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.
September 17, 2026
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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President Obama has nominated Federal Trade Commission (FTC) official Howard Shelanski to be the next administrator of the White House Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), prompting a tepid reaction from open government groups who have criticized OIRA for weakening or blocking key regulations.
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Uncertainty about how long of an exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) must occur before it causes cardiac birth defects will likely prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from aiding regulators in protecting against the risks, complicating the agency's effort to craft guidance on protecting against risks from short-term exposures to the substance, industry and environmental sources say.
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OSHA has come out with a controversial interpretation letter saying the law allows for union and worker representatives to participate in OSHA compliance officer walkaround inspections at work sites even without a collective bargaining agreement.
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The Senate subcommittee that was to hear Thursday (April 25) from OSHA chief David Michaels and several whistleblower experts has abruptly postponed the hearing, and sources blame politics over the nomination of Thomas Perez as Labor secretary for the delay.
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OSHA on Tuesday (April 23) issued a final rule applying the requirements of its August 2010 cranes and derricks construction standard to demolition work and underground construction.
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Worker safety and health advocates see the fertilizer plant disaster in West, TX, as a potential turning point in the long-running debate over OSHA reform, saying the catastrophe could reinvigorate efforts on Capitol Hill to advance at least some elements of the Protecting America's Workers Act (PAWA).
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NIOSH supporters are urging lawmakers to ask for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study into whether the agency should be moved out from under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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A new study by Congress' investigative arm finds that state OSH plans need more help from federal OSHA in addressing an array of challenges -- primarily in the staffing and training areas -- stemming from persistent budget woes at the state level that are affecting their OSH activities.
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The fertilizer facility in West, TX, where a disastrous fire and explosion killed at least a dozen and injured hundreds on Wednesday (April 17), did not meet the criteria for inclusion in OSHA's National Emphasis Program (NEP) that targets chemical facilities for inspection, an agency source tells Inside OSHA Online.
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