State News

Boise, ID — As a result of “continuing incidences of fatalities and injuries” at grain handling facilities within the jurisdiction of its Boise area office, OSHA on Dec. 31 renewed a Local Emphasis Program focused on inspections at these facilities.

Albany, NY — The New York State Department of Labor has scheduled a virtual public hearing on a proposed rule that would establish rules and regulations for workplace safety committees.

New York — Ventilation and air filtration recommendations are part of a new workplace policy guide on reducing COVID-19 transmission, published by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, a worker advocacy group.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has launched a Spanish-language online training course on bloodborne pathogens for health care, emergency response, hospitality and other industries.

Sacramento, CA — Additional revisions to California’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 have been adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, to include the California Department of Public Health’s latest recommendations for reducing the spread of the disease.

Washington — The Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for Fall 2021, released Dec. 10, includes a proposed rule that – should OSHA decide to move forward on it – would revoke Arizona’s State Plan status.

Boston — The rate of opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts workers in 2016 and 2017 rose 83.7% over the previous five-year period, with construction and agricultural occupations experiencing dramatic jumps, according to a recent report from the state’s Department of Public Health.

New York — New York City Department of Buildings inspectors issued nearly 3,700 violations during a citywide “zero tolerance” construction safety enforcement campaign, DOB Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca recently announced.

Washington — OSHA has warned Arizona, South Carolina and Utah to adopt their own version of the agency’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 for health care workers or face possible revocation of their State Plan status, according to multiple reports.

Lowell, MA — Noting that corrections officers have an average life expectancy that’s 16 years less than other occupational groups, the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace has created a mentoring toolkit aimed at combating a decline in health early in correctional workers’ careers.