Washington — OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other Department of Labor agencies have increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Jan. 15.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has increased civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective March 21.

Madison, WI — A federal grand jury has indicted Didion Milling and six of its current and former employees on nine charges, including two willful violations of OSHA standards.

Washington — In an effort to enhance enforcement of and compliance with workplace safety standards, OSHA has expanded the criteria for placement in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program to include violations of all hazards and agency standards, OSHA announced Sept. 15.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has revised civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.

Salem, OR — Legislation recently introduced in Oregon would significantly increase civil penalties for safety violations that contribute to worker injuries and deaths.

Washington — The Department of Transportation has updated civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation, effective Dec. 28.

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

Should I use ice to treat a burn?

Philadelphia — Two physician groups are recommending topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – with or without menthol gel – as a non-opioid “first-line therapy” for treating acute pain from non-low-back musculoskeletal injuries.

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.

Make plans now to attend the “MSD Pledge 2.0: Empowering Organizations to Transform Workplace Safety” virtual summit, set for 1 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 16.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its revised respirator descriptions for pesticide labels and is seeking public comment.

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 — Staffing agencies and host employers share responsibility for protecting temporary workers from respiratory and noise hazards, according to separate bulletins recently released by OSHA as part of its Temporary Worker Initiative.

Alexandria, VA — The American Staffing Association, through an alliance with OSHA, is set to host a webinar on Nov. 9 to discuss how to protect temporary workers from exposure to airborne contaminants.

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.

Washington — NIOSH is looking for inventors, researchers and respirator manufacturers to partner on a project intended to develop new designs for powered air-purifying respirators for health care workers.

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 recognition of 100 years of efforts to advance workplace respirator awareness, NIOSH has marked Sept. 3-6 as its inaugural Respiratory Protection Week.

Washington — OSHA has issued a final rule that adds two fit testing protocols to the agency’s respiratory protection standard (1910.134).

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.

Durham, NC — In an effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators used by health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at Duke Health say they have successfully tested a decontamination process that allows the masks to be reused safely.

Washington — In response to a nationwide shortage of N95 filtering facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has announced further temporary easing of regulations related to respiratory protection.

Bethesda, MD — Three methods to decontaminate N95 filtering facepiece respirators for reuse are being recommended by the National Institutes of Health after researchers at the agency successfully tested their effectiveness and the repeat functional integrity of the respirator after each sanitization.

Washington — The Department of Health and Human Services has reopened until Sept. 25 the comment period on an interim final rule that allows NIOSH to approve a new class of powered air-purifying respirators for workers in the health care and public safety sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other changes.

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 — NIOSH has extended until Dec. 14 the comment period for a Request for Information on the deployment and use of elastomeric half-mask respirators in health care settings and emergency medical services organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Pittsburgh — NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has marked Sept. 7-10 as its annual Respiratory Protection Week, an event intended to promote proper respiratory protection practices through the sharing of related research findings and educational tools.

Washington — The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is calling for two separate respiratory protection frameworks – one for workers, and one for the public – amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, in a recently published report.

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

The “Editor’s Choice” and more new products and solutions as described by manufacturers.

Together with WORKTECH Academy, Brivo has created a model that enables a company to plot where it is on its journey to digital transformation and hybrid working.

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.

Show your personal commitment to safety by tracking the number of consecutive safe days worked with a Personal Digi-Day® Electronic Scoreboard. Customizable with photos and logos, the Personal Digi-Day® allows users to create the perfect device for the workforce while reminding them that job safety is a top priority.

Click here for more information from Accuform Signs

Washington – OSHA has released its annual inspection plan targeting workplaces with high rates of injuries and illnesses.

Sacramento, CA — A California Senate committee recently approved legislation that calls for a study on gender-based monetary disparities in state workers’ compensation benefits.

Sacramento, CA — The California Assembly has approved legislation that would require fast-food chains and their franchisees to share responsibility for complying with worker safety laws and regulations.

Sacramento, CA — Most workplaces in California must now adopt a number of worker safety measures when indoor temperatures hit specific levels.

Washington – NIOSH has released recommended limits for controlling occupational exposure to flavoring chemicals diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione, both of which have been linked to reduced lung function in food flavoring and production industry workers.

Washington – In response to a stakeholder’s request, NIOSH has extended the comment period on a Request for Information on peracetic acid, according to a notice published in the June 1 Federal Register.

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 — 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 — 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.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is investigating the effectiveness and integrity of USDA’s procedures to develop and advance a controversial proposed rule that would remove maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants, according to a letter obtained by multiple media outlets.

Minneapolis — Recently released guidance from the state of Minnesota details steps employers in the meatpacking industry should take to reduce worker exposure to COVID-19.