A key occupational safety group has taken its case directly to President Obama that OSHA should move forward on issuing a proposed injury and illness prevention program rule (I2P2), citing the recent disastrous explosion in West, TX, as demonstrating the need for workplaces to have comprehensive safety and health programs.
A Washington think tank focused on progressive policies in the vein of “New Democrats” has issued a policy memo backing the creation of an independent commission to review federal regulations in an effort to cut unnecessary red tape and costs to business.
Worker safety and health advocates are pressing OSHA to revisit its enforcement guidelines for pursuing cases under the OSH Act general duty clause, citing high numbers of incidents in areas where the agency may not have specific standards but where they say OSHA has an obligation to act.
Organized labor says a recent report from AFL-CIO on workplace fatalities finds progress by OSHA in some areas -- particularly its beefing up of whistleblower law enforcement -- but serious shortfalls in other areas, perhaps most notably the lack of discernible movement on new safety and health standards.
Labor secretary nominee Thomas Perez has been approved by a Senate committee, but Republicans continue to sharply criticize the president's pick and are signaling a bruising floor debate on confirmation.
A national worker advocacy group has come out with a new report decrying the number of worker fatalities in North Carolina, blaming what it calls “lax enforcement” and “weak fines” by the state OSHA plan.
State and local officials in Texas have launched a criminal investigation into the disastrous fire and explosion last month at a fertilizer plant in West, TX, that left 15 dead and hundreds injured, along with massive property damage.
NIOSH supporters are urging House appropriators to maintain funding for the research agency at the fiscal year 2012 level, pushing back against an Obama administration proposal to reduce spending on key NIOSH programs. But an industry attorney argues that in many instances the agency is undertaking activities that are not central to its core mission of providing science to support OSHA rulemaking.
Two senior House Democrats are calling on the Obama administration to cooperate with the European Union in creating a new universal standard on workplace safety and worker rights in light of a recent building collapse at a Bangladeshi factory that killed more than 1,000 workers.
The Obama administration this week exerted pressure on U.S. apparel importers to actively contribute to improving the work safety and labor climate in Bangladesh following the collapse of a garment factory in Dhaka that killed more than 1,000 people.
A federal appeals court has invalidated the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) final rule setting out new requirements for workplace notice postings, which a host of Republicans argued could interfere with other existing mandated notices including information about OSHA rights.
A key Senate Democrat with jurisdiction over agency rulemaking activity is calling on the Obama administration to release OSHA's proposed rule controlling silica exposures and move to the next steps in the regulatory effort.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is coming under close scrutiny from Senate Democrats who are trying to learn more about what recommendations the agency may have made that could have prevented the deadly fire and explosion last month at a fertilizer plant in West, TX, and how CSB intends to investigate the blast.
Worker advocates are concerned about ongoing federal efforts to pressure hospitals and other inpatient care centers to require influenza vaccinations as a condition of employment or status, stoking a longtime debate over whether the vaccine is effective and whether its requirement tramples on worker rights.
NIOSH has come out with a host of recommendations for employers in nanomaterial use or manufacturing to control worker exposures to carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers -- which have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years because of worries over potential health hazards -- including a recommended exposure limit (REL).
A recent OSHA memo informing agency employees that furloughs will not occur under budget sequestration was met with relief from the worker advocacy community, which feared a damaging reduction in enforcement resources during the fiscal crunch.
Fewer than half of hospitals participating in the inpatient quality reporting program have so far met a requirement to report health care worker flu vaccination rates at their facilities for the 2012-2013 flu season, says the American Hospital Association (AHA), citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
A new memo from OSHA's national office directing regional administrators to begin tracking and addressing potential hazards faced by temporary workers is likely to stir controversy and lead to legal challenges, sources tell Inside OSHA Online.
A cluster of Senate Democrats has reintroduced a sweeping mine safety bill, reviving a long-unsuccessful legislative push that started years ago in the aftermath of mine disasters that spurred calls for reform.
House Democrats are seeking a study from congressional investigators into OSHA's chemical plant oversight activities in the wake of the deadly blast at a fertilizer plant in West, TX. Federal investigators are still looking into causes of the blast that killed at least 15 and injured 200, and trying to determine what process safety management issues and chemical storage practices may have contributed to the disaster.