Federal Agencies

Washington – OSHA is delaying enforcement of its updated standard on worker exposure to crystalline silica in the construction industry.

Washington – The Mine Safety and Health Administration needs to provide better oversight of coal mine operators’ emergency response plans, according to a recent audit conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Washington – OSHA has released three guidance documents intended to help chemical facilities comply with the agency’s Process Safety Management Standard (1910.119).

Washington – Concrete pump operators, concrete pumping companies and drivers who operate concrete pumps now are exempt from a 30-minute rest break requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours-of-service regulations.

Washington – President Donald Trump has signed a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal OSHA’s so-called “Volks” rule, which addressed employers’ ongoing obligation to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injury and illness data.

Washington – Funding for OSHA and NIOSH helps protect the health and safety of the nation’s workers and should not be cut. This was the message of a recent letter sent to lawmakers from more than a dozen safety organizations.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking comment on a Current Intelligence Bulletin draft document, titled “The Occupational Exposure Banding Process: Guidance for the Evaluation of Chemical Hazards.”

Washington – Secretary of Labor nominee R. Alexander Acosta is nearing full Senate confirmation after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted March 30 to advance his nomination.

Washington – NIOSH has released two electronic modules for tracking sharps injuries, as well as blood and body fluid exposures, among health care workers as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Occupational Health Safety Network.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking information from facilities that stockpile N95 respirators and high-level protective surgical gowns as part of a research study that will examine how storage conditions affect the deterioration of personal protective equipment.