Hazards

Fort Collins, CO – Almost one-quarter of workers in Colorado’s cannabis industry have never received workplace safety and health training, and the remaining three-quarters have reported discrepancies in the quantity and quality of their training, according to a recent study from Colorado State University and the Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health.

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

Sacramento, CA – California lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would require health care facilities to use scavenging systems to reduce “surgical plume" – toxic airborne contaminants that threaten surgical staff and patients.

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.

Iowa City, IA – Companies with fewer than 5,000 employees assess their workplace violence programs less often than larger companies, and apply fewer training topics and external resources, according to a report from the University of Iowa.

Atlanta – Opioids, including those obtained by prescription as well as illegal forms such as heroin, were involved in more than 33,000 overdose deaths in 2015 – more than any year on record and nearly quadruple the number of overdoses recorded in 2000, according to the latest issue of "Business Pulse" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At a recent Capitol Hill briefing, American Industrial Hygiene Association officials and former OSHA administrator David Michaels made their case to members of Congress about the benefits of OSHA's recent final rule on protecting workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations is calling for the federal government to release guidelines and standards regarding the use of hair samples as a drug-testing method for commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington – A final rule intended to protect workers from exposure to beryllium has been delayed a second time.

Washington – The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a proposed rule that would ban use of the toxic chemical trichloroethylene as an aerosol degreaser and as a spot cleaner in dry cleaning facilities.