News

Washington — OSHA has released initial enforcement guidelines for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for general industry and maritime, a couple of weeks before many of the rule’s provisions are scheduled to go into effect.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board faces two significant managerial challenges, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General contends in a report released June 4.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL — In 2017, positive tests for illicit drugs in the American workforce remained at their highest level in more than a decade, according to the annual Drug Testing Index from lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Washington — Lawmakers have proposed bipartisan legislation that would create a committee to advise Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta on ways the Department of Labor could help combat opioid misuse and addiction in the workforce.

Albany, NY — Attorneys general from New York, California and Maryland have filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to indefinitely delay a requirement for employers to provide enhanced training intended to protect farmworkers, pesticide handlers and their families from exposure to pesticides.

Toronto — The Institute for Work and Health has published a guide intended to assist workers who experience depression or support those coping with it.

Washington — Municipalities and motor carriers need to provide better oversight of school bus driver qualifications and operations, a recent special investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board concludes.

Washington — Fires and explosions from flammable atmospheres in confined spaces are the most common causes of hot work-related fatalities among workers, the Chemical Safety Board states in a recently released fact sheet.

Washington — The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is seeking input on potential improvements to its Emergency Response Guidebook as the agency prepares a revised edition for release in 2020, according to a notice published in the May 23 Federal Register.

Washington — Three lawmakers have introduced a pair of bipartisan bills that would grant electronic logging device exemptions to certain segments of the commercial motor vehicle industry.