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Pipeline safety agency awards grants for firefighter training

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.




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Tank explosion spurs CSB warning on hot work

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.




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Washington L&I issues hazard alert on metal tank recycling

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has released a hazard alert warning of the dangers of exploding tanks during metal recycling.




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Metalworking fluids: Trade association releases videos on safe handling

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.




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TSA delays lift on small-knife ban

Washington – The Transportation Security Administration has delayed changes to its aircraft prohibited items list that would have allowed certain small knives in carry-on luggage beginning April 25.




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Nurses union calls for higher standards for Ebola protection

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.




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Nurses union asks congressional committee for mandatory Ebola standards

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.




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Washington state eyeing revisions to concrete and masonry standards

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.




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Steelworkers sue EPA over changes to chemical safety rule

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.




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Coronavirus outbreak: Union leaders offer resources for frontline workers, push for federal guidance

Washington — Representatives from two labor unions are bringing attention to resources intended to protect workers in “frontline industries” from exposure to the new coronavirus and are calling on the federal government to provide coordinated guidance.




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Coronavirus pandemic: Nurses union calls on OSHA to issue emergency standard

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.




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AFL-CIO calls for emergency standards, additional worker protections before reopening the economy

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.




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AFL-CIO sues OSHA in effort to force emergency standard

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.




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Court rejects AFL-CIO lawsuit to force OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard

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.




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COVID-19 pandemic: Labor unions sue MSHA to force an emergency temporary standard

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.




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COVID-19 pandemic: Survey shows majority of nurses feel unsafe

Silver Spring, MD — More than 3 out of 4 nurses say their employer isn’t providing a safe workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent National Nurses United survey indicate – a finding the labor union claims underlines the impact of businesses “reopening too soon.”




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Annual ‘Death on the Job’ report looks at the effects of COVID-19

Washington — The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on workplace safety is among the issues explored in the AFL-CIO’s annual report on the state of safety and health protections for U.S. workers.




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Health care worker unions sue Scalia, OSHA for shelving infectious diseases standard

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.




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Global nurses group pushes WHO for stronger stance on COVID-19 protections

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.




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More hospital safety cuts could exacerbate COVID-19 pandemic, nurses union warns

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.”




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Nurses union calls on CDC to reinstate universal masking guidance

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.”




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Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president and ‘unequaled voice’ for workers, dies at 72

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




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Coalition sues OSHA in effort to force permanent standard on COVID-19 for health care workers

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.




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Nurses union urges CDC to reverse updated COVID-19 guidance

Silver Spring, MD — Claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “once again responding to political pressures from those desperate to remove any safety protocols during this deadly pandemic that is still causing unacceptable numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths every day,” the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses is calling on the agency to reverse its most recent COVID-19 guidance.




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Annual ‘Death on the Job’ report part of Workers’ Memorial Week

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.




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Deadly fungal infection in Michigan paper mill prompts call for industry action

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




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Isocyanates in the workplace: Exposure, effects and control

Can you provide me with information about isocyanate exposure?




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Chemical exposures and PELs

Is our company at risk of litigation (i.e., employee health concerns) regarding chemical exposure in the workplace, provided we are following OSHA’s permissible exposure limits?




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Workplace exposures in the cannabis industry

I own a cannabis business. What chemical hazards are my employees exposed to, and how can I assess and prevent health and safety risks?




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Temp workers in construction need separate OSHA guidance, staffing association says

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.




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NIOSH, OSHA release temp-worker guidance document

Washington – Staffing firms and host employers looking to better protect temporary workers from job hazards can now review recommended practices in a guidance document issued Aug. 25 by NIOSH and OSHA.




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New bill would change recording requirements for site-controlling employers

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




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NACOSH releases draft injury and illness prevention document

Washington – Newly released draft guidance an OSHA advisory committee recommends that staffing firms and host employers implement a safety and health program describing the responsibilities of both entities to protect temporary workers.




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Washington state law aimed at protecting temp workers in construction, manufacturing

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.




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NIOSH teams with staffing association to promote temp worker safety and health

Washington — NIOSH and the American Staffing Association have announced a multiyear partnership agreement to advance protections for temporary workers.




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Partisan clash continues over what defines 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.”




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Tool lanyard

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




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Anodized aluminum series padlocks

72 Anodized Aluminum Series Padlocks feature lightweight, anodized aluminum bodies perfect for laser engraving.




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Non-sparking hand 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.




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Wrist lanyards

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.




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Tool lanyard

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




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Manhole cover remover

The Lifter is an automated manhole cover remover.




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Sander safety scale

The sander safety scale lets workers verify that the openings between the belt and disc and the tables on sanders are 1/8-inch or less.




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Hand safety tool

The ShoveIt Hand Safety Tool helps prevent hand injuries when working with suspended loads or maneuvering objects, and maintains proper body positioning for safe handling.




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Sleepy and unsafe

A poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that many transportation workers whose jobs demand high levels of alertness go to work without a good night’s sleep. What impact does sleepiness have on job safety, including the effects of cumulative lack of sleep, and how does this affect workers across all U.S. industries?




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Brake Safety Day: Unannounced inspections result in 1 out of 8 CMVs placed out of service

Greenbelt, MD — An unannounced inspection blitz of commercial motor vehicles resulted in 12.6% of those checked being placed out of service for brake-related violations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance recently announced.




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NHTSA aims to enhance rollover safety on motorcoaches, large buses

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.




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FMCSA final rule expands area where safety tech can be mounted on truck, bus windshields

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.”




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FMCSA renews proposal for speed limiters on large trucks and buses

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.




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FMCSA awards nearly $81 million in high-priority safety grants

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