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The COVID-19 outbreak is at top of mind for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals nationwide.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggested that employers consider using filtering facepiece respirators certified under other countries’ standards in light of shortages of N95 respirators. The agency issued interim enforcement guidance to regional administrators and state-run occupational safety and health programs temporarily permitting their use.
This article was last updated and reposted on July 20 in accordance with more up-to-date guidance and links to additional resources. The world has changed in an unprecedented way since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and employers have a lot of questions for our experts at Safety.BLR.com®. Read on to see how experts answered […]
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued interim guidance requiring healthcare facilities to provide surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic when respirators are not available. The California Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) standard requires the use of respiratory protection for workers exposed to airborne infectious diseases.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has provided additional regulatory relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. New steps taken by FMCSA include temporarily allowing drivers with expired Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to continue operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), allowing drivers with Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs) to drive without an observer, and allowing employers […]
Nevada state safety and health officials reminded construction firms in the state to follow social distancing practices to prevent COVID-19 infections. The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent letters to employers because the agency found workers at job sites allowed or instructed to work in close proximity.
Healthcare facilities and public health officials now must inform emergency responders when they have been exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. On March 27, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) updated its list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases to which emergency responders may be exposed (85 Federal Register 17335).
Some people are fearful of saying anything about safety, so psychology can be an effective tool for safety leaders to use. According to Dominic Cooper, this week’s Faces of EHS profile, psychology-based behavioral safety is about finding ways to give people a voice using appropriate mechanisms, so that hazards and safety issues can be safely reported […]
Environmental protection has not proven to be a significant issue as the world grapples with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One unexpected positive development is an improvement in air quality. At some point in the future, agencies, advocacy groups, and industrial organizations will likely make some use of data from satellite imagery showing less air pollution […]
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued guidance on COVID-19 infection protection in childcare services. Employers must update their Injury and Illness Protection Programs (IIPP) to protect workers from the spread of COVID-19, according to Cal/OSHA.
It’s impossible to avoid at this point, the coronavirus (COVID-19) is on everyone’s mind. Sports leagues around the world have shut down, companies are going fully remote, and colleges have switched to being exclusively online.