Federal Agencies

Washington – An advisory from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration warns commercial motor vehicle drivers, passengers and carriers about the hazards of traveling with Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones and other devices with defective lithium-ion batteries.

Anaheim, CA – OSHA’s final rule on walking/working surfaces to address slips, trips and falls in the workplace soon could be a reality, agency administrator David Michaels said Tuesday during a roundtable discussion at the 2016 NSC Congress & Expo.

Washington – OSHA and the Environmental Protection Association are urging employers to perform a root cause analysis after an incident or near miss occurs at a facility, in a recently released fact sheet.

Washington – The federal government’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673 final rule is unconstitutional and should be voided, according to a lawsuit filed Oct. 7 by Associated Builders and Contractors, its chapter in southeast Texas, and the National Association of Security Companies.

Anaheim, CA – The status of OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program was in the spotlight during the “OSHA Current Activities” Technical Session on Monday at the 2016 NSC Congress & Expo.

Washington – Military veterans who operated commercial motor vehicles during their service will have an easier time obtaining learner’s permits and driver’s licenses to become CMV operators as civilians, thanks to a recently published final rule intended to simplify the process.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is calling fiscal year 2016 “the safest year in mining history” after a record-low 24 deaths occurred – a decrease of nearly 37 percent over the previous fiscal year’s total of 38 fatalities.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency will fast-track the evaluation of five persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals under requirements established by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which was signed into law in June.

Washington – The Mine Safety and Health Administration needs a more consistent approach to logging, assessing and responding to complaints of hazardous mine conditions, according to the results of a recent audit conducted by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment on two proposed changes to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability program Safety Measurement System website.