b

Safety I vs. Safety II: They’re better together, say speakers at NSC conference

Rosemont, IL — Over a span of months before their May 15 keynote presentation – “The Battle Between Safety I and Safety II: Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong?” – at the 2024 NSC Spring Safety Conference and Expo, SafeStart senior safety consultant Tim Page-Bottorff and Corrie Pitzer, founder and CEO of Safemap International, used debate to find common ground.




b

NLRB worker rights resources available in more than a dozen languages

Washington — A series of new resources on worker rights and employer and union responsibilities under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 are now available in 17 languages.




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Psychological safety + DEI: ‘Our job is to get everyone on the same page,” panelist tells safety pros

Orlando, FL — Ensuring psychological safety and diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace demands safety professionals’ expertise, skills and practice, according to one expert.




b

Prevent combustible dust explosions

Combustible dusts – finely ground organic or metal particles – can be found in a number of industries, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries states. These industries include food, tobacco, plastics, paper, rubber, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and fossil fuel power generation.




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Combustible dust hazards

Dust may look innocuous, but given the right circumstances, it can be deadly.




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Combustible dust explosions: Don’t ignore the hazard

Between 2006 and 2017, 111 combustible dust incidents resulted in 66 worker deaths and 337 injuries in the United States, according to data from the Chemical Safety Board.




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ASSA ABLOY’s Rockwood Products Receive GreenCircle Certification

ASSA ABLOY announced the company’s latest GreenCircle Certifications and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for architectural door accessories, which include the following Rockwood Products: locking pull LP3301; MegaTek pulls; MezzoTek pulls; GeoMetek pulls; BandWidth pulls; vandal resistant pull; offset pull and push bar; pull plates including 105x70C, 107x70C, and 111x70C; as well as ASSA ABLOY glass solutions products 4-in. square and tapered door rails, and the PDU8000-3 panic device.




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SALTO Systems Earns Certified Carbon Neutral Certification

SALTO Systems, a manufacturer of electronic access control solutions, has received carbon-neutral certification across all of its operations. 




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Coast Guard seeks feedback on outer continental vessel safety

Washington – The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking comment on a proposal that would require vessels operating in the outer continental shelf to develop new or modified safety and environmental management systems.




b

NTSB recommends ferry safety improvements

Washington – The National Transportation Safety Board on April 8 issued a series of recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard and other ferry industry stakeholders following the investigation of a January 2013 ferry crash in New York City.




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OSHA publishes fact sheet on safe baggage handling at cruise ship terminals

Washington – A recently released fact sheet from OSHA is intended to protect longshore workers who handle baggage at cruise ship terminals.




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Report calls for states to boost whistleblower protections

Washington – Current laws fail to protect workers from retaliation for reporting their employer for health and safety hazards, concludes a new report from the Center for Effective Government.




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Whistleblower advisory committee meeting set for March

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet March 11 in Washington.




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Proposed OSHA budget would increase whistleblower protection funding

Washington – Funding for OSHA’s whistleblower protection programs would receive a $4 million increase under President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal for the Department of Labor.




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OSHA seeks nominations for whistleblower advisory committee

Washington – OSHA is looking to fill 12 positions on its Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.




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GAO calls for interagency effort to address transportation whistleblower claims

Washington – OSHA and the Department of Transportation should increase collaboration to protect whistleblowers in the transportation industry, concludes a report released March 19 by the Government Accountability Office.




b

Witnesses tell Senate subcommittee to revise OSHA whistleblower statute

Washington – OSHA administrator David Michaels and stakeholders at a recent Senate subcommittee hearing made their case for strengthening the agency’s statute that protects workers who blow the whistle on employers for violating occupational safety standards.




b

DOL renews whistleblower committee charter

Washington – The Department of Labor has renewed the charter for the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.




b

CSB draws scrutiny at House committee hearing

Washington – Failures and mismanagement at the Chemical Safety Board have put public safety at risk, according to a joint staff report filed June 19 in conjunction with a hearing convened by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.




b

Whistleblower advisory committee to meet in September

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet in September to discuss recent reports on whistleblower enforcement.




b

Perez appoints new whistleblower advisory committee members

Washington – Two new members joined OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee, and 13 current members have been reappointed, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez announced Oct. 20.




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OSHA seeking new membership for whistleblower advisory committee

Washington – Nominations for OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee are being accepted until May 18 to fill six membership positions that will become vacant later this year.




b

OSHA issues bulletins on PPE, whistleblower rights for temp workers

Washington – OSHA has released information bulletins on personal protective equipment and whistleblower protection rights as part of the agency’s Temporary Worker Initiative.




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OSHA publishes whistleblower resources in Spanish

Washington – Two of OSHA’s resources on whistleblower protections are now available in Spanish.




b

OSHA issues new fact sheets on filing whistleblower complaints

Washington – OSHA has published three new fact sheets outlining workers’ rights and the procedures for filing whistleblower complaints.




b

OSHA directive details new resolution process for whistleblower disputes

Washington – A new OSHA directive outlines procedures for the agency’s new process in assisting early resolution of whistleblower disputes.




b

OIG recommends improvements for OSHA whistleblower protections

Washington – Although OSHA has improved its Whistleblower Protection Programs in recent years, the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General had concluded that the agency could do more to strengthen protection.




b

OSHA requesting comment on whistleblower anti-retaliation guidance

Washington – Stakeholders are encouraged to comment on a draft guidance document from OSHA intended to help employers develop a whistleblower protection program.




b

Final rule details procedures for rail, transit whistleblower retaliation complaints

Washington – Five years after issuing an interim rule, OSHA has published a final rule regarding how to handle retaliation complaints from railroad workers and public transit workers who engage in whistleblower activities.




b

Whistleblower protection advisory committee to meet in April

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee and its work groups are scheduled to meet April 25-26 in Washington.




b

Whistleblower advisory committee seeking member nominations

Washington – OSHA is seeking nominations for membership on its Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.




b

DOL renews charter for whistleblower advisory committee

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is set for the next two years following Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez’s renewal of the group’s charter.




b

OSHA launches ‘severe violator’ pilot program to tackle whistleblower retaliation

Kansas City, MO – OSHA has launched a pilot program targeted at employers in Region 7 who “engage in egregious behavior and blatant retaliation against workers who report unsafe working conditions and violations of the law.”




b

OSHA launches regional pilot program on speeding up whistleblower review process

San Francisco – OSHA has launched a pilot program in its Western region that allows whistleblowers protected by certain statutes to request that the agency stop an investigation and release findings to the Office of Administrative Law Judges.




b

Final rule addresses whistleblower protections for seamen

Washington – A new final rule from OSHA is aimed at improving protections for seamen who inform the government about violations of maritime safety laws or regulations.




b

OSHA to host public meeting on whistleblower issues in trucking, railroad industries

Washington — Workers in the trucking and railroad industries filed the most whistleblower complaints in 2017, according to OSHA, prompting the agency to schedule a public meeting on whistleblower issues for industry stakeholders.




b

States continue to bolster whistleblower protections: PEER analysis

Washington — Most states have expanded their whistleblower protection laws over the past 12 years, including 10 states that have done so in their most recent legislative sessions, according to an analysis by watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.




b

OSHA to host public meeting on whistleblower issues

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting for May 14 to discuss certain provisions of its Whistleblower Protection Programs.




b

OSHA announces public meeting on whistleblower program

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting for May 12 to gather information on key issues facing its Whistleblower Protection Program.




b

OSHA moves public meeting on whistleblower program to phone

Washington — A public meeting planned by OSHA to gather information on key issues facing its Whistleblower Protection Program will now take place over the phone, the agency has announced.




b

OSHA reminder: Workplace whistleblowers have rights during COVID-19 pandemic

Washington — Retaliation against workers who report unsafe or unhealthy conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic is illegal, OSHA is reminding employers.




b

Speeding up OSHA’s response to COVID-19 whistleblower complaints: DOL OIG makes recommendations

Washington — Facing a staffing shortage and an increased number of complaints related to the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA must improve the efficiency of its Whistleblower Protection Program, an audit report from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General concludes.




b

Whistleblower Protection Program: OSHA to host public meeting

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting for Oct. 13 to gather information on key issues facing its Whistleblower Protection Program.




b

Whistleblower Protection Program: OSHA to host public meeting

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting for May 19 to gather input on how it can improve its Whistleblower Protection Program.




b

OSHA officials talk COVID, whistleblowers during panel discussion

Washington — The COVID-19 pandemic understandably occupied much of a May 11 panel discussion that featured three OSHA experts presenting updates of agency activities, as part of the National Safety Council’s Impact Tracks webinar series.




b

Whistleblower Protection Program: OSHA public meeting will focus on migrant workers

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a virtual public meeting on how it can improve its Whistleblower Protection Program, particularly where migrant and other vulnerable workers are concerned.




b

COVID-19 whistleblowing: New fact sheet from OSHA

Washington — A new fact sheet from OSHA details protections for employees who report workplace health and safety concerns related to COVID-19, and includes other relevant information for whistleblowers.




b

New York expands whistleblower protections for private-sector employees

Albany, NY — Legislation signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Oct. 28 expands whistleblower protections for the state’s private-sector employees.




b

Whistleblower Protection Program: OSHA to host virtual meeting

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a virtual public meeting to hear comments and suggestions on issues related to the agency’s Whistleblower Protection Program.




b

Whistleblower Protection Program: OSHA public meeting set for Oct. 19

Washington — OSHA will host a public meeting to hear comments and suggestions on issues related to the agency’s Whistleblower Protection Program.