness.

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.

Washington — The AFL-CIO has filed a lawsuit against OSHA and the Department of Labor, asking a federal court to require OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard on infectious disease amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on June 11 rejected an AFL-CIO lawsuit calling on the Department of Labor and OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — The United Mine Workers of America and the United Steelworkers are suing the Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Administration in an effort to compel MSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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 — Pushing back on calls to roll back certain workplace safety rules, National Nurses United contends hospital industry cost-cutting has put health care worker safety at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the “current staffing and capacity crises.”

Washington — Longtime AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka died from a reported heart attack Aug. 5. He was 72.

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.

Washington — The AFL-CIO and National Nurses United are part of a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor and OSHA, petitioning a federal court to direct the agency to issue a permanent standard on COVID-19 focused on health care workers.

Washington — “The nation must renew its commitment to protecting workers from job injury, disease and death, and make this a high priority,” the AFL-CIO says in its annual report on the state of safety and health protections for U.S. workers.

Washington – OSHA has launched an initiative to help ensure temporary workers are better protected.

Washington – The safety of temporary workers will be the topic of discussion during a meeting, scheduled for May 9, of a National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health workgroup.

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.

Washington – OSHA recently sent a memo about its Temporary Worker Initiative to regional administrators.

Temporary and contractor workers should be included in all efforts employers take to ensure the safety of workers, according to National Safety Council recommendations released Dec. 18.

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

Washington – Both host employers and staffing firms are responsible for protecting temporary workers, OSHA administrator David Michaels stresses in a recently released video.

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.

Washington — NIOSH, together with several partners, has developed a set of best practices to help employers protect temporary workers from injury and illness.

Washington — The National Labor Relations Board is requesting public comment as it seeks to return to its previous definition of a “joint employer.”

Washington — Federal lawmakers are divided down party lines over a proposed rule from the National Labor Relations Board that would restore the board’s previous definition of “joint employer.”

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.

The Ladder Handle system is specifically designed to facilitate a safe and ergonomic solution for lifting and transporting ladders.

The precision-engraved acrylic copolymer guard-opening scale is a valuable tool to use during the design, installation and inspection of guards to ensure they comply with OSHA, ANSI and CSA safety standards.

The Squids 3100 Single Carabiner 10-pound Tool Lanyard tethers tools to help prevent injury, damage and lost productivity from dropped tools.

This line of non-sparking, non-magnetic hand tools is manufactured from special aluminum-bronze or copper-beryllium alloys that meet ATEX regulations for safe use in areas where hazardous, flammable or combustible vapors, liquids, dusts, or residues may be present.

The Alert Band is a wearable early-warning Bluetooth fatigue detector band that attaches to a driver’s forehead.

The Squids 3114 Pull-On Wrist Lanyard (Carabiner) and Squids 3116 Pull-On Wrist Lanyard (Buckle) are designed for tools at or less than 3 pounds.

This 15 Pound Tool Lanyard was designed to improve safety and productivity in work environments.

Vertical mills are essential cutting tools in machine shops, used to remove material from the surface of metal workpieces.

Washington — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a final rule intended to protect drivers and passengers on motorcoaches and large buses during rollovers by enhancing the structural integrity of the vehicles.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is increasing the area safety technology may be mounted inside commercial motor vehicles and expanding the definition of “vehicle safety technology.”

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is moving forward with – and seeking comment on – a proposed rule that would require the installation of speed-limiting devices on trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has awarded almost $81 million in grants via its High Priority Grant Program.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking stakeholder comment on whether to require universal electronic identification for commercial motor vehicles operating in interstate commerce.

Washington — As the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considers revising how it determines if truck and bus companies are fit to operate safely, the agency is asking for feedback on research that could impact its decision.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says scammers are sending “very convincing” emails that look like an agency notification to schedule a safety audit.

The Squids 3157 Coil Hard Hat Lanyard with Buckle easily and comfortably secures a hard hat to prevent it from falling.

The patented shell design of the North Force Hard Hat is the industry’s first hard hat with 24 percent more back-of-head coverage than standard Type I hard hats.

The Fibre-Metal Roughneck P1 Hard Hat is a full-brim fiberglass hard hat designed to provide heavy-duty head protection even in extreme temperatures.

Optrel encourages welders to maintain the performance of their Optrel welding helmets with new Helmet Starter Kits for Expert Series and p550 Helmets.

The Speedglas Auto-Darkening Filter Kit 9100XXi gives welders superior visibility in both dark and light states.