An OSHA committee meets the week of Feb. 15 to discuss a number of occupational safety and health issues, while an industry-led webcast will focus on preventing workplace injury with protective clothing.
On Thursday, the OSHA Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health meets. The council will provide updates on presidential workplace safety and health initiatives at federal agencies and efforts to get injured and ill federal employees back on the job.
OSHA is starting to use “poster child” enforcement to inform industry about new reporting and recordkeeping requirements, assessing big-dollar penalties to address perceived under-reporting by companies, according to occupational safety and health attorneys.
During a Feb. 11 Conn Maciel Carey OSHA law firm webinar, Eric Conn, chair of the firm’s OSHA-Workplace Safety Group, said that violation suits and incident inspections are occurring, and OSHA is using the new rules to better target enforcement efforts.
OSHA this week launched a new webpage aimed at helping employers provide sanitary and “immediately available” restroom facilities to employees.
The goal of the guide, according to OSHA, is “to ensure that workers do not suffer adverse health effects that can result if toilets are not sanitary and/or are not available when needed.”
The guide explains requirements for making restrooms accessible to all employees and offers new best-practice guidance on restroom access for transgender workers.
OSHA has approved a state plan for occupational safety and health covering state and local government employees in Maine, the agency has announced.
According to a Feb. 5 Federal Register notice, OSHA gave final approval to the state plan, following a public comment period after the agency found issue with the state’s proposal. No comments were received on the state plan during that comment period, according to OSHA.
OSHA’s National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health will meet Feb. 24-25 to discuss emergency response and preparedness proposed rules.
The comment periods for several OSHA rules and initiatives close this week, while several industry webinars examine recordkeeping and reporting rules.
Comments are due Monday on an approval of OSHA information collection requirements contained in standards on personal protective equipment for shipyard employment.
OSHA on Wednesday announced that it has struck an alliance with the Crane, Hoist and Monorail Partners to protect workers who manufacture and use cranes, hoists, and monorails.
According to OSHA, under the five-year agreement the alliance will work to prevent worker exposure to electrical shock, falls, and struck-by hazards presented by moving equipment.
The United States Pharmacopeial Convention announced Monday the release of a new standard for handling hazardous drugs in healthcare settings.
According to the USP, new standards have been crafted to “help protect personnel and patients, and reduce the risk of residual exposure in healthcare settings.”
The standard applies to healthcare personnel, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists, and technicians.
OSHA on Monday announced that it has renewed an alliance with the Industrial Trucking Association to minimize worker injuries and fatalities from industrial truck tip-overs and “struck-by” hazards.
According to OSHA, the alliance will allow for development of resources and training on hazards that lead to truck tip-overs and struck-by hazards. The OSHA-Industrial Trucking Association Alliance will also focus efforts on fall prevention and heat illness campaigns.
OSHA announced on Monday that a public comment period on the agency’s new Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines has been extended from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22.
The guidelines outline methods to improve safety and health in all workplaces, increase worker engagement, encourage discovery and resolution of hazards before they cause injury, illness, or death, and foster improved communication and coordination on multi-employer worksites. The guidelines are advisory and do not establish any new legal or regulatory obligations.
The 11th Circuit U.S Court of Appeals last week denied pre-enforcement petitions against a Mine Safety and Health Administration rule limiting worker exposure to coal mine dust.
The court found that MSHA has sole authority to regulate the issue of mine dust exposure in the coal industry and that the rule adequately took into account scientific evidence.
Implementing workplace health programs and meeting OSHA compliance requirements will be the main topics of discussion at a Boston conference and a series of webinars on OSHA this week.
A new study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health finds workplaces that implement smoke-free policies and “cessation” smoking programs actually decrease tobacco use among workers.
“The knowledge from this study can be used to develop educational campaigns and tobacco cessation programs aimed specifically at women in industries and occupations where many women are still smokers,” the study states.
Public workers in Michigan, amid a water crisis in the Flint, are protected by state and federal whistleblowers, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health announced Tuesday.
OSHA on Tuesday announced that it is seeking public comment on new efforts to reduce paperwork and reporting burdens on states that maintain their own occupational safety and health plans.
According to a Federal Register notice, OSHA is soliciting comments on extension of information collection requirements for the submission, initial approval, continuing approval, final approval, monitoring, and evaluation of OSHA-approved state plans.
Opportunities to submit feedback on several OSHA and Labor Department initiatives end this week, while an OSHA law firm addresses what businesses should expect from OSHA over the next year.
OSHA announced Jan. 21 that it is seeking nominations to serve on the advisory committee that assists the Labor Secretary and Health and Human Services Secretary on occupational safety and health matters.
The Federal Aviation Administration and OSHA have signed a memorandum of understanding, encouraging both federal agencies to share information about anti-retaliation measures in place to protect airline workers who file reports on regulation violations.
OSHA has announced that employers must post between Feb. 1 and April 30Form 300A, which summarizes to employees the total job-related injuries and illnesses that were logged in 2015.
According to OSHA, more employers are now covered by the requirements, following changes to the agency's recordkeeping and posting requirements that went into effect in January 2015.
Comments are due this week on an OSHA guide to protecting workplace whistleblowers, while attorneys will lay out the regulatory and enforcement landscape for OSHA in 2016.
Tuesday is the last day the public can provide comments on a draft OSHA document offering guidance to employers in establishing anti-retaliation plans and protecting whistleblowers.