Silver Spring, MD – Hospitals should put in place the “highest standards” for protective equipment and hands-on training to protect health care workers from Ebola, National Nurses United said in a statement issued Oct. 12.

Washington – A lack of mandatory standards on Ebola for health care workers leaves nurses unprepared and vulnerable to infection, a registered nurse and union official testified during an Oct. 24 House hearing.

Silver Spring, MD — In response to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the nation’s largest union and professional association of direct care registered nurses is petitioning OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard to protect frontline workers, patients and the public from the potentially deadly respiratory illness.

Silver Spring, MD — More than 3 out of 4 nurses say their employer isn’t providing a safe workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent National Nurses United survey indicate – a finding the labor union claims underlines the impact of businesses “reopening too soon.”

San Francisco — The Washington State Nurses Association is among four labor unions suing Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and OSHA in an effort to compel the agency to move forward with rulemaking on an infectious diseases standard that would require employers in the health care industry to protect workers from exposure to harmful infectious diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola and influenza.

Silver Spring, MD — Global Nurses United is demanding stronger COVID-19 guidance from the World Health Organization, including a call for more personal protective equipment for health care workers and acknowledgement from WHO on how the virus is spread.

Silver Spring, MD — Pushing back on calls to roll back certain workplace safety rules, National Nurses United contends hospital industry cost-cutting has put health care worker safety at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the “current staffing and capacity crises.”

Silver Spring, MD — The nation’s largest union and professional association of direct care registered nurses is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update agency guidance and reinstate the “recommendation to everyone to wear masks in public or in physical proximity to others outside their own household.”

Silver Spring, MD — The nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses is urging Congress to pass pending legislation that would “end the industry-created nurse staffing crisis” by setting mandated staffing levels in hospitals, as well as take other actions that would improve working conditions for nurses.

Silver Spring, MD — Claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “once again responding to political pressures from those desperate to remove any safety protocols during this deadly pandemic that is still causing unacceptable numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths every day,” the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses is calling on the agency to reverse its most recent COVID-19 guidance.

Washington — OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have scheduled a national Workers Memorial Day ceremony for April 27 at the Department of Labor headquarters.

Washington – Both host employers and staffing firms are responsible for protecting temporary workers, OSHA administrator David Michaels stresses in a recently released video.

Washington – Newly released draft guidance an OSHA advisory committee recommends that staffing firms and host employers implement a safety and health program describing the responsibilities of both entities to protect temporary workers.

Washington — For the second time in less than four years, the National Labor Relations Board has changed its definition of a “joint employer.”

Washington — State driver’s licensing agencies will have 60 days to initiate mandatory downgrades of commercial driver’s licenses and commercial learner’s permits once notified that a commercial motor vehicle operator has failed a drug or alcohol test, under a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration final rule set to go into effect Nov. 8.

Washington — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a final rule intended to protect drivers and passengers on motorcoaches and large buses during rollovers by enhancing the structural integrity of the vehicles.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is moving forward with – and seeking comment on – a proposed rule that would require the installation of speed-limiting devices on trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking stakeholder comment on whether to require universal electronic identification for commercial motor vehicles operating in interstate commerce.

Basel, Switzerland – Health care professionals’ judgment varies significantly when they conduct medical evaluations to determine whether workers should receive disability benefits for an injury or illness, and standards are needed to improve the process, according to researchers from the University of Basel.

Boston — Injury and illness prevention efforts are most needed in Massachusetts’ transportation and warehousing industry, results of a recent analysis of workers’ compensation claims show.

Washington — The House has passed legislation that would expand the types of medical professionals who can treat injured employees under the Federal Workers’ Compensation Program.

Waterloo, Ontario — Understanding the emotions injured workers experience – and the actions they take – when going through injury and claims processes they believe are unfair can be helpful to everyone involved in the workers’ compensation system, results of a recent study by Canadian researchers suggest.

Carson City, NV — Recently introduced legislation in Nevada would provide outdoor workers with additional protections against extreme heat and poor air quality.

Raleigh, NC — The longer the heat index remains above 90° F, the more employers may pay in workers’ compensation costs for missed workdays, a recent study of North Carolina workers shows.

Washington — OSHA is asking representatives from small businesses, as well as local governments and nonprofit organizations, to weigh in on how a standard to protect workers from heat illness would affect small entities.

Washington — OSHA has published a new resource on how best to protect pregnant workers from heat-related illnesses.

Falls Church, VA – The American Industrial Hygiene Association on Oct. 31 issued guidance about safely removing corrosive drywall from buildings.

Washington – OSHA recently issued a fact sheet about protecting workers from abrasive blasting materials.

London – Guidance documents released Jan. 29 from the Energy Institute aim to help employers meet four particular focus areas of a process safety management program.

Arlington, VA – A new guide from the Mine Safety and Health Administration aims to help metal and nonmetal mine operators comply with the agency’s ladder safety standards.

St. Paul, MN – Power press operators should wear proper eye, hand and feet protection to avoid potential hazards created by their work, Minnesota OSHA warns in a recently issued safety hazard alert.

Lansing, MI – The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has approved two alternatives for complying with its rules on scissor lifts.

Salem, OR – A new comprehensive guide from Oregon OSHA intends to help small-business owners and managers develop respiratory protection programs.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has released materials for its annual campaign to address roof and rib (wall) falls in underground coal mines.

Cincinnati – Employers whose workers are exposed to diacetyl now can obtain guidance from a new NIOSH document.

Washington – OSHA has published new guidance intended to help small businesses comply with the agency’s Confined Spaces in Construction Standard.

The RS360 workplace safety portfolio has been expanded with a new Remote Safeguarding Assessment Service designed for customers with less complex machine safeguarding requirements that need to be evaluated for CFR OSHA 1910, ANSI B11 series standards and NFPA 79/70E compliance.

Geneva — A new guidebook from the International Labor Organization is intended to help employers compile data on key performance indicators related to safety and health.

Workers caught in trench collapses rarely survive because soil can be extremely heavy. A cubic yard of soil can weigh up to 3,000 pounds – roughly the weight of a small motor vehicle, according to OSHA.

Washington — A new law permanently restores a recently expired excise tax rate increase on coal production, which will help fund health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease.

Washington — A new software training module from NIOSH is intended to assist mine operators, miners and industry stakeholders with emergency decision-making during coal mine rescues.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art’s academic facility at 41 Cooper Square in New York, attained LEED Platinum certification. ASSA ABLOY supplied door and hardware products.

Washington – NIOSH is offering a free online training program to help educate nurses and supervisors about reducing the health and safety risks of shift work and long hours.

Kuopio, Finland – Longer breaks between shifts can help nurses bounce back from the demands of work, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland.

Groningen, Netherlands – The experience of being on-call is a major factor in worker fatigue, increasing the need for shift workers to recuperate, indicates a study from the University of Groningen.

Boston – Women who work the night shift as young adults may have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of nurses conducted by the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

L’Aquila, Italy — A recently released study has linked sleep disorders and burnout to certain aspects of shift work among nurses.

Los Angeles – Pesticide exposure may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, and individual risk varies based on a person’s genetic makeup, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 20 proposed new safety measures intended to protect farmworkers from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency and the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative have released a guide intended to help agricultural pesticide handlers, workers and managers comply with 2015 revisions to the federal Worker Protection Standard.