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On January 7, President-Elect Joseph Biden named Boston Mayor Marty Walsh his nominee for secretary of Labor. Walsh would be the first labor union member to serve as labor secretary in nearly half a century, according to the Biden-Harris transition team. Before turning to politics, Walsh held a number of labor union leadership positions, heading […]
In December, the EPA released its final risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane, a chemical “currently used as a solvent in a variety of commercial and industrial applications such as in the manufacture of other chemicals, a processing aid, functional fluid, a laboratory chemical, in adhesives and sealants, in spray polyurethane foam, in printing inks, and as […]
Most of the year, you probably hear a lot of warnings about heat illness or stress. Winter may offer a break from the heat, but your workers may be facing a whole other set of cold weather hazards.
If there’s one thing that most people can agree on, it’s some measure of relief that the year 2020 is behind us. It was a time of constant disruption and uncertainty, and while change will continue to be the norm in 2021, we’re all hoping the changes will be a little less painful. What might […]
There is no doubt that 2020 has not been a great year for most organizations, no matter if you’re a business, a nonprofit, or a government agency. The multilayered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s health and wellness and has pushed people responsible for workplace safety in directions they have […]
On December 22, 2020, the federal district court in the northern district of California ordered the EPA to make broad changes in its asbestos reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.
The diagnosis of histoplasmosis, a fungal infection of the lungs, often can be delayed due to a lack of awareness of the condition, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said in its January 2021 newsletter on recent research developments. Workers in agriculture and construction are at higher risk for histoplasmosis, which is […]
The number of U.S. workplace deaths rose 2% in 2019 to 5,333 from 5,250 fatal workplace injuries in 2018, according to the most recent Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, the same […]
On December 14, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its inspection policy for workplaces with the highest reported injury and illness rates. The Site-Specific Targeting (SST) inspection plan does not include construction industry worksites.
The EPA issued final rules to reduce exposure to five persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on December 22, 2020.