Federal Agencies

Washington – Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and five other members of the House have sent a letter to the White House calling for Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso to be replaced.

Washington – NIOSH is looking to hear from companies with established lockout/tagout programs to help small businesses and employees in the food and beverage processing industry.

Washington – A new online form and email address have been created to process Freedom of Information Act requests sent to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking input on its program that investigates firefighter line-of-duty deaths.

Washington – OSHA will be requesting input from stakeholders this fall on how to increase the effectiveness of its Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program.

Washington – NIOSH has announced plans to expand its health surveillance program for coal miners.

Washington – President Barack Obama has announced that he intends to nominate Christopher Hart as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Washington – OSHA is scheduled to conduct a training event July 29-31 for federal agency staff responsible for workplace safety and health issues.

Washington – Peer-to-peer training can help teach teens about hazards on the job, including workplace violence, OSHA administrator David Michaels said during a June 24 press event that featured a number of teen peer leaders from across the country.

OSHA plans to move forward on an update of its Process Safety Management Standard (1910.119) and pursue other potential rule changes within the next year – all part of an interagency federal effort to improve safety and security at chemical facilities, the agency stated in a June 6 report to President Barack Obama.