Construction & Utilities

San Jose, CA — A California utility provider has reached a first-of-its-kind settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency related to allegations that the company violated the Chemical Safety Board’s accidental release reporting rule.

New Orleans — When temperatures and humidity levels rise, so does the risk for heart-related emergencies, results of a recent study suggest.

Washington — The top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee is again calling for an oversight hearing on recent layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, including those at NIOSH.

Lansing, MI — In response to a “troubling rise” in struck-by fatalities on jobsites in the state, Michigan OSHA has issued a hazard bulletin.

Washington — OSHA has extended to Nov. 1 the deadline to comment on 20 of the 25 proposed rules the agency published on July 1.

Washington — The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning people not to use Werner’s 20- and 24-inch Multi-Max Pro Multi-Purpose Ladders because of safety issues.

Springfield, IL — A new Illinois law bars state agencies from changing worker safety rules to make them less stringent than federal law as it existed on Jan. 19.

London — Workers in the transportation and storage sectors may face an increased risk of harm from hazards related to climate change, according to a recent report from the Global Safety Evidence Centre.

Toronto — Workers using vacuum excavation equipment in the vicinity of electrical utilities should have proper training and “take every reasonable measure to mitigate the risk of harm,” the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association urges.

Silver Spring, MD — Workers in the construction industry represented more than a third of all workplace heat-related deaths in 2023 and 2022, according to a report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.