Washington – The Department of Labor has published a final rule increasing civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.

Washington – A new database from the Center for Progressive Reform spotlights state criminal cases and advocacy campaigns against employers that have failed to comply with worker safety laws.

Olympia, WA — The owner of a Seattle construction company is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge stemming from a 2016 employee death, marking the first time a workplace fatality in Washington state has prompted a felony charge, according to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries.

Indianapolis — An Indiana law scheduled to go into effect July 1 raises the maximum monetary penalty for on-the-job fatalities.

Washington — A recent audit from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General found no correlation between safe mining operations and paid civil monetary penalties issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — The Department of Labor is advising OSHA and other enforcement agencies not to publish press releases – “absent extraordinary circumstances” – about fines and penalties levied against employers for worker safety and health violations “before achieving a successful outcome,” according to a DOL guidance memo obtained by The New York Times.

Pocatello, ID — The owner of a tanker testing and repair company was sentenced to one month in prison and five months of home confinement for lying to OSHA and making illegal repairs to a cargo tanker, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 19.

Seattle — The owner of a West Seattle construction company has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for his role in a fatal trench collapse, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — The maximum penalty for a “willful” or “repeat” OSHA violation has increased to $156,259 after the agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other Department of Labor agencies automatically increased civil penalty amounts to adjust for inflation.

Washington — OSHA has published final data on the agency’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2023.

Washington — Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission officials say a long-standing Executive Order that provides interpretation and document translation to people with limited English proficiency helps ensure federal services “reach and benefit all intended communities.”

If someone has a serious cut and gets blood on the floor, how do we treat the cut? And how do we safely clean up the blood?

Columbus, OH — The physical benefits that exoskeletons provide to the musculoskeletal system may be negated by the “mental strain” that results when workers wearing the devices perform tasks that require them to think about their actions, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Texas A&M universities indicate.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council MSD Solutions Lab is partnering with Safetytech Accelerator to design, build and operate an open innovation lab with the goal of facilitating the development of next-generation technology aimed at preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Washington — Manufacturers of certain N95 respirators will be able to submit a single application to NIOSH, rather than to both the Food and Drug Administration and NIOSH, before marketing their product to the health care industry, according to an FDA final order published in the May 17 Federal Register.

Washington — Reusable respirators could prove a “viable option” for health care facilities’ respiratory protection programs, especially in preparation for a public health emergency, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Sacramento, CA — An emergency regulation in California intended to protect outdoor workers from potentially dangerous wildfire smoke was enacted July 30 by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA.

Washington — In an effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has temporarily suspended its requirement for annual respirator fit testing in the health care industry.

Triangle, VA — Citing concerns over the adjacent nature of mining work and the growing prevalence of respiratory illness in the industry, the United Mine Workers of America is calling on the Mine Safety and Health Administration to issue an emergency standard to help safeguard mine workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — OSHA has issued temporary enforcement guidelines for fit testing of powered air-purifying respirators for workers at high risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — Prompted by an “increased domestic supply” of NIOSH-approved respirators, the Food and Drug Administration has revoked its emergency use authorizations for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators as well as decontamination and bioburden reduction systems.

Washington — NIOSH has issued a pair of fact sheets on filtering facepiece respirators, detailing how to tell if an N95 is approved by the agency as well as procedures for fit testing and testing filtration efficiency.

Washington — NIOSH has selected 20 winning entries for the initial phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

Infusion Direct Marketing Inc. announced it has recently launched a new website along with an expanded portfolio of marketing and technology services.

Boon Edam Inc. has announced the launch of the Boon Edam Security Integrator Certification Program. 

The expanded version of its 360° virtual tour provides an immersive, interactive experience to illustrate the vital role of door security and access control in education and healthcare settings.

According to the announcement, the new semi-monthly podcast sheds light on the positive aspects of keeping people safe while recognizing these true heroes of society and exploring the challenges they face and the industry as a whole.

Alarm.com service providers will be one of the first groups in the security industry to have this resource which is accessible through the Alarm.com Partner Portal and Alarm.com’s mobile app for service providers, MobileTech.

The new HALO Cloud App was designed to provide customers with a modern tool that places crucial alerts at their fingertips, wherever they might be in a building.

The app introduces several new features that enhance user experience on the platform’s mobile app, streamline site surveys with drag-and-drop simplicity, facilitate system lifecycle management and accelerate the proposal creation process.

The Alliance, formed in 2018 by some of the most recognized individuals in the Security industry, has continually promoted its vision of advancing the field of Life Safety to a global audience. 

The company’s new website represents a dynamic shift in approach, using search engine optimization and a strong web presence to reach a wider audience than ever before.

Because safety means the world to you, Brady Worldwide has been creating a smarter, safer world for more than 100 years. Our products include high- performance labels and signs, safety and lockout/tagout devices, printing systems and software, absorbents, and more. Visit us at Booth #732 at the 2016 NSC Congress & Expo or go to www.BradyID.com for more information.

Click here for more information from Brady Worldwide Inc.

Are you ready for winter? The Therma-Flow® Freeze Protected Shower from Encon® resists freezing down to -40° F/C and is built to withstand winter’s extreme temperatures. Encon® offers a customized model selection, allowing you to design a product that meets the specific needs of your facility. CSA- approved with FM and UL components for NEMA 4 enclosures.

Click here for more information from Encon Safety Products Inc.

New! J. J. Keller® Video Training Books offer an affordable, portable training format that goes wherever your employees go. No internet connection or classroom needed. It’s perfect for refresher training, on-the-road training, jobsite training, and more. Available in our most popular topics for only $249! Visit JJKeller.com/VideoBook to learn more.

Click here for more information from J. J. Keller & Associates Inc.

Skedco Inc. has created a new kit for rapid emergency evacuation of hospitalized patients or victims in an active-shooter incident. The system is designed to hang on a wall or behind a door, and provides a quick way to safely package and remove someone from a dangerous environment.

Click here for more information from Skedco Inc.

LVC Companies Inc. (formerly Low Voltage Contractors) began as it would continue — as an entrepreneurial leap of faith brought about by a customer’s need.

This free white paper from the experts at J. J. Keller provides a detailed listing of the most cited OSHA standards from fiscal year 2021, along with proven tips to help ensure compliance.

This white paper provides a detailed listing of the most cited OSHA standards across all industries, along with proven tips to help you reduce risk and ensure compliance.

In this issue, we present expanded coverage of OSHA’s “Top 10” most cited standards for fiscal year 2023. In addition to the overall Top 10, you’ll find lists for willful and serious violations, OSHA regions and – new for us – a list of which industries have the most citations.

Boston — Detailed site safety plan requirements, free training and education, and ramped-up enforcement are the three key elements of a new construction safety ordinance in Boston.

Washington — Roadside assistance providers are struck and killed by passing vehicles more often than national crash data suggests, according to the results of a recent study.

Washington – Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) says lawmakers who cite concerns about worker safety when opposing his call to increase poultry-processing line speeds are willfully ignoring scientific data.

Washington – Poultry workers and officials from 13 nonprofit organizations and unions met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service on Oct. 16 to urge the department to reject an industry petition to allow faster and unrestricted line speeds in production plants, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Washington — Better outreach, collaboration and information sharing among federal agencies is needed to improve worker safety in the meat and poultry slaughter and processing industries, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a recently released report.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service has denied a National Chicken Council petition seeking unrestricted line speeds in poultry-processing plants.

Washington — Employers in the marijuana industry should provide safeguards to protect workers from repetitive stress injuries, NIOSH states in a recently released Health Hazard Evaluation Program report.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will allow poultry-processing plants to increase line speeds if they meet certain criteria, even as critics claim the move will expose workers to injuries and was made without public input.

Morgantown, WV — Two potentially hazardous chemicals are missing from the Safety Data Sheets for bulk liquid flavorings, findings from a recent NIOSH Respiratory Health Division study show.

Richmond, British Columbia — Responding to growth in the craft brewing and distilling industry, WorkSafeBC has released health and safety resources intended to help employers protect workers.