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Washington — Citing Arizona’s “pattern of failures to adopt and enforce standards and enforcement policies at least as effective” as those used by OSHA, the agency is proposing to “reconsider and revoke” the final approval of the state’s State Plan for oversight of worker safety and health.

Washington — Understaffed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA “lost a valuable opportunity” to better protect workers by “not identifying federal partners in a position to assist during a large-scale safety and health crisis,” concludes a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General audit report released March 31.

New Orleans — The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ended a district court’s injunction against the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees on jurisdictional grounds, with a 2-1 decision April 7.

Washington — Pointing to OSHA guidance citing “the significant risks associated with inadequate energy control procedures or the failure to properly implement them,” NIOSH is reminding employers that OSHA’s standard on lockout/tagout (1910.147) requires an inspection of written hazardous energy control procedures at least once a year.

In Episode 26, the S+H editorial team examines how language barriers can affect workplace safety. In addition, Jessica Bunting, director of the Research to Practice initiative at CPWR, discusses the ninth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, set for May 2-6.

Washington — President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Robin Hutcheson as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed leader since October 2019.

Washington — OSHA will begin identifying and citing workplaces that haven’t complied with the agency’s requirement to submit Form 300A – an annual summary of worker injury and illness data, under a newly adopted enforcement program.

Washington — A third of teachers and nearly 2 out of 5 school administrators have experienced verbal harassment or threats of violence from students during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent American Psychological Association survey show.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a proposed rule that would ban the use of chrysotile asbestos, a known human carcinogen linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma – a cancer of the membranes in the abdomen and chest.

Washington — The White House is seeking a 14.5% funding increase for OSHA under the Department of Labor’s fiscal year 2023 budget request, released March 28.