On Safety

From almost the moment he took the reins at OSHA, administrator David Michaels has called an Injury and Illness Prevention Program Standard his “No. 1 priority.” But the recently released Department of Labor regulatory agenda suggests that is no longer the case.

Will another state create its own occupational safety and health program? Kansas mulls its options. Read about this story and more in this week’s OSHA Roundup.

Would you pay for something that’s available for free? Some people in the safety community do, and it could be the result of a scam.

OSHA requires State Plan programs to be “at least as effective” as federal OSHA. Recently, one state allegedly failed to meet that criterion, and it raises an important question that – shockingly – still has no good answer: What is OSHA’s definition of “effectiveness”?

Is Arizona’s State Plan program meeting federal standards? The state responds to federal OSHA threatening to take over construction safety oversight. Read about this story and more in this week’s OSHA Roundup.

Sean Barrett was a terrazzo worker for 20 years before silica dust took the wind out of his lungs and sidelined him.

An OSHA workgroup offers input on temporary worker safety, and a union publishes its annual injury report. Read about these stories and more in this week’s OSHA Roundup.

Occasionally, someone says something about safety I find noteworthy. In today’s post, OSHA administrator David Michaels explains why certain legislative changes need to be made to his agency’s whistleblower statute.

Workers’ Memorial Day prompted a congressional hearing on whistleblower protections and a call for better protecting workers from chemicals. Read about these stories and more in this week’s OSHA Roundup.

With today being Workers Memorial Day, we look back to remember and honor workers hurt or killed on the job, and strive to make a better workplace to ensure all workers stay safe. In today’s OSHA Roundup, learn what safety events are occurring this week across the country.