Federal Agencies

Washington – NIOSH and the Labor Occupational Health Program of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health have developed a curriculum intended to teach workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities about occupational safety and health.

Washington – In an effort to ease burdens on employers, OSHA has issued a proposed rule that would “remove or revise outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, and inconsistent requirements” in 18 standards concerning recordkeeping, general industry, maritime and construction.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency and the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative have released a guide intended to help agricultural pesticide handlers, workers and managers comply with 2015 revisions to the federal Worker Protection Standard.

Washington – Beginning in 2017, employers with federal government contracts must provide their workers with up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, according to a Department of Labor final rule published Sept. 29.

Washington – Labor regulations issued during the Obama administration’s final year create a “significant burden” on industries and workers, and will lead to about $80 billion in compliance costs over the next decade, according to a recent report from the National Association of Manufacturers.

Washington – OSHA failed to follow federal rulemaking requirements when it used a memorandum to announce a revised definition of retail facilities exempt from the Process Safety Management Standard, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled.

Atlanta – Productive aging is about minimizing losses and maximizing growth. That was the message from James Grosch, NIOSH Center for Productive Aging and Work co-director and research psychologist, during a Sept. 27 webinar, “Productive Aging and Work: Theory, Health Data & Practical Solutions” – part of the NIOSH Total Worker Health webinar series.

Washington – Video event recorders, lane departure warning systems, collision mitigation systems, transponders and other safety devices may now be mounted on the inside windshield of commercial motor vehicles, according to a final rule published Sept. 23 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is urging miners to exercise extreme caution in and around vacuum trucks because of potentially life-threatening hazards, according to a safety alert released Sept. 27.