Labor

Washington – The Mine Safety and Health Administration needs to provide better oversight of coal mine operators’ emergency response plans, according to a recent audit conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Washington – OSHA has released three guidance documents intended to help chemical facilities comply with the agency’s Process Safety Management Standard (1910.119).

Corvallis, OR – Injuries among seafood-processing workers in Oregon have eclipsed the statewide average, and the rate appears to be increasing, according to a recent study from Oregon State University.

Sacramento, CA – California lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would require health care facilities to use scavenging systems to reduce “surgical plume" – toxic airborne contaminants that threaten surgical staff and patients.

Washington – President Donald Trump has signed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal OSHA’s so-called “Volks” rule, which addressed employers’ ongoing obligation to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injury and illness data.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking comment on a Current Intelligence Bulletin draft document, titled “The Occupational Exposure Banding Process: Guidance for the Evaluation of Chemical Hazards.”

Montreal – Scientific research organization IRSST has released a pamphlet intended to help workers recognize Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome.

Washington – Funding for OSHA and NIOSH helps protect the health and safety of the nation’s workers and should not be cut. This was the message of a recent letter sent to lawmakers from more than a dozen safety organizations.

Washington – Secretary of Labor nominee R. Alexander Acosta is nearing full Senate confirmation after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted March 30 to advance his nomination.

Washington – NIOSH has released two electronic modules for tracking sharps injuries, as well as blood and body fluid exposures, among health care workers as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Occupational Health Safety Network.