Labor

Washington — OSHA has made available $11.7 million as part of its Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, the agency announced June 17.

Washington — An update to OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard could happen as soon as December, according to the Department of Labor’s latest regulatory agenda.

Tampa, FL — COVID-19 mortality rates among adults with lower levels of education who worked in the labor, service and retail industries were nearly five times higher than other groups in 2020, results of a new study by the University of South Florida show.

Tumwater, WA — Responding to concerns that some of its fall protection rules aren’t “at least as effective” as federal OSHA’s general industry and construction standards, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has initiated rulemaking to revise certain provisions of its Unified Safety Standards for Fall Protection.

Washington — The ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are the focus of an online exhibit recently unveiled by NIOSH and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Washington — National Forklift Safety Day is “a tremendous opportunity to bring design [innovations] to advance worker safety,” OSHA administrator Doug Parker said during the 2022 kickoff event, which took place June 14 at the National Press Club.

Washington — Echoing comments made by OSHA administrator Doug Parker during a hearing three weeks earlier, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said a permanent standard on COVID-19 for the health care industry may be published sometime in the fall.

Arlington, VA — As the Mine Safety and Health Administration works to develop a standard on worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica, the agency has launched an enforcement initiative aimed at boosting protections against the hazardous material.

Silver Spring, MD — Around 7 out of 10 recently surveyed nurses say staffing has gotten slightly or much worse recently, while nearly half of hospital nurses report an increase in workplace violence.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has adopted permanent rules intended to safeguard workers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, calling them “the most protective of their kind in the United States.”