News

Washington – Almost 7 million workers in California have no access to paid sick days, according to a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Washington – The Federal Railroad Administration has provided a boost to the development of a Short Line Rail Safety Institute by awarding a pair of grants totaling $350,000.

Vienna, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety has developed a free online toolkit to help organizations strengthen their road safety programs.

Washington – Workers who gauge tanks during oil and gas extraction flowback procedures may be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene and other volatile chemicals, according to NIOSH.

Washington – A coalition of health, labor and environmental groups has filed a petition seeking to end chemical manufacturers’ ability to indefinitely maintain “confidentiality claims” for information submitted under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act.

Washington – The Federal Railroad Administration issued a series of amendments to its requirements for Positive Train Control systems in a final rule published in the Aug. 22 Federal Register.

Washington – Federal OSHA has published its latest annual reports evaluating each of the 27 State Plan states.

Washington – OSHA is reconsidering Arizona’s State Plan status in light of a state statute that changed residential construction fall protection requirements to a level the federal agency claims is not “at least as effective” as federal requirements.

Washington – NIOSH on Aug. 19 released a brochure with advice on how truck drivers can achieve better sleep while on the road or at home.

Washington – OSHA is developing a new set of forms intended to help employers who apply for variances from certain requirements in federal worker protection standards.