Turku, Finland — Workers who experience back pain can keep it from getting worse by reducing their time spent sitting, results of a recent study by Finnish researchers show.

Washington — Optimizing the health and performance of workers’ brains is the goal of a new NIOSH initiative.

The rate of the tick-borne parasitic disease babesiosis increased an average of 9% annually over a recent seven-year period in the United States, according to a new study.

Washington — Work organization, job stress and other non-physical risk factors “cannot be ignored” when assessing the likelihood of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, according to a new white paper from the National Safety Council.

Arlington, VA — More than 2 out of 5 government workers are feeling burned out, and 86% of them say it’s affecting their health and wellness, according to a recent study.

Adelaide, Australia — Exposing night shift workers to artificial light on the job may improve their sleep and reduce human error, a recent study shows.

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico — Seven out of 10 workers think employers should reconsider the 40-hour workweek, according to the results of a recent survey from job search website FlexJobs.

Ann Arbor, MI — University of Michigan researchers have developed and tested a set of knee exoskeletons that they say help counteract fatigue during lifting and carrying tasks.

If you have prediabetes, making positive diet and exercise changes that delay the onset of diabetes “for just four years” can reduce your long-term risk of diabetes-related health problems and death, researchers say.

Washington — Workers in private industry experienced fewer injuries and illnesses on the job last year than in 2022, according to Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses data released Nov. 8 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Chicago — One out of 5 workers who take a leave of absence to care for others later take leave for a medical condition of their own, results of a new analysis show.

Quincy, MA — Hot work hazards sparked nearly 3,400 structure fires a year over a recent five-year period, according to new report from the National Fire Protection Association.

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting for Nov. 15 in advance of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency wants to expand the scope of chemical risk evaluation policies under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency wants to strengthen restrictions on two persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals already regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

New York — Women in frontline jobs say their safety and well-being needs often go unacknowledged, according to a recently published report.

Philadelphia — OSHA Region 3 has extended its Regional Emphasis Program focused on industries with high levels of workplace noise.

Sydney — Global work-related deaths have jumped more than 12% since 2000, according to estimates from the International Labour Organization.

Washington — Chemical facilities should be confirming that equipment can function within the safe operating limits documented in process safety guidance while ensuring quality during all situations – including emergencies, the Chemical Safety Board says.

Adopted on Dec. 14, the ETS is set to go into effect Dec. 29.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it’s extending a trial of faster line speeds at select pork-processing facilities so it can design a study to assess worker safety.

Washington — A long-standing Chemical Safety Board concern is no more: The agency has cleared its backlog of open investigations and incident reports.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has initiated its 12-month review process to prioritize five toxic chemicals for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Tumwater, WA — Process safety management-focused updates to Washington state’s workplace safety rules for petroleum refineries are set to go into effect Dec. 27.

Washington — A new Environmental Protection Agency decision framework for determining the eye irritation or corrosion potential of new chemicals aims to “provide results more relevant to humans” – without animal testing.

Washington — Hazards related to combustible dust “must be controlled beyond the existing regulatory requirements,” says the Chemical Safety Board, which has renewed its call on OSHA to begin rulemaking on a general industry standard.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking comment on a draft risk evaluation that states tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate, or TCEP, poses “unreasonable risk” to workers under certain conditions.

Washington — Chemical facilities that handle hazardous gases or cryogenic asphyxiants such as liquid nitrogen should maintain atmospheric monitoring and alarm systems and educate workers on hazards.

Washington — Swiftly isolating chemical releases and keeping workers safe “should not be mutually exclusive,” the Chemical Safety Board says.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board is “very determined” to avoid an investigation backlog similar to the one it recently cleared, board Chair Steve Owens said during the agency’s first public business meeting of 2024.

Washington — Employers whose workers use 3D printers in non-industrial settings can take steps to limit employee exposure to emissions from heated filaments, polymers and powders, NIOSH says.

Washington — OSHA has updated its process safety management enforcement policy for the first time in 30 years.

Washington — Onshore oil and gas wells need appropriate well planning and control measures in place to “mitigate the potential for the ignition of flammable material,” the Chemical Safety Board says.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency expects a final rule that would increase fees to defray administration costs of the Toxic Substances Control Act to bolster chemical-review efficiency and safety protections.

Nanjing, China — A recent study highlighting the expected ties between exposure to cancer-causing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and a risk factor for heart disease could impact workers.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has again extended a trial of faster line speeds at select pork-processing facilities, saying it’s continuing to study the effect on worker safety.

Washington — Protecting workers in the engineered stone industry from exposure to crystalline silica will be the topic of an OSHA webinar scheduled for March 14.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to “improve safety at facilities that use and distribute hazardous chemicals,” as well as protect nearby communities, via a final rule.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency will ban the use and import of chrysotile asbestos – a known human carcinogen – under a final rule announced March 18.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency intends to significantly reduce emissions of ethylene oxide – a gas used to sterilize medical devices that’s been linked to cancer and neurological problems – under a new final rule.

Washington — A new hazard alert from OSHA is aimed at increasing awareness and ensuring actions are being taken to reduce the “alarming number” of serious, preventable injuries in poultry, meat and other food processing establishments.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comment on a draft risk evaluation that states the chemical substance formaldehyde poses “unreasonable risk” to workers under certain conditions.

Washington — Chemical manufacturers and importers of 16 different chemicals would be required to submit data from unpublished health and safety studies, under a recently announced Environmental Protection Agency proposed rule.

Washington — More than 5,300 industrial facilities must submit plans for responding to “worst case” chemical discharges into waterways during adverse weather events, under a new Environmental Protection Agency final rule.

Morgantown, WV — Turning mundane manufacturing tasks into games may boost worker engagement, motivation and productivity – but it also may stress out some people, results of a recent study show.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking feedback on Part 2 of a final draft risk evaluation that claims legacy use and disposal of asbestos presents an unreasonable health risk to demolition workers, firefighters and other workers in certain situations.

Washington — As the Environmental Protection Agency considers regulating the manufacture, processing and distribution of lead wheel weights, it’s seeking stakeholder feedback on how workers and families may be exposed to lead.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency says a new rule “charts the path for our risk evaluations to ensure we meet the core objective to protect public health under our nation’s premier chemical safety law.”

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency will ban most industrial and commercial uses of the carcinogenic chemical methylene chloride, under a final rule announced April 30.

Washington — The National Fire Protection Association’s voluntary standard on preventing fires and uncontrolled chemical reactions at hazardous waste facilities carries significant influence from the Chemical Safety Board – and CSB officials appreciate it.