Federal Agencies

Washington — The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has denied the Department of Labor’s request for the dismissal of a lawsuit stemming from OSHA’s suspension of its deadline for employer submission of data from Forms 300 and 301 – part of its Improved Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule.

Washington — Potential elimination of the agency and a lack of leadership authority are among the key managerial challenges facing the Chemical Safety Board in the new year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2019.

Washington — OSHA has renewed the two-year charter for its Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.

Washington — OSHA area offices must apply a four-part test before issuing General Duty Clause citations for respiratory hazards that do not have a permissible exposure limit, the agency states in a memorandum sent to regional administrators.

Washington — OSHA has issued a proposed rule to amend certain parts of its beryllium standard for general industry in an effort “designed to clarify the standard, and to simplify or improve compliance.”

Washington — A Federal Railroad Administration final rule requiring commuter and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement a system safety program has been delayed again.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture used flawed worker injury data to advance its controversial proposal to remove maximum line speeds in pork-processing plants, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group.

Washington — The Chemical Safety Board has extended to Dec. 31 its deadline for comment on a recent initiative that seeks to better understand why efforts to manage and control combustible dust hazards “have often failed” to prevent explosions.

Quincy, MA — The construction industry experienced a “substantial share” of contractor deaths involving electrical incidents during a recent five-year period, according to a report from the National Fire Protection Association.

Washington — Labor unions, the National Employment Law Project, and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health are among the groups publicly opposing a Department of Labor proposed rule that would allow unsupervised 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.