Federal Agencies

Washington — OSHA is planning to convene a Small Business Advocacy Review panel on a possible Tree Care Operations safety standard early in 2020.

Washington — NIOSH is seeking comment on a draft of the 2020-2029 strategic plan for its Center for Motor Vehicle Safety.

The General Duty Clause is intended to be used as OSHA’s catchall for regulating workplace hazards – but first the agency must satisfy a difficult four-part test.

Experts offer insight into ways this essential personal protective equipment can be misused or overlooked.

Washington — Effective Dec. 10, OSHA has updated its National Emphasis Program on amputations in manufacturing industries to “identify and reduce or eliminate” amputation-related hazards.

Washington — OSHA is in line for a $24 million funding increase as part of a federal budget agreement that passed in the House on Dec. 17.

Washington — NIOSH has published a fact sheet intended to help prevent taxi drivers from becoming victims of robbery and violence on the job.

Washington — Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Dec. 3 signed a final “rule on rules,” a 98-page document that provides guidelines for the department’s rulemaking, guidance and enforcement.

Washington — In response to a petition for rulemaking, the Federal Railroad Administration is seeking to further delay by 16 months the implementation dates of its proposed Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees regulation.

Washington — OSHA conducted 33,401 inspections in fiscal year 2019 – the largest total during the Trump administration.