Workplace Exposures

Boston — A universal masking policy for employees at Mass General Brigham led to a significant decrease in the rate of COVID-19 infections among workers, results of a recent study by researchers at the health system show.

Lowell, MA — During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 20% of workers felt their employer met their needs to protect their safety and health, but many employers have since worked to earn employee trust in that regard, results of a recent global survey indicate.

Washington — A series of new fact sheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is intended to help employers in the transit industry protect bus, rail, maintenance and station workers from coronavirus exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York — More than a third of business leaders don’t know when their employees will return to the workplace as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to the results of a recent survey.

Dallas — The OSHA Region 6 Training Institute Education Centers has developed a webinar on the proper implementation of a respiratory protection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — A new e-tool from the AFL-CIO is aimed at helping workers identify COVID-19 exposure risks on the job.

Boston — Employers in the health care industry need to ensure adequate availability of personal protective equipment and develop additional strategies to protect their frontline workers from COVID-19, a team of researchers has concluded after finding that health care workers in the United States and United Kingdom were at least three times more likely than the general public to report being infected – even after accounting for other risk factors – during the first several weeks of the pandemic.

West Lafayette, IN — Researchers from Purdue University have developed new designs for N95 facemasks they say will extend the shelf life of the respiratory protection commonly used by health care workers.

Washington — Although the Mine Safety and Health Administration has taken steps to protect workers in the mining industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, “more action is needed” from the agency as evolving challenges mount, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General concludes in an audit report.

Washington — The Department of Health and Human Services has reopened until Sept. 25 the comment period on an interim final rule that allows NIOSH to approve a new class of powered air-purifying respirators for workers in the health care and public safety sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other changes.