Fairfax, VA – The U.S. Navy has announced a ban on e-cigarettes and other vaping devices on ships, submarines, aircraft, boats, craft and heavy equipment.

Maywood, IL — Chest muscle tears caused by weightlifting were treated at an “alarming frequency” in 2013 and 2014 at one armed forces hospital overseas, according to a recent study conducted by military surgeons.

Charlottesville, VA — Frequent exposure to minor explosions may increase the risk of brain injury and inflammation among members of law enforcement and the military, results of a recent study led by researchers from the University of Virginia show.

Washington — The ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are the focus of an online exhibit recently unveiled by NIOSH and the Department of Health and Human Services.

College Station, TX — New resources from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service are intended to help first responders safely confront fires and other emergencies resulting from electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

Washington — A new approach to assisting military personnel who have mental health concerns “helps people get the specific care they need in a timely manner,” a military health care provider says.

Washington — A recent memo from the Department of Defense lists new requirements intended to protect military personnel from brain and cognitive trauma associated with blast overpressure.

Washington — A bipartisan group of 30 senators is calling for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Raymond Martinez to “explore improvements” to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — Three days after the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration determined that hazardous materials transporters do not have to comply with California’s rest and meal break requirements, the American Trucking Associations filed a petition asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to pre-empt the requirements for all commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — A group of 19 congressional Democrats is urging, “in the strongest possible terms,” the Department of Transportation to deny a recent American Trucking Associations petition on California’s meal and rest break rules for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Dec. 21 granted a petition to pre-empt California’s meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, stating that the rules are incompatible with current federal hours-of-service regulations and cause “a disruption in interstate commerce.”

Washington — Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) have reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would require the secretary of transportation to create a working group to determine obstacles to safe operation for livestock, insect and agricultural haulers in an effort to reform federal hours-of-service and electronic logging device regulations.

Washington – Bipartisan bills introduced in the House on March 12 would exempt certain segments of the commercial motor vehicle industry from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s mandate on use of electronic logging devices to record truck driver hours of service.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on March 28 submitted for review to the White House Office of Management and Budget a notice of proposed rulemaking intended to add flexibility to FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — June 7 is the target date for publication of a proposed rule intended to add flexibility to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers, according to a Department of Transportation regulatory update released in May.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 17 submitted for review to the White House Office of Management and Budget an advance notice of proposed rulemaking intended to help the agency assess whether to clarify the definitions of “agricultural commodity” or “livestock” in FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has delayed until further notice the publication of a proposed rule intended to add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will conduct two public listening sessions about a recently announced proposed rule the agency claims would add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment as it considers a trucking industry petition to preempt Washington state’s meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, less than a year after granting a similar request in California.

Washington — A final rule the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration claims would add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers has been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment on a proposed pilot program that would allow commercial motor vehicle operators one rest break of up to three consecutive hours but no less than 30 minutes during every 14-hour on-duty period.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a petition to preempt Washington state’s rules on meals and rest breaks for commercial truck drivers, determining that federal hours-of-service regulations supersede the state’s rules.

Washington — Prompted by a reported cyberattack that has resulted in a disruption of service along a major petroleum pipeline, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 9 issued a temporary hours-of-service exemption to commercial motor vehicle operators transporting gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products to 17 states and the District of Columbia, as part of emergency relief efforts.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking industry stakeholders for input on “ways to improve the clarity of current regulations on the use of electronic logging devices and address certain concerns about the technical specifications.”

Washington — The Truck Safety Coalition is calling on the Department of Transportation to make automatic emergency braking and speed-limiting devices a requirement on commercial trucks and buses.

Washington — Temporary hours-of-service exemptions and other regulatory relief for truckers during regional emergency declarations will be limited under a recently published Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration final rule.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for comments on petitions seeking to restore California’s and Washington state’s rules on meal and rest breaks for commercial truck and bus drivers.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a tool that aims to provide easier access to chemical safety and health data.

Washington – Calling current permissible exposure limits “antiquated” and “dangerously out of date,” OSHA administrator David Michaels unveiled two web-based resources he said will help companies keep workers safer around chemicals.

Silver Spring, MD – A new online tool from the Center for Construction Research and Training (better known as CPWR) allows users to confidentially save, retrieve and edit plans for reducing worker exposure to silica.

Washington – OSHA on Jan. 15 launched a web resource to help prevent injuries among hospital workers.

Silver Spring, MD – Managers hoping to improve their workplace safety climate can reference a new workbook from the Center for Construction Research and Training (also known as CPWR).

The National Roofing Contractors Association and roofing manufacturer GAF have teamed up to create a website intended to help roofing contractors keep their employers safe.

Liverpool, Nova Scotia – Small to medium-sized employers have a new online resource to help them create a safer workplace.

Washington – OSHA has updated an online tool aimed at teaching small-business owners and workers how to locate workplace hazards.

Washington – Two agencies have released materials to help educate Spanish-speaking workers about occupational safety.

Washington — A new database from OSHA offers access to safety profiles and information on workplace chemicals.

Washington — The National Occupational Research Agenda Manufacturing Sector Council has created an online resource guide intended to assist organizations in beginning, maintaining or enhancing their hazardous energy control programs.

Silver Spring, MD — Stressing the importance of lightning awareness while working outdoors, the Center for Construction Research and Training – also known as CPWR – has published a hazard alert and toolbox talk addressing the topic.

Washington — OSHA has created a webpage aimed at helping employers use leading indicators – tracking workplace conditions and events to prevent injuries and illnesses before they occur – to improve their safety and health programs, the agency announced Aug. 9 via Twitter.

Hamilton, Ontario — A series of free guidance documents from the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety is intended to help workers and employers in essential or high-risk occupations and industries reduce their exposure to COVID-19 and curb the spread of infection.

Arlington, VA — The International Safety Equipment Association has introduced an initiative to help raise awareness of the dangers of working at height and dropped objects or equipment.

Silver Spring, MD — The number of fatal falls to a lower level among construction workers increased from 2011 to 2017 – reflecting a surge in employment – although the rate of such incidents decreased 25%, according to a recent report from the Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR.

Silver Spring, MD — Roofers face an increased risk of fatal falls to a lower level compared with other construction subgroups, making fall protection strategies a vital component of roof work planning and training.

Washington — OSHA has rescheduled the seventh annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction for Sept. 14-18.

Silver Spring, MD — How can employer interventions be improved to help prevent fatal falls to a lower level among construction workers? CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, in conjunction with the American National Standards Institute Z359 Committee, has developed a survey to collect observations from workers who have witnessed or experienced a fall.

Washington — The eighth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is set to kick off on May 3 with a webinar hosted by OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR – the Center for Construction Research and Training.

Boston — The top five costliest injuries in the construction industry in 2018 had a combined price tag of nearly $9 billion, according to the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index – an annual ranking of serious, nonfatal workplace injuries based on direct workers’ compensation costs involving more than five days away from work.

In Episode 26, the S+H editorial team examines how language barriers can affect workplace safety. In addition, Jessica Bunting, director of the Research to Practice initiative at CPWR, discusses the ninth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, set for May 2-6.

Touched by an improved economy in most regions and some expenditure of Homeland Security funds, seven in 10 firms reported in the 10th annual SDM Top Systems Integrators Report