Business & Industry

Nashville – Participants in Tennessee’s Voluntary Protection Program have injury and illness rates that are 70 percent lower than national industry averages, according to the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Washington – Gauging the effectiveness of federal and state-run OSHA programs is one of the Department of Labor’s biggest challenges, according to the DOL Office of Inspector General.

Washington – NIOSH recently issued an update to its strategic plan for protecting workers from safety and health hazards associated with nanotechnology.

Washington – NIOSH is requesting feedback on a draft update to its criteria for a recommended standard on occupational exposure to heat.

Eagan, MN – Some workers are not reporting on-the-job injuries for fear of retaliation, according to survey results released in December by FindLaw.com, a legal information website.

Perth, Australia – Promoting activity in the workplace can help reduce sitting time, but not by much among workers with fixed schedules, according to a new study from Curtin University.

Washington – Nearly 30 percent of employers that rank among the top violators of federal wage and safety laws receive federal contracts, according to a report issued Dec. 11 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after a yearlong investigation.

Washington – OSHA lacks sufficient controls to ensure worksites in the Voluntary Protection Programs maintain “exemplary occupational safety and health systems,” according to a Dec. 16 report from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Washington – Screening data for nearly 2,000 chemicals is available through the Environmental Protection Agency’s new Interactive Chemical Safety for Sustainability Dashboard.

New York – As part of an effort to reduce potential exposure to a toxic chemical found in some older fluorescent light ballasts in schools, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidance on the proper maintenance and management of the ballasts.