Federal Agencies

Washington — NIOSH has unveiled a new resource intended to help small-business owners ensure the health and safety of employees who travel internationally.

San Diego — For the ninth consecutive year, Fall Protection – General Requirements is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard, the agency and Safety+Health announced Tuesday at the National Safety Council 2019 Congress & Expo.

Washington — Amid a push from labor unions seeking stricter regulation of respirable silica dust, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is asking for input on ways to monitor and regulate miner exposure to quartz – the most common form of respirable crystalline silica.

Washington — NIOSH has released a video intended to assist first responders with understanding personal protective equipment protocol when facing potential exposure to fentanyl – a synthetic opioid considered up to 50 times more potent than heroin – and other illicit drugs.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee is slated to host a public meeting on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 to discuss automated driving systems for commercial motor vehicles.

Washington — Independent workers – defined as people who are likely self-employed and performing short-term jobs with “no guarantee of future work beyond the task” – accounted for 12.3% of worker fatalities in 2016 and 2017, according to Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data released Aug. 9 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Washington — In recognition of 100 years of efforts to advance workplace respirator awareness, NIOSH has marked Sept. 3-6 as its inaugural Respiratory Protection Week.

Washington — President Donald Trump officially nominated Eugene Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for secretary of labor on Aug. 27.

New Haven, CT — National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and railroad safety advocates repeated their call for full implementation of Positive Train Control – emergency slowing and stopping systems designed to help prevent train crashes and derailments caused by human error.

Washington — To support implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, OSHA and Health Canada have released joint guidance on pictogram requirements for three hazard communication categories.