Minding Your Employees’ Health to Boost Organizational EHS
Are your employees safe and healthy? How much of an impact can you have on your employees’ overall health?
Category: COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak is at top of mind for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals nationwide.
NIOSH Releases Research Agenda for COVID-19 Issues
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a research agenda for critical issues involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should focus on essential workers involved in critical continuity functions in the United States, according to NIOSH.
MIOSHA Begins Rulemaking for Permanent COVID-19 Standard
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) began a rulemaking to establish a permanent COVID-19 standard. MIOSHA submitted a Request for Rulemaking to the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, initiating the process of formal rulemaking to extend the requirements of the agency’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS).
EHS on Tap: E66 Returning to Work Post-COVID: Considerations for Your Drug and Alcohol Testing Policies
While we are still amid the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing vaccination rates and better workplace safety guidance have led organizations to look ahead to return-to-work scenarios in a post-COVID business world. One environment, health, and safety (EHS)-related angle that may be a bit overlooked is your drug and alcohol testing program. Drug and alcohol use has […]
Could a Workplace Infectious Disease Standard Be on the Horizon?
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to the hazard of infectious diseases in the workplace. Could you find yourself having to comply with a federal or state infectious disease standard?
OSHA’s New NEP Focuses on COVID-19 Enforcement
On March 12, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP), focusing enforcement on companies at which large numbers of workers face serious risk of COVID-19 infections. The NEP also prioritizes whistleblower protection enforcement for workers who face retaliation for reporting unsafe or unhealthy workplace conditions.
What Might Be in a Federal OSHA COVID-19 Standard?
On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to consider an emergency temporary standard (ETS) related to COVID-19. If the ETS is deemed necessary, the Order, titled “Protecting Worker Health and Safety,” calls on OSHA to issue it by March 15, today. What might […]
BREAKING: OSHA Launches NEP to Protect High-Risk Workers from Coronavirus
On March 12, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect workers at high risk of contracting the coronavirus. The NEP was launched in response to a January 21, 2021, Executive Order from President Joe Biden.
NIOSH Approves New Elastomeric Respirator, Publishes Research into Face Coverings
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently approved the first elastomeric respirator without an exhalation valve, developed by the Mine Safety Appliance (MSA) Corporation. Elastomeric respirators are half-facepiece or full-facepiece respirators made with a facepiece of synthetic or natural rubber material that can be repeatedly used, cleaned, disinfected, stored, and reused.
OIG: Reduced OSHA Inspections During COVID-19 Put Workers at Risk
Reduced Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic left U.S. workers’ safety at increased risk, the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded in its audit of the agency.