Federal Agencies

Washington — NIOSH has launched a commemorative webpage to mark the agency’s 50th anniversary.

Washington — Two new fact sheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are intended to help health care workers, managers and purchase agents ensure the safe handling and disposal of sharps during the nation’s COVID-19 mass vaccination effort.

Washington — President Joe Biden has nominated Sylvia Johnson, Steve Owens and Jennifer Sass to serve as members of the Chemical Safety Board, which has operated for a year with only one of its five board seats filled.

Washington — OSHA has no target date for issuing an emergency temporary standard related to COVID-19, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh testified during an April 28 hearing convened by the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Washington — Approximately 18,000 miles of decommissioned oil and gas pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico pose safety and environmental risks, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Washington — OSHA on April 26 submitted for review to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs a draft of an emergency temporary standard related to COVID-19 – one of the final steps before the ETS can be published in the Federal Register.

Atlanta — Prompted by available data and studies that show the risk of contracting COVID-19 via contact with surfaces is low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is relaxing its exposure-prevention guidance on cleaning and disinfecting.

Washington — OSHA is requiring the recording of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines only when vaccination is required by the employer, the agency says in an addition to its series of frequently asked questions on protecting workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

"There's confusion out there on exactly what the term 'competent' means and who qualifies as a competent person," one expert says.

Pittsburgh — NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory is set to undergo a $14 million renovation and expansion, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced March 29.