Washington — A State Plan covering Massachusetts’ state and local government employees is now a reality after OSHA announced its initial approval.

Sacramento, CA — In an effort to “enhance commercial vehicle safety” and “create consistency between state and federal regulations,” the California Highway Patrol is proposing the state adopt regulations requiring the use of electronic logging devices for commercial motor vehicle carriers involved in intrastate operations.

Sacramento, CA — California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has voted to adopt non-emergency COVID-19 prevention regulations.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is encouraging all employers and workers in the state to “celebrate their safety and health achievements” and examine and renew their current safety efforts during the agency’s 20th annual Safety Break for Oregon.

Washington — OSHA has certified a revised State Plan for Maine that covers state and local government workers.

Santa Ana, CA — California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is “extremely motivated” to move forward on an emergency temporary standard on silica hazards for workers who handle engineered stone.

Rosemont, IL — The OSHA region that Bill Donovan oversees will soon be renamed, but what won’t change are the agency’s efforts to promote and protect worker safety and health.

Washington – Beginning Nov. 1, Department of Transportation safety inspectors must follow new notification procedures when opening packages containing perishable hazardous materials that are deemed unsafe or non-compliant with safety regulations, according to a final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Calgary, Alberta – Oil-carrying pipeline workers have a lower injury risk than workers transporting oil on railroads or roadways, according to a new study from public policy think tank Fraser Institute.

Washington – Crude oil shipped from the Bakken Formation – located in North Dakota, Montana and nearby Canadian provinces – may be more flammable than “traditional” heavy crude oil, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration warned shippers, sellers and emergency responders in a Jan. 2 safety advisory.

Washington – A new advisory bulletin from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration recounts one of the largest pipeline spills in the past five years and encourages pipeline owners and operators to take new preventive measures against leaks.

Washington – The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has established new review criteria for state excavation damage prevention programs, under a final rule published in the July 23 Federal Register.

Washington — Federal regulation of small distribution systems for propane and other liquefied petroleum gas should be revised for clarity, efficiency, enforceability and applicability to risk, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is accepting nominations for its Lithium Battery Safety Advisory Committee, the agency announced in a notice published in the May 14 Federal Register.

Washington – A series of free, confidential health screenings will be available for coal miners as part of the NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Washington — Incomplete initiatives aimed at improving employer reporting of injuries are among the top management and performance challenges facing OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, according to a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General report released in November.

Washington — NIOSH will offer a series of free, confidential health screenings for coal miners through its Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “an emerging public health threat” after researchers identified an increase in cases of silicosis – an incurable lung disease – among workers who handle engineered stone used to make household countertops.

Washington — In the absence of an emergency temporary standard on infectious disease from OSHA amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North America’s Building Trades Unions and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training have developed national guidance on infectious disease exposure control practices for construction sites.

Chicago — Physicians contracted by mine operators to review chest X-rays of coal miners who file “totally debilitating disease” workers’ compensation claims with the Department of Labor’s Federal Black Lung Program may have a bias strongly related to financial conflict of interest, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggest.

Washington — NIOSH has planned a series of free, confidential health screenings for current and former coal miners via the agency’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Chicago — The lung tissue of contemporary coal miners contains higher levels of respirable crystalline silica dust than was found in miners of past generations – which may explain an ongoing surge in cases of the most severe form of black lung disease, researchers at University of Illinois Chicago say.

Washington — NIOSH will offer a series of free, confidential health screenings for current and former coal miners as part of the agency’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

Richmond, CA – California needs to change the way it regulates refineries and adopt a system aimed at reducing risk to the lowest possible level, concludes a new report from the Chemical Safety Board.

Washington – OSHA has extended to March 31 the comment period for a request for information on potential changes to the agency’s Process Safety Management Standard.

Washington — Concerned about what it views as an agency oversight related to petroleum refining, the American Petroleum Institute is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess a draft revised final risk evaluation that states perchloroethylene – as a whole chemical substance – poses “unreasonable risk” to workers under certain conditions.

This year’s SDM 100 report and rankings show excellent growth for the SDM 100 companies in 2019. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic was just starting to hit as the security industry’s top companies were filling out the 2020 SDM 100 applications; to many of this year’s companies, it is like being on a mountaintop without a clear view of the landscape. Read on to look at this year’s top security companies ranked by recurring monthly revenue, along with their thoughts and projections for what lies ahead.

Philadelphia – In a rare criminal prosecution for a workplace fatality, the Department of Justice has charged a roofing company owner with attempting to cover up his failure to provide fall protection for a worker who fell 45 feet to his death.

Philadelphia – A Pennsylvania-based roofing contractor who lied to OSHA in the aftermath of an employee death was sentenced March 29 to 10 months in prison.

Arlington, VA — The Stand Down to Save Lives, set for May 17, is an “opportunity for mine owners and operators to share safety measures that can prevent injuries and deaths.”

Washington — Forklift safety and operator training will be in the spotlight June 13 as part of the 10th annual National Forklift Safety Day.

Washington — Hotel workers can avoid on-the-job injury and illness by keeping their feet on the floor, ensuring fresh air is circulating and not mixing cleaning products.

Washington — “We want all forklift operators going home after each shift without injury. That’s the ultimate objective.” Chuck Pascarelli, chair of the Industrial Truck Association, made the remark June 13 during a National Forklift Safety Day event at the National Press Club.

Washington — A new fact sheet from NIOSH is aimed at workers who use quick coupling devices to change excavator buckets and other attachments.

Tumwater, WA — Janitorial workers can be exposed to needlesticks and should be aware of potential danger spots, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries says in a new tip sheet.

Lowell, MA — Keeping workers safe during a disaster – natural or human-caused – is the goal of a new online course from a NIOSH Total Worker Health Center of Excellence.

Orlando, FL — Amplify workers’ voices and keep learning, experts stressed Monday at the 2024 NSC Safety Congress & Expo during a Campbell Institute Forum discussion on serious incident and fatality prevention.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is ramping up enforcement after three miners died in separate incidents on the same day.

Arlington, VA – A new safety initiative from the Mine Safety and Health Administration aims to protect miners at a time of the year when they need it most.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is calling for increased focus on safety during April, one of the deadliest months of the year for the mining industry.

Arlington, VA – Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors will conduct safety “walk and talks” with miners and mine operators during upcoming visits in response to a recent increase in mining deaths involving lone workers.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has put on hold until June 2 the effective date of a final rule intended to improve pre-shift examinations of metal and non-metal mines.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has reopened the comment period on a Request for Information on ways to monitor and regulate miner exposure to diesel exhaust in underground mines.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration is extending to Sept. 25, 2020, the deadline for a Request for Information on ways to monitor and regulate miner exposure to diesel exhaust in underground mines.

Washington — In response to recent questions from the mining community, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a program policy letter intended to clarify requirements for providing emergency escapeways for underground metal and nonmetal miners.

Washington — Amid a push from labor unions seeking stricter regulation of respirable silica dust, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is asking for input on ways to monitor and regulate miner exposure to quartz – the most common form of respirable crystalline silica.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a public meeting and extended the comment period on a program policy letter intended to clarify requirements for providing emergency escapeways for underground metal and nonmetal miners, in response to stakeholder requests.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a public meeting on a Request for Information on ways to monitor and regulate miner exposure to quartz – the most common form of respirable crystalline silica.

Washington — After weighing public and stakeholder input, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has rescinded a program policy letter intended to clarify requirements for providing emergency escapeways for underground metal and nonmetal miners, determining that the clarification “is not needed.”

Washington — NIOSH has finalized the beta version of an online software tool designed to provide post-shift assessments of mine worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica.