Labor

Washington — The Department of Labor is accepting comment until Nov. 26 on a proposed rule that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

Washington — The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has extended to Nov. 16 the comment period on potential revisions to its procedural rules, in part to reflect technological advances.

Washington — The American Hotel and Lodging Association and five major corporations have announced their commitment to improve employee safety in the industry, including measures designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault.

Washington — The Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, has released a video intended to protect first responders who face potential exposure to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considered up to 50 times more potent than heroin.

Sacramento, CA — California has become the first state to require professional cosmetics manufacturers to disclose ingredients – including hazardous chemicals – on their product labels.

Washington — OSHA is not doing enough to ensure it has complete information on work-related deaths and severe injuries, and is not consistent in citing establishments that fail to file required reports, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General states in an audit report released Sept. 13.

Washington — Entrapment from floor collapse, burns and asphyxiation are among the dangers faced by firefighters who respond to fires in basements and other below-grade areas, according to a recently published report from NIOSH.

Washington — OSHA is set to receive a $5 million budget increase, after the House and Senate resolved their differences in a Sept. 13 congressional conference committee meeting on a “minibus” appropriations bill.

Tumwater, WA — A Washington State Department of Labor & Industries analysis of occupational exposures to hazardous substances found that, between 2008 and 2016, more than a quarter of the substances sampled in the state registered twice the recommended severity level – with some well beyond.

Washington — NIOSH has published its National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade, as well as its NORA for Traumatic Injury Prevention – both intended to spotlight the research, information and actions most needed to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.