Federal Agencies

Washington — Eugene Scalia’s nomination for secretary of labor advanced on a party-line vote Sept. 24 in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Washington — Building on research in its initial report issued last year, the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center has released its second “Mass Attacks in Public Spaces” report.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended by 14 days the comment period for a proposed rule the agency claims would add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers, according to a notice published in the Sept. 19 Federal Register.

Washington — A recent audit from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General found no correlation between safe mining operations and paid civil monetary penalties issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — Eugene Scalia attempted to buck his reputation as a defender of solely corporate interests during his confirmation hearing for secretary of labor on Sept. 19.

Washington — Commercial motor vehicle drivers are no longer officially required to take a weekly break of at least 34 consecutive hours, including two breaks between 1 and 5 a.m., to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours-of-service regulations, under a new final rule.

Emmitsburg, MD — Of the estimated 26,000 fire-related firefighter injuries that occurred annually from 2015 to 2017, 87% were related to structure fires, according to data published in the July edition of the U.S. Fire Administration’s “Topical Fire Report Series.”

Washington — A controversial U.S. Department of Agriculture final rule unveiled Sept. 17 removes maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants and transfers certain inspection responsibilities to plant workers.

Washington — Scott Ketcham is the new director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction.

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration has extended until March 4 its stay on publishing a final rule requiring commuter and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement system safety programs.