Workplace Exposures

Tumwater, WA — After a record-setting heat wave and numerous wildfires last summer, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has issued emergency rules intended to protect workers exposed to outdoor heat and unhealthy air caused by wildfire smoke.

Washington — OSHA is requesting public comment on a proposed rule that would revise the agency’s standards on occupational exposure to lead in general industry and construction.

How much recent progress – if any – has been made in the prevention of serious injuries and fatalities?

What do safety professionals need to know about heatstroke and how to prepare for these emergencies?

Tampa, FL — COVID-19 mortality rates among adults with lower levels of education who worked in the labor, service and retail industries were nearly five times higher than other groups in 2020, results of a new study by the University of South Florida show.

Washington — The ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are the focus of an online exhibit recently unveiled by NIOSH and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Washington — Echoing comments made by OSHA administrator Doug Parker during a hearing three weeks earlier, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said a permanent standard on COVID-19 for the health care industry may be published sometime in the fall.

Arlington, VA — As the Mine Safety and Health Administration works to develop a standard on worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica, the agency has launched an enforcement initiative aimed at boosting protections against the hazardous material.

Silver Spring, MD — Around 7 out of 10 recently surveyed nurses say staffing has gotten slightly or much worse recently, while nearly half of hospital nurses report an increase in workplace violence.

Chicago — The lung tissue of contemporary coal miners contains higher levels of respirable crystalline silica dust than was found in miners of past generations – which may explain an ongoing surge in cases of the most severe form of black lung disease, researchers at University of Illinois Chicago say.