Tumwater, WA — Ethylene oxide should not be used to sterilize filtering facepiece respirators for reuse because “this extremely hazardous toxic chemical poses a severe risk to human health,” the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries warns in a new alert.

Washington — Prompted by an “increased domestic supply” of NIOSH-approved respirators, the Food and Drug Administration is recommending health care facilities transition away from strategies intended to conserve supplies of disposable respirators amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boston — Common types of N95 respirators – widely used by health care professionals providing direct care to patients with COVID-19 – can be safely reprocessed up to 25 times to help augment supplies during future pandemics, results of a recent study by Boston researchers suggest.

Corvallis, OR – Injuries among seafood-processing workers in Oregon have eclipsed the statewide average, and the rate appears to be increasing, according to a recent study from Oregon State University.

Washington – A group of House Democrats, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), is urging Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to reject a renewed call to increase line speeds in poultry-processing plants.

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.

San Diego — A U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to remove maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants “will translate into even more illness and injury” among workers, according to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

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 — 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.

Washington — More than 3 out of 5 Americans are against a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rule to remove maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants, according to the results of a recent survey.

Washington — A controversial U.S. Department of Agriculture final rule unveiled Sept. 17 removes maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers.

Minneapolis — A coalition consisting of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, three local affiliate unions and watchdog group Public Citizen is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a controversial final rule that removes maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service in April approved 15 poultry processing plants’ requests to increase line speeds 25% – despite reported cases of COVID-19 among workers and at least one fatality related to the ongoing pandemic, according to a new policy brief from the National Employment Law Project.

Tumwater, WA — A new fact sheet from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is aimed at helping food processing and warehouse employers protect their workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture “did not take adequate steps to determine whether the worker safety data it used … were reliable” when proposing a controversial rule that removes line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers, the USDA Office of Inspector General concludes in a report released June 25.

Washington — A new online toolkit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is intended to assist safety professionals and health officials in assessing COVID-19 pandemic-related prevention and control measures at meat and poultry processing facilities.

Washington — OSHA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration have released joint interim guidance intended to help seafood processing employers reduce COVID-19 exposure among workers, including those at onshore facilities and aboard offshore vessels.

Washington — A controversial U.S. Department of Agriculture rule that would permit line speeds at certain poultry processing plants to increase to 175 birds a minute from the current 140 is under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Washington — President Joe Biden on Jan. 22 signed an Executive Order withdrawing a controversial U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rule that would have permitted line speeds at certain poultry-processing plants to increase to 175 birds a minute from the current 140.

Washington — Legislation reintroduced March 11 by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) would prohibit line speed increases in meat and poultry-processing plants during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Minneapolis — The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota upheld a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 31, ruling that a controversial final rule that removes line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers compromises worker health and consumer welfare.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has indicated it will accept a March ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota that prohibits the removal of maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, in collaboration with OSHA, will allow select pork-processing facilities – on a trial basis – to operate at increased line speeds for up to one year while gathering data that “measures the impact of line speed on workers.”

Washington — Seeking to “best assess” the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety in poultry-processing plants, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service plans to study the effects.

Washington — A trial that allows select pork-processing facilities to operate at increased line speeds will continue, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service says.

Dayton, OH — Communications tower workers using cable safety sleeves for fall protection must make sure the cable is secured and properly tensioned before starting work.

East Lansing, MI – Employees who use bleach for workplace cleaning and sanitizing are the focus of a new safety guide published by the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Division.

Washington — The percentage of U.S. workers with paid time off increased 10% over a recent seven-year period, according to data released Aug. 29 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — A total of 5,190 workers died as a result of on-the-job injuries in 2021 – an 8.9% increase from the previous year, according to data released Dec. 16 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

UNITE is particularly suited to various property types, including Class A high-rise urban and Class B garden-style suburban properties, according to the announcement.

Download a white paper from Columbia Southern University on the role of drones to save lives in construction jobsite safety.

Written by J. J. Keller’s human resources experts, this free white paper delivers proven strategies for identifying, documenting and addressing unacceptable employee conduct. Download it now and promote a safe, respectful workplace!

There’s no doubt about it, working on a railroad can be tough on work boots. See how Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Railroad realized the importance of quality and durability when it came to protecting its crew with the right footwear for the job.

With the growth of video content across various industries, Lumeo said the ability to efficiently analyze and derive insights from this data is crucial.

A 64-year-old automotive mechanic was working to remove the fuel pump from a car at his employer’s service garage.

Portable generators can be found in many workplaces. Among the risks users face, according to OSHA, are shocks and electrocution from improper use of power or unintentionally energizing other electrical systems, and fires from improperly refueling the generator or not storing fuel correctly.

Work-related hearing loss is the second most self-reported occupational illness or injury, according to NIOSH. An estimated 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job, with the most at-risk industries being agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and utilities, transportation, and military.

Although disposable respirators cannot completely protect a worker from inhaling airborne particles, they can reduce the number of particles inhaled.

Wearing the wrong kind of protective footwear on the job can cause discomfort, calluses, ingrown toenails and generally tired feet.

Chicago — Spontaneous activity, such as moving your feet back and forth, while seated can burn more calories than using a standing workstation, according to the results of a recent study.

What are key considerations in selecting emergency showers and eyewashes?

How do I know if I need a portable or plumbed emergency shower/eyewash product?

Create safety on an individual step or an entire flight of stairs with 90-degree Aluminum Nosing, which combines photoluminescent glow-in-the-dark and anti-slip protection.

According to OSHA, the most common emergency small businesses must plan for is a fire. Fire extinguishers can be invaluable tools to help fight smaller fires in the workplace or to protect evacuation routes in the event of a larger one.

Hazard reporting is a critical part of any safety program and should be done as soon as a hazard is identified.

Silver Spring, MD — The American Nurses Association, in partnership with the U.S. Public Health Service chief nurse officer and the University of North Carolina and University of Washington schools of nursing, has launched a campaign with initiatives that include addressing industry concerns such as workplace violence and safe and appropriate staffing levels.

More than 3 in 4 respondents (77 percent) to HID’s survey believe integrating digital and physical security is crucial for healthcare facilities to combat rising cyber and physical attacks.

We have the technology in place to support a safer facility, but how do we get people to make it a reality?

Bilbao, Spain — A new virtual toolkit from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, also known as EU-OSHA, consists of a series of videos aimed at helping workers understand their risk of musculoskeletal disorders and how to prevent them.