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Safety advocates urge USDA to start over on poultry processing rule

Washington – A coalition of advocacy groups is calling for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to restart the rulemaking process on a proposed poultry rule and address worker safety concerns.




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Construction trade groups form coalition on silica

Rockville, MD – Several construction industry trade associations have formed a coalition in response to OSHA’s proposed rule on crystalline silica.




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AFL-CIO resolution calls for broader safety efforts

Los Angeles – Safety laws need strengthening, more regulations need to be issued, and workers should be better educated on job hazards and rights, a new resolution from the AFL-CIO declares.




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California bill would protect immigrant workers from retaliation

Sacramento, CA – Legislation intended to prevent California employers from retaliating against immigrant workers who report unsafe or unfair working conditions awaits the governor’s signature.




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New York construction death rates highest among Latinos, immigrants: report

Brooklyn, NY – Latino and immigrant workers are disproportionately killed in falls at construction sites in New York state, according to a new report from the advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy.




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Coalition continues push against proposal to increase poultry-processing line speeds

Atlanta – As the nation prepares to cook millions of turkeys in recognition of Thanksgiving Day, a coalition of worker safety and consumer advocates once again have voiced their opposition to a proposed Department of Agriculture rule that would speed up line speeds at poultry-processing plants.




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Safety group opposes federal truck weight, size increases

Washington – The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has announced its opposition to any increases in federal truck size and weight limits due to concerns about alleged flaws in an upcoming government study on the increases.




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National COSH: Workplace deaths 'a wake-up call'

San Diego – Most U.S. workplace deaths are preventable, and several approaches can be taken to reduce exposures to hazardous conditions, suggests a new report from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.




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AFL-CIO releases annual report; calls for more oil and gas oversight

Washington – Federal oversight of the oil and gas extraction industry should be rethought and potentially changed to a model used in regulating the coal mining industry, one workplace safety advocate said following the release of the AFL-CIO’s annual “Death on the Job” report.




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Nearly half of NYC’s food manufacturing workers hurt on the job: report

New York – A new report claims 42 percent of workers surveyed in New York City’s food manufacturing industry have been injured on the job.




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ATA calls for swift mandate on electronic logging devices

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations has filed formal comments urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to swiftly issue a mandate for commercial truck drivers to use electronic logging devices.




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Industrial safety in U.S. lags behind other countries, watchdog group says

Washington – Industrial safety in the United States has fallen behind other countries, putting workers’ lives at risk, according to a report from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.




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Group calls for collision-avoidance systems on all commercial trucks, buses

Washington – A group of safety advocates is calling for forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking systems, or F-CAM, to be required in all trucks and buses to help prevent deadly rear-end crashes.




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Safety advocacy groups calling for stronger worker protections

Despite the downward trend in workplace fatalities, safety advocates are calling for stepped-up efforts to protect workers.




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Prevent injuries among nurses with patient-lifting devices, policies: report

Washington – Certain patient-moving devices and policies can help nurses avoid injuries, according to a report released June 16 by advocacy group Public Citizen.




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PETA to OSHA: Prohibit direct contact between elephants, handlers

Washington – A disturbing rate of worker injuries and fatalities involving captive elephants has led People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to submit a formal petition to OSHA asking for stronger worker protections in the industry.




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Advocacy groups to Obama: Veto OSHA budget cuts

Washington – President Barack Obama should veto proposed funding legislation that would cut OSHA’s budget, 76 advocacy groups urged in an Aug. 5 letter.




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During Workers’ Memorial Week, safety advocates call for stronger protections

To mark Workers’ Memorial Week, advocacy groups issued reports and called for increased worker protections and additional research to prevent on-the-job injuries.




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Advocacy group pushes CPSC for rule on table saw safety technology

Washington – The National Consumers League has repeated its call for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require injury-prevention technology on all table saws sold in the United States.




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Road safety advocates look to keep hours-of-service restart rule intact

Washington – At least one advocacy group and two truck safety advocates are calling for the federal government to maintain current hours-of-service regulations for commercial motor vehicle drivers as a way to combat fatigued driving.




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Construction worker deaths on the rise throughout New York: report

New York – Construction worker fatalities have been rising in New York City and throughout the state – and Latino workers are particularly at risk due to falls and willful violations – according to an annual report released Jan. 18 by the advocacy group New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.




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National COSH releases ‘action agenda’ for protecting workers

San Diego – More needs to be done to protect workers, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health says. More than 90 other organizations agree. Those groups have endorsed National COSH’s action agenda, “Protecting Workers’ Lives and Limbs,” released March 15.




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ATA pushes for hair samples as drug-testing alternative

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations is calling for the federal government to release guidelines and standards regarding the use of hair samples as a drug-testing method for commercial motor vehicle drivers.




d

Groups file motion to intervene in lawsuit against OSHA recordkeeping rule

Washington – Several public health advocacy groups have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that aims to undo OSHA’s requirement for employers to electronically submit worker injury and illness data for public view.




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ASSE moves to change name as part of rebrand

Park Ridge, IL – The American Society of Safety Engineers is proposing to change its name to the American Society of Safety Professionals as part of an effort to update the organization’s brand and more accurately represent its makeup.




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Safety advocates call for stronger protections during Workers’ Memorial Week

The AFL-CIO, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Safety Council are among the organizations renewing the call for improved worker protections as part of Workers’ Memorial Week (April 23-30).




d

Study of severe injury data finds poultry and meat workers at high risk

New York – Every day, 27 workers suffer on-the-job amputations or injuries that require hospitalization, according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project.




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Rise in worker deaths a ‘national crisis,’ AFL-CIO president says during Workers’ Memorial Week

Washington — The state of workplace safety and health protections in the United States is a “national crisis,” according to Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, which has released its annual report detailing the hazards that workers face every day on the job.




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Worker advocacy groups file FOIA lawsuit seeking EPA notes on changes to pesticide regs

Washington — Advocacy groups Farmworker Justice and Earthjustice filed a joint Freedom of Information Act lawsuit April 17 seeking Environmental Protection Agency meeting notes related to a pair of regulatory changes regarding worker protection.




d

Groups petition lawmakers to oppose bills that would allow younger CMV drivers

Grain Valley, MO — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and 12 other organizations have sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to oppose two House bills that would allow drivers younger than 21 to operate interstate commercial motor vehicles.




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OSHA’s enforcement efforts coming up short, advocacy group claims

Washington — Two months after Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta touted OSHA’s increased number of inspections, the National Employment Law Project has released new data showing that the agency is coming up short in one measure.




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Groups petition OSHA to issue heat stress standard; Congresswoman to sponsor bill

Washington — More than 130 organizations and 90 individuals are petitioning OSHA to issue regulations aimed at protecting workers against heat stress.




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Advocacy group claims USDA used flawed data to advance line-speed proposal for pork-processing plants

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture used flawed worker injury data to advance its controversial proposal to remove maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group.




d

Worker advocacy groups publish policy brief for newly elected governors, state lawmakers

Washington — The National Employment Law Project and the Economic Analysis and Research Network recently released a policy brief intended to advise incoming governors and state legislators on best practices “to protect workers in their states so that all communities can thrive and grow.”




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‘Deadly Skyline’: Construction deaths keep climbing in New York state, but fall in New York City

New York — Construction worker fatalities remain on the rise in New York state while continuing to decline in New York City, according to an annual report released by the advocacy group New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.




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Advocacy groups say proposed rule on teen workers violates Information Quality Act

Washington — The National Employment Law Project and two other labor advocacy groups have filed a complaint against the Department of Labor, claiming DOL violated the Information Quality Act in its move to roll back child labor laws to allow unsupervised teens to operate powered patient lifts in health care settings.




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Don’t become ‘numb’ to workplace deaths and illnesses, AFL-CIO president says during Workers’ Memorial Week

Washington — AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka cautioned the public not to become “numb” to workplace fatalities and illnesses, as the labor federation released its annual report detailing the hazards workers face every day.




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Watchdog group won’t appeal latest dismissal of lawsuit against ‘2-for-1’ deregulatory order

Washington — Public Citizen will not appeal the second dismissal of its lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s “2-for-1” deregulatory Executive Order, a spokesperson for the watchdog group told Safety+Health Jan. 16.




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Advocacy group details best practices for protecting essential workers

San Diego — The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has published a list of best practices intended to “enhance workplace safety” for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Workers’ Memorial Day: ‘This year, our hearts are especially heavy’

Washington — This year’s Workers’ Memorial Day, marked on April 28 each year to honor those who have lost their lives on the job, served as a poignant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by the many workers providing essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Trump orders meatpacking plants to remain open amid COVID-19 pandemic

Washington — Two days after OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued voluntary interim guidance aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 among workers in the meatpacking and poultry-processing industries, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 and declared the facilities “critical infrastructure” in an Executive Order intended to keep meatpacking facilities open.




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Advocacy group releases guidelines for safe return to work

Los Angeles — To help ensure the safety of people returning to work – as well as those already on the job – during the COVID-pandemic, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has released guidelines for workplace safety; worker participation; and compensation for sick, injured and at-risk workers.




d

Groups file suit against FMCSA, DOT over final rule amending trucker hours-of-service regulations

Washington — A coalition of roadway safety advocacy groups, in conjunction with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation challenging a controversial final rule FMCSA claims will add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.




d

BLS data on workplace deaths shows significant racial disparities, National COSH says

Los Angeles — Workplace deaths as a result of trauma have increased at a significantly higher percentage for Black, Latino and Asian workers compared with white workers, according to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.




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Advocacy group offers OSHA 8-point agenda for emergency temporary standard on COVID-19

Washington — The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is calling on OSHA to enact an emergency temporary standard related to COVID-19 – an action the advocacy group says won’t require OSHA officials to reinvent the wheel.




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Biden says OSHA will issue an emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 vaccination, testing

Washington — OSHA is developing an emergency rule that will require employers with at least 100 workers to “ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week,” President Joe Biden announced Sept. 9.




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Advocacy groups to NHTSA: Reconsider ‘fatally flawed’ final rule on ‘underride’ guards for large trucks

Washington — A pair of advocacy groups are calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reconsider a final rule aimed at strengthening protections for drivers and passengers in light vehicles involved in “underride” crashes, which occur when vehicles strike the rear of large trucks and slide underneath.




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Trucking safety advocates push for advance of ‘critical’ safety reforms

Washington — The Truck Safety Coalition is calling on the Department of Transportation and Congress to advance “critical truck safety reforms” after the recent release of its “Deadliest Truck Crash States” report.




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Traction aid

The Due North HTA-Heel Traction Aid is quick and easy to put on and offers injury protection to drivers, delivery personnel or anyone operating machinery when use of a conventional, full-coverage traction aid may interfere with driving capabilities.




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Boot and glove dryer

Rain and sweat can leave work boots and gloves soaked with moisture. This not only makes them cold and uncomfortable to wear, it also creates a breeding ground for bacteria, fungus and molds.