Federal Agencies

Washington — Marty Walsh is the 29th labor secretary, after the Senate confirmed his nomination March 22 in a 68-29 vote.

Washington — OSHA and its Alliance Program partners in the agriculture industry are hosting the fifth annual Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week – slated for March 29-April 2.

Washington — OSHA is looking to fill six seats on its National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.

Washington — Faced with boardroom staffing gaps and other management hurdles, Chemical Safety Board Chair and CEO Katherine Lemos says CSB is “addressing our challenges head-on and taking a proactive approach to move our agency forward to meet our mission.”

Washington — OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program on COVID-19 that focuses enforcement efforts “on companies that put the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting the coronavirus,” in response to an Executive Order from President Joe Biden.

Alexandria, VA — A coalition of trucking-related groups, including the American Trucking Associations and an organization that represents truck stop owners, is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to designate truck stops and travel plazas as mobile COVID-19 vaccination sites to help “alleviate significant challenges that truck drivers currently face in receiving an expedient vaccine.”

Washington — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on preventing the transmission of COVID-19 needs updating, health and safety experts and Democratic lawmakers said during a March 11 virtual hearing convened by the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee.

Washington — In the more than 18 months since the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement unveiled its free BSEE!Safe text message alert system, the agency reports it has supplied links to BSEE safety alerts and bulletins covering offshore oil and gas work on the Outer Continental Shelf to over 7,000 subscribers.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has updated its guidance on preventing COVID-19 exposure among workers at coal, metal and nonmetal mines.