Federal Agencies

Washington — OSHA has made available nearly $22 million in grants aimed at improving worker safety and health training.

Washington — A proposal to “streamline and improve error-correction procedures, queries, and consent requirements” within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is among the anticipated agency actions listed on the Department of Transportation’s regulatory agenda for Spring 2021.

Denver — A surge in construction on Colorado’s Front Range and concerns over recent worker deaths statewide have prompted OSHA to launch an initiative to inspect worksites on weekends, “when worksites often go unchecked.”

Chicago — OSHA has launched a Regional Emphasis Program to address on-the-job noise hazards in the Midwest manufacturing industry.

San Francisco — Worker deaths caused by exposure to methylene chloride are on the rise, according to researchers from OSHA and the University of California, San Francisco, who identified 32 deaths on top of those the Environmental Protection Agency had recently reported over a period spanning nearly four decades.

Washington — OSHA is requesting input regarding its emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 for health care workers.

Washington — Doug Parker’s nomination to lead OSHA moved closer to a Senate confirmation with a 13-9 vote by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on June 16.

Arlington, VA — Seven of the 15 fatal on-the-job injuries among miners to date this year have involved workers with two years or less of experience, prompting the Mine Safety and Health Administration to remind employers of the importance of training.

Washington — A railway crew’s failure to operate within safe speed requirements and the Federal Railroad Administration’s interpretation of a safety regulation were factors in a fatal collision between a BNSF intermodal train and a work train in 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded.

Washington — As expected, the Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for Spring 2021 – the first under the Biden administration – features some changes, most significantly a forthcoming proposed rule from OSHA that would restore two parts of the agency’s injury and illness recordkeeping regulations.