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Washington — Managing and controlling combustible dust should be considered a unique hazard – not simply “tidying up the place,” the Chemical Safety Board says in a recently released learning review document that includes input from workers and industry stakeholders.

Washington — In an effort to dispel “incorrect claims” about the efficacy of N95 respirators to protect wearers against COVID-19 infection, OSHA has added a section on respirators and particle size to its series of answers to frequently asked questions on protecting workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

Washington — NIOSH has extended until Dec. 14 the comment period for a Request for Information on the deployment and use of elastomeric half-mask respirators in health care settings and emergency medical services organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has again updated its list of registered disinfectants that can help prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 – extending the total number of disinfectant products on the agency’s sortable, searchable database to more than 500.

Washington — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is evaluating its next course of action after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Sept. 18 denied a CVSA petition requesting that the agency update its definition of “personal conveyance” and clarify a mileage limit.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidance intended to help employers in the retail and service industries protect workers from violence that may occur when they ask customers or co-workers to comply with store policies aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency, in accordance with the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, is seeking comment on proposed “significant new use” rules for 45 chemical substances that are subject to agency premanufacture notices.

Washington — Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia has renewed the two-year charter for the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA announced in a notice published in the Oct. 2 Federal Register.

Atlanta — Workplace water systems in facilities that have had reduced occupancy or have been unoccupied during the COVID-19 pandemic are at increased risk for bacterial growth such as Legionella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a Canadian safety and health training center are warning employers and building managers.

Washington — Two dozen Democratic senators have taken issue with the dollar amounts OSHA has chosen to levy against employers in its individual COVID-19-related fines.