Hazards

Washington – Workers are dying as a result of the delays in the rulemaking process, witnesses told a Senate subcommittee on Aug. 1.

To help truck drivers be physically and mentally prepared for the demands of their jobs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandates a minimum number of hours drivers must sleep on days they drive. What these regulations cannot take into account, however, is whether drivers who have a sleeping disorder have actually achieved restful sleep before getting behind the wheel.

Washington – The U.S. Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police is calling on the National Park Service to implement a plan that the organization claims will help improve the safety of employees in national parks.

Falls Church, VA – Oil and gas workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica during directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations, a new NIOSH study concludes.

Washington – Farmworkers are inadequately protected from pesticide exposure, according to a new report from advocacy group Farmworker Justice.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 33 percent of all workplace injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2011.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency is warning air-conditioning technicians, contractors, and propane manufacturers and sellers that the use of propane or other unapproved refrigerants in air-conditioning systems can lead to fires or explosions.

Washington – OSHA needs to issue more regulations that protect health care workers and conduct more inspections of facilities in that industry, according to a report released July 17 by advocacy group Public Citizen.

Richmond, CA – Agencies tasked with overseeing refinery safety in California need better coordination and stronger regulation, concludes a new report from the state’s Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety.

Washington – Air carriers that also conduct commercial air tours as well as commuter or on-demand operators that also conduct commercial air tours will now be allowed to use one combined alcohol and drug testing program instead of two, under a final rule from the Federal Aviation Administration.