Employee Safety (General)
2/15/12 - OSHA QuickTakes
1/26/12 - With Prevalence of Nanomaterials Rising, Panel Urges Review of Risks
A National Academy of Sciences committee called for further study of the minuscule substances, which are found in products from makeup to paint and drive a $225 billion market.
1/17/12 - OSHA QuickTakes
12/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
12/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
11/30/11 - New tire charts will help workers safely service single-piece and multi-piece rim wheels
The revised materials address OSHA's Materials Handling and Storage standard that protects workers who service single-piece and multi-piece rim wheels
11/30/11 - OSHA issues new National Emphasis Program for chemical facilities
The new NEP replaces OSHA's 2009 pilot Chemical Facility National Emphasis Program which covered several OSHA regions around the country
11/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
11/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
10/20/11 - Statement from Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on reported decline in workplace injuries and illnesses
10/17/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
10/17/11 - OSHA publishes new and revised materials on worker safety and health
To order free copies of these materials online, visit OSHA's Publications page at http://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/publication.AthruZ?pType=AthruZ#S, or call OSHA's toll free number at 800-321-6742.
10/13/11 - OSHA publishes new educational materials on protecting workers from hazards found in laboratories
OSHA published new educational materials for laboratory managers on protecting their workers from exposure to chemical, biological and physical hazards.
10/3/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
9/29/11 - NIOSH Science Blog: Prevention through Design Standard
9/28/11 - OSHA extends comment period on proposed revisions to the occupational injury and illness tracking and reporting requirements
9/21/11 - US Department of Labor's OSHA issues updated Whistleblower Investigations Manual
OSHA released a new edition of its Whistleblower Investigations Manual, one of a series of measures to improve OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program that were announced in August.
9/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
9/13/11 - NIOSH Sponsors Inaugural Conference on Eliminating Health and Safety Disparities at Work
The focus of the conference is to develop a better understanding of the social, cultural, and economic factors that create and effect occupational health and safety disparities.
9/9/11 - OSHA issues 2011 annual inspection plan for protecting workers in high-hazard workplaces
OSHA issued its annual inspection plan under the Site-Specific Targeting 2011 (SST-11) program to help the agency direct enforcement resources to high-hazard workplaces where the highest rates of injuries and illnesses occur.
9/8/11 - OSHA issues compliance directive to address workplace violence
The directive establishes uniform procedures for OSHA field staff for responding to incidents and complaints of workplace violence and conducting inspections in industries considered vulnerable to workplace violence, such as healthcare and social service settings, and late-night retail establishments.
9/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
8/31/11 - OSHA issues hazard alert on the dangers to workers of incorrectly rebuilt circuit breakers
Alert involves Eaton/Cutler-Hammer model numbers E²K and E²KM molded-case circuit breakers that were incorrectly rebuilt.
8/29/11 - OSHA urges recovery workers and public to guard against hazards during Tropical Storm Irene cleanup
8/27/11 - Notre Dame published a Web site on the hazards of aerial lifts
Part of its settlement with the state of Indiana over the death of a student videographer at a football practice last year. http://www.liftupright.org/
8/25/11 - National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2010 (Preliminary Results)
Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on fatal occupational injuries in 2010
8/23/11 - US Department of Labor improves enforcement database
Updated site, http://ogesdw.dol.gov/index, includes increased search capabilities and visual enhancements
8/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
8/1/11 OSHA QuickTakes
7/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
7/3/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
6/22/11 - OSHA seeks comments on proposed updates, revisions to the occupational injury and illness tracking and reporting requirements
6/22/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
6/7/11 - Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announces appointment of 8 new members to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health
6/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
5/26/11 - OSHA announces final rule to reduce employer burdens by removing outdated requirements, streamlining and simplifying standards
The rule, which soon will be published in the Federal Register, will help keep OSHA standards up-to-date and better enable employers to comply with their regulatory obligations.
5/26/11 - Workplace Cited as a New Source of Rise in Obesity
As workers moved from farms and factories to desks over the last half-century, calories have been piling up: about 120 to 140 a day, a new study has found.
5/23/11 - US Department of Labor's OSHA launches national survey on employers' safety and health practices
As many as 19,000 employers nationwide will receive the Baseline Survey of Safety and Health Practices, which asks questions about workplace safety and health management practices.
5/16/11 - US Labor Department's OSHA reopens public record on proposed record-keeping rule to add work-related musculoskeletal disorders column
5/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
4/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
4/15/11 - OSHA revisions strengthen Outreach Training Program
Formerly known as the "program guidelines," the new "program requirements" will apply to all Outreach Training Programs, with separate procedures for each specific program
4/14/11 - US Labor Department fall protection directive upheld in US Court of Appeals
OSHA's new directive, Standard 03-11-002, rescinded the Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction, Standard 03-00-001.
4/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
3/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
3/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
2/24/11 - OSHA timeline highlights 40 years of healthier workers, safer workplaces and a stronger America
An interactive timeline commemorating 40 years of progress protecting the safety and health of working men and women illustrates milestones from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its state partners' efforts to reduce injuries, illnesses and deaths.
2/17/11 - As U.S. Agencies Put More Value on a Life, Businesses Fret (NY Times)
Agencies that calculate the worth of a life have been raising the number, which affects how much the government should spend to prevent a single death.
2/15/11 - OSHA issues enforcement guidance on personal protective equipment to protect general industry workers' safety, health
Changes in this directive include clarifying what type of PPE employers must provide at no cost to workers and when employers are required and not required to pay for PPE. The directive also provides guidance that allows employers to use PPE that complies with current consensus standards and updates PPE enforcement policies based on court and review commission decisions.
2/15/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
2/1/11 - OSHA QuickTakes
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Health/Ergonomics/Industrial Hygiene
9/21/11 -
Also see video released by CSB
OSHA and NIOSH developed two guidance documents, one for workers and one for employers, which describe the use of spirometry testing to help reduce and prevent worker exposure to respiratory hazards.
The interpretation would have clarified the term "feasible administrative or engineering controls" as used in OSHA's noise standard. The proposed interpretation was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 19, 2010.
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The TRI program publishes information on toxic chemical disposals and other releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country
Since 2009, 577 formerly confidential chemical identities are no longer confidential and more than 1,000 health and safety studies are now accessible to the public that were previously unavailable or only available in limited circumstances
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11/14/11 - OSHA animated educational videos show how to protect workers from construction hazards
Videos cover falls in construction, workers who are struck by vehicles and heavy equipment, sprain and strain injuries, trenching and excavation hazards, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Also available in Spanish.
Unprotected trenches are among the deadliest hazards in the construction industry and the loss of life is devastating: since 2003, more than 200 workers have died in trench cave-ins, and hundreds more have been seriously injured.
OSHA and NIOSH have developed new guidance, Nail Gun Safety - A Guide for Construction Contractor, to help construction employers and workers prevent work-related nail gun injuries.
Falls are the number one killer in construction work. According to the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 617 workers in the U.S. died in falls in 2009, including 24 workers in the state of New York.
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For more details on the rule see, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos-final/hos-final-rule.aspx
The Chairwoman of the NTSB opened a new front in a continuing national conversation about a deadly habit that safety advocates are trying desperately, and with a growing sense of futility, to stop.
New technologies that help alert drivers to hazards on the road would probably do more to actually reduce distracted driving crashes.
The safety recommendation specifically calls for the 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers.
Updated 2010 fatality and injury data showing that highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level since 1949
The final rule prohibits commercial drivers from using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a commercial truck or bus. Drivers who violate the restriction will face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses.
Researchers point to differences in neck strength and musculature, and the fact that safety devices have been designed largely for male drivers.
A federal investigation found that inexpensive “curbside” carriers are no more likely to be involved in accidents, but that fatalities are more likely when accidents occur.
A recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board represents an evolving understanding of the hazards of cellphone use by drivers.
DOT Inspector General audit found that FMCSA has not identified the specific process it will use to comply with five requirements for conducting fifty percent of the pre-authority safety audits and compliance reviews onsite in Mexico.
The results confirm that the CSA model enables FMCSA and its State Partners to contact more commercial motor carriers earlier to correct safety problems and ensure compliance with safety regulations in order to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities related to commercial motor vehicles.
Eliminating dozens of burdensome regulations on traffic signs which cash-strapped state and local governments expect will save them millions of dollars
The web page also provides frequently asked questions intended to help parties understand FMCSA's process for making these legal determinations.
The number of commercial drivers that are wearing safety belts has increased by 14 percent since 2007.
DOT Estimates Three Percent Drop Beneath 2009 Record Low
AT&T places this 10:45 minute documentary on YouTube and has granted permission for distribution.
Cell carriers are exploring technology aimed at reducing distractions by temporarily interrupting service
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Emergency/Disaster Preparedness/Security
The National Terrorism Advisory System will be implemented over the next 90 days in order for DHS and our federal, state, local, tribal, community and private sector partners to transition to the new system.
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Fire Safety/Property Protection
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A new, comprehensive online form allows manufacturers, private labelers and importers to quickly submit required reports of potentially hazardous or defective products to CPSC. The online form makes it easier for businesses to report product hazards and to communicate information on consumer product safety issues with CPSC
“If products can be regulated in a harmonized manner and emerging hazards can be addressed swiftly, then consumers in all three countries can benefit”, said CPSC Chair Inez Tenenbaum.
CPSC goes live today with the SaferProducts.gov database mandated by Congress, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Product Safety Archive
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