Federal Agencies

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration once again is extending its temporary hours-of-service exemptions and other regulatory relief for commercial truck drivers transporting items intended to assist with COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts.

Washington — OSHA has pushed to Jan. 31 the deadline to submit nominations to serve on the reestablished Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health.

Washington — The Senate on Dec. 8 passed a Congressional Review Act resolution in an attempt to repeal OSHA’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 vaccination, testing and masking.

Washington — Certain job characteristics may lead Black and Hispanic workers to be “disproportionately employed in occupations with high COVID-19 exposure risks,” according to a recent study from NIOSH.

Washington — Stakeholders in the commercial trucking and livestock industries are applauding a provision to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that gives livestock and insect haulers an additional exemption from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours-of-service regulations.

Washington — OSHA has extended until Jan. 26 the comment period for a proposed rule aimed at protecting workers from extreme heat exposure in indoor and outdoor settings.

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration recently renewed the two-year charter of its Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and has scheduled a virtual public meeting for Dec. 8, according to a notice published in the Nov. 23 Federal Register.

Washington — OSHA has extended until Jan. 19 the comment period on its emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 vaccination, testing and masking.

Washington — Public Citizen has filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of three former OSHA administrators, offering support for the agency’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 vaccination, testing and masking.

Pocatello, ID — The owner of a tanker testing and repair company was sentenced to one month in prison and five months of home confinement for lying to OSHA and making illegal repairs to a cargo tanker, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 19.