Chemical safety experts are lauding the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for developing new consensus standards that clamp down on the controversial practice of “purging” gas pipelines with flammable gases, which was blamed for a deadly Connecticut blast nearly four years ago.
House Republicans this week will take a closer look at a bipartisan plan to reform the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) -- which could have eventual ramifications for OSHA's chemical safety enforcement -- though informed sources say the measure faces an uphill climb in the Senate because it fails to meet several Democratic demands on safety standards.
Workplace safety and health whistleblower advocates are calling for increased protections against employer retaliation at the state level to address what they say are considerable flaws in federal OSHA protections, in part the 30-day complaint filing period which they argue is too narrow.
A national trade group representing silica sand producers is pushing for a comprehensive new crystalline silica rule under which OSHA would mandate a far-reaching set of exposure monitoring and medical surveillance requirements to prevent worker silicosis but not lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) below 100 micrograms per cubic meter, as OSHA would under its newly proposed standards to confront the hazard.
OSHA plans to require quarterly electronic reporting of injuries and illnesses at companies with 250 or more workers under a proposed rule that amounts to a revolutionary change in the way OSHA gathers data, though officials say the shift does not alter employers' basic recordkeeping duties.
OSHA plans to unveil as soon as Thursday (Nov. 7) a proposed rule aimed at modernizing injury and illness recordkeeping requirements under the OSH Act, a source familiar with OSHA's plans regarding the rulemaking tells Inside OSHA Online.
New York City leaders are weighing a bill to require worker training for some types of development projects that receive city financial assistance -- a proposal that mirrors efforts in several states and municipalities to tie public-sector support to occupational safety and health mandates.
Safety and health programs at the state level are gradually taking steps to disseminate crucial data and develop new regulatory schemes that will help reduce workplace hazards posed by toxic drugs used in heath care settings, especially chemotherapy agents, NIOSH chief John Howard tells Inside OSHA Online in an exclusive interview.
Richard Griffin, President Obama's nominee for general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), cleared the Senate in a largely party-line vote Oct. 29, even as Republicans blasted the nomination as reflecting a long-term push by the administration to instill a pro-labor bias on the mediation board.
OSHA faces pressure from labor groups to revise its Field Operations Manual, the guide compliance officers use during inspections, to clearly set out enforcement policies regarding safety and health protections for temporary workers, who are seen as generally more vulnerable than direct hires, often due to insufficient training.
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed a bill at the close of the state's legislative session that would have required employers to abate certain types of alleged hazards identified in Cal/OSHA workplace inspections even if an appeal of the citation was under way -- rejecting on procedural grounds a policy that also is a pillar of federal OSHA reforms advocated by Democrats and unions.
A priority for worker health advocates is eventually getting Congress to pass legislation that would bring OSHA's permissible exposure limits (PELs) for industrial chemicals in line with the most up-to-date science, a top union official tells Inside OSHA Online.
OSHA's new push for industries to find “safer” alternatives to hazardous chemicals -- rather than relying solely on the agency's permissible exposure limits (PELs), considered outdated in many cases, to reduce hazards -- signals an aggressive shift in approach, experts say.
OSHA has agreed to extend until Jan. 27, 2014, the public comment period on its proposed crystalline silica rule, agreeing to industry and GOP lawmakers' demands for a lengthier review.
OSHA launched a high-profile effort Thursday (Oct. 24) to push employers to consider a sweeping set of occupational exposure levels (OELs) -- published in newly developed tables on its website -- for dangerous chemicals based on recommendations from NIOSH, exposure levels developed by a group of government industrial hygienists, and permissible exposure limits (PELs) enforced in California that are more stringent than federal standards.
California lawmakers enacted a bill requiring Cal/OSHA to adopt rules addressing the potential workplace hazards from handling chemotherapy drugs, making the Golden State the latest to tackle the longstanding concern in the health sector's labor community.
A pro-industry leaning think tank came out with a report Thursday (Oct. 17) showing that the White House budget office's resources have not kept pace with its growing regulatory load, despite progressive complaints that the shop's regulatory review organ over the years has developed an outsize role in determining the feasibility of regulations, such as OSHA's hotly contested proposal to reduce silica exposures.
A new California law could help state authorities enforce measures designed to prevent worker heat illness by adding a provision to the books requiring employers to fork over an extra hour of pay if they do not provide rest breaks during a work day for certain employees.
A Washington pro-regulatory non-profit praises OSHA for offering an alternative way to look at the silica rule's impact on small businesses that encompasses employers with fewer than 20 workers, as industry clings onto the Small Business Administration's (SBA) much broader definition of small entities.
Two key House Republicans who oversee worker safety and health issues are urging Labor Secretary Tom Perez, in a letter obtained by Inside OSHA Online, to extend by 90 days the official comment period on OSHA's recently unveiled regulatory plan to reduce crystalline silica hazards.