Top stories

Although OSHA's Medical Services and First Aid Standard states that "adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available," the agency doesn't provide a list of required items. Safety+Health reached out to several experts with questions to help workplaces get in compliance.

Workplace safety committees don't just help identify hazards – they also serve as a launching pad for new initiatives. "Maybe you're not the decision-maker, but you might have a great idea, and you might be able to bring it to the table," one expert says.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has scheduled five public stakeholder meetings on the reinstatement of a 2017 rule that requires a competent person to inspect the workplace before a shift rather than when miners begin work.

Washington — As expected, OSHA is proposing changes to its beryllium standards for the construction and shipyard industries.

Minneapolis — A coalition consisting of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, three local affiliate unions and watchdog group Public Citizen is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a controversial final rule that removes maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “an emerging public health threat” after researchers identified an increase in cases of silicosis – an incurable lung disease – among workers who handle engineered stone used to make household countertops.

Washington — OSHA will not eliminate all the ancillary provisions in its beryllium standards for shipyards and construction, but will propose other changes in the future, according to a final rule published in the Sept. 30 Federal Register.

Washington — Eugene Scalia is the new secretary of labor, after the Senate confirmed him Sept. 26 in a 53-44 vote.

Washington — OSHA has issued a final rule that adds two fit testing protocols to the agency’s respiratory protection standard (1910.134).

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board has reversed course and will again include in its investigative reports the names of workers killed, as long as no immediate family member objects, the agency announced Sept. 17 during a public meeting.