News

San Francisco — The Washington State Nurses Association is among four labor unions suing Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and OSHA in an effort to compel the agency to move forward with rulemaking on an infectious diseases standard that would require employers in the health care industry to protect workers from exposure to harmful infectious diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola and influenza.

London — Employee burnout is most likely to occur at age 32, according to the results of a recent survey out of the United Kingdom.

Trenton, NJ — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Oct. 28 signed an Executive Order that will require all employers in the state to follow health and safety protocols designed to protect workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council has acquired ORC HSE Strategies LLC, a move aimed at strengthening the council’s ability to provide workplace safety consulting services to employers and safety leaders at both the national and global levels.

Chicago — The American Medical Association has made available five new open access educational modules in an effort to provide physicians with proven strategies to support their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed part of its criteria for COVID-19 contact tracing, altering its definition of “close contact.”

Iowa City, IA — Farmers who require trauma care after suffering work-related injuries take nearly one hour longer to arrive at a hospital than their rural counterparts who are similarly injured while working in other industries – extra time that can often make a difference in recovery time, or even life or death, researchers say.

Wigston, England — The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, in conjunction with the World Travel and Tourism Council, has issued guidance intended to help employers in the travel and tourism industry ensure a safe return to work for employees – as well as the safety of travelers – amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next time you fuel up at a gas station, consider this: Most pump handles contain 11,000 times more germs than a toilet seat in a public restroom. And the keypad on the pump? The buttons typically have 15,000 times more germs than a public toilet seat, according to a tip sheet from KeepTruckingSafe.org.

Are your refrigerator shelves getting a little sticky? Or maybe you’ve just thrown away an item that spoiled or is part of a safety recall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lays out the steps for cleaning and sanitizing the inside of your fridge.