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 — 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 — 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 — 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.

Washington — NIOSH wants to update its estimate of the number of organizations and workers who use respirators – and evaluate the reasons behind their use.

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

New York — Delivery workers in New York City will soon have places to safely charge the lithium-ion batteries on their e-bikes.

Phoenix — The Phoenix City Council on March 26 unanimously passed an ordinance requiring contractors and subcontractors who work with the city to have a written safety plan that addresses severe heat.

Tumwater, WA — The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is reminding employers about the tools available on its Wildfire Smoke webpage.

From workers at microwave popcorn plants to coffee roasters, people who work with the flavoring chemicals diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione may be at risk for bronchiolitis obliterans, an irreversible disease also known as “popcorn lung.”

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 – 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 — Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is among four lawmakers calling for Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta to address their concerns over OSHA’s responses to a Government Accountability Office report, issued in November, on the health and safety of meat and poultry industry workers.

Baltimore — Hog farm workers who regularly wear facemasks on the job may significantly protect themselves and those in their households from exposure to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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 — Legislation recently introduced in the House and Senate is aimed at improving working conditions and whistleblower protections in the meat and poultry processing industry.

Durham, NH — U.S. seafood workers were twice as likely to contract COVID-19 as workers in other food industries during the height of the pandemic, results of a recent study indicate.

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.

Chicago — OSHA recently launched a launched Local Emphasis Program aimed at protecting food production workers in Illinois and Ohio, who are experiencing “significantly higher” injury rates than other workers in the manufacturing industry.

State College, PA — Workers who play a role in the U.S. food supply chain are at high risk for being hospitalized with severe injuries, results of a recent study show.

Washington — A new Government Accountability Office report recommends OSHA look at “available actions” – including developing a standard on infectious disease – to help protect workers in the meat and poultry processing industries.

Atlanta — An elevated risk of death linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among workers in certain industries and occupations highlights the need for better employee health policies and targeted interventions, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

London — A group of physicians is calling on health care employers to provide female workers who are exposed to on-the-job radiation with added protections to minimize their risk of breast cancer.

Washington – OSHA and the Federal Communications Commission have published a best practices guide intended to reduce injuries among communication tower workers.

Watertown, SD — A new video from the National Association of Tower Erectors highlights the proper operation of snow-tracked vehicles when accessing remote tower locations.

Oxnard, CA — Workers in the utilities industry are at an increased risk of serious injuries and fatalities (also called SIFs), according to a recent study from safety consulting firm DEKRA Insight.

Watertown, SD — A new video from the National Association of Tower Erectors stresses hazard awareness for technicians who work with small cellular antenna towers on new or existing structures.

Watertown, SD — A new video from the National Association of Tower Erectors reinforces the importance of hazard awareness for technicians who work on wireless rooftop sites.

Watertown, SD — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association highlights the importance of hazard and environmental awareness among tower technicians who might encounter birds of prey nesting on communications towers.

Watertown, SD — Proper rescue planning for suspension trauma incidents at tower sites is the focus of a new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association.

Harrisburg, PA — Pennsylvania will explore the possibility of providing OSHA protections to workers in the public sector, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has announced.

Corvallis, OR — When temperatures rise, so do the rates of traumatic injuries among outdoor workers, according to the results of a recent Oregon State University study.

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.

Washington — Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House would extend OSHA protections to public sector employees.

Watertown, SD — “How am I going to use this rope? What am I protecting against? What characteristics does it need to have?”

Watertown, SD — Not all first aid kits are created equal, communication tower industry expert Brandon Foster emphasizes in a new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association.

What role should frontline employees play in an organization’s safety and health management system efforts?

In Episode 37, the S+H team celebrates the third anniversary of the podcast by diving into the March issue’s feature story on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Additionally, Reginald Jackson, a safety and health specialist in OSHA’s Office of General Industry and Agricultural Enforcement, discusses loading dock safety in an expanded “5 Questions With …” interview.

In Episode 52, the S+H team examines content from the June issue, including a feature story with tips on keeping your safety committee fresh and effective. Also, Iowa OSHA Bureau Chief Peggy Peterson joins the podcast to discuss how to keep workers safe in the heat during the “Five Questions With …” segment.

Washington – An in-development OSHA workgroup document will address best practices for taking temporary workers into account when creating and implementing injury and illness prevention programs.

To help workers protect themselves from the hazards of mold exposure, Honeywell Safety has published a “Mold Remediation Overview.”

Washington – NIOSH has released a publication intended to help reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries among grocery store employees and other retail workers.

Secaucus, NJ — Paced by a continuing increase in marijuana positivity rates, the positive drug test rate for U.S. workers reached its highest level in two decades in 2021, according to an annual analysis conducted by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Silver Spring, MD — Of the nearly 225,000 construction worker deaths recorded in 2020, 60% of those workers were at least 65 years old, according to a new report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

Secaucus, NJ — The percentage of workers testing positive for marijuana after an on-the-job incident or injury hit a 25-year high in 2022, according to an analysis conducted by Quest Diagnostics.

Washington — The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has updated its online hub of information and resources on substance use disorder and recovery.

Seattle — Public train and bus operators face secondhand exposure from passenger drug use, potentially affecting their physical and mental health, according to a new report.

Somers, WI — States where recreational marijuana sales are legal have seen a nearly 10% increase in on-the-job injuries among 20- to 34-year-old workers, according to a new study.