Labor

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.

Philadelphia — OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program as part of a multipronged effort to protect workers from outdoor and indoor heat exposure.

Bilbao, Spain — Employee participation in workplace interventions that target musculoskeletal disorders “strengthens the possibility for identification of the most relevant health problems,” according to a new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Washington — Proposed legislation that would ease access to health care and other benefits for coal miners who have black lung disease is advancing in the House.

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a virtual stakeholder meeting on the agency’s efforts to protect workers from heat-related hazards.

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 — 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 — Small organizations that make Total Worker Health part of their business strategy – and have leaders who support it – are “poised to advance the well-being of their workers,” a recent NIOSH study concludes.

Washington — Promoting mental health in the workplace is the goal of a new public education campaign from the Department of Labor.

Secaucus, NJ — Paced by a continuing increase in marijuana positivity rates, the positive drug test rate for U.S. workers reached its highest level in two decades in 2021, according to an annual analysis conducted by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.