The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) placed on public inspection today a proposal to protect workers in shipyards and construction from beryllium exposure by more appropriately tailoring the requirements of the standards to the exposures in these industries.
Showing posts with label Federal Register. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Federal Register. Show all posts
Monday, October 14, 2019
Friday, April 19, 2019
EPA Asbestos Rule Announced: Still Leaves Deadly Carcinogen Legal
Today’s post is shared from ewg.com
The
rule announced today by the US Environmental Protection Agency claiming to
strengthen the agency’s ability to restrict certain uses of the notorious
carcinogen asbestos falls short of what is required to fully protect public
health, said The Environmental Working Group [EWG] legislative attorney Melanie
Benesh.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Public Comment Sought on Draft Document for Workplace Tobacco Policies
NIOSH is seeking public comment on a draft Current Intelligence Bulletin,Promoting Health and Preventing Disease and Injury through Workplace Tobacco Policies. The public comment period is open for 30 days, closing on September 15. Occupational safety and health practitioners, healthcare professionals, and the general public are encouraged to review the document and provide comments. https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-19384.
Friday, January 3, 2014
OSHA announces proposed new rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses
"Three million injuries are three million too many," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "With the changes being proposed in this rule, employers, employees, the government and researchers will have better access to data that will encourage earlier abatement of hazards and result in improved programs to reduce workplace hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities. The proposal does not add any new requirement to keep records; it only modifies an employer's obligation to transmit these records to OSHA."The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a proposed rule to improve workplace safety and health through improved tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. The announcement follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics' release of its annual Occupational Injuries and Illnesses report, which estimates that three million workers were injured on the job in 2012.
The public will have 90 days, through Feb. 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule. On Jan. 9, 2014, OSHA will hold a public meeting on the proposed rule in Washington, D.C. A Federal Register notice announcing the public meeting will be published shortly.OSHA is also proposing that establishments with 20 or more employees, in certain industries with high injury and illness rates, be required to submit electronically only their summary of work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA once a year. Currently, many such firms report this information to OSHA under OSHA's Data Initiative.The proposed rule was developed following a series of stakeholder meetings in 2010 to help OSHA gather information about electronic submission of establishment-specific injury and illness data. OSHA is proposing to amend its current recordkeeping regulations to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep under existing standards, Part 1904. The first proposed new requirement is for establishments with more than 250 employees (and who are already required to keep records) to electronically submit the records on a quarterly basis to OSHA.
OSHA plans to eventually post the data online, as encouraged by President Obama's Open Government Initiative. Timely, establishment-specific injury and illness data will help OSHA target its compliance assistance and enforcement resources more effectively by identifying workplaces where workers are at greater risk, and enable employers to compare their injury rates with others in the same industry. Additional information on the proposed rule can be found athttp://www.dol.gov/find/20131107/ and http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/proposed_data_form.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
The public will have 90 days, through Feb. 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule. On Jan. 9, 2014, OSHA will hold a public meeting on the proposed rule in Washington, D.C. A Federal Register notice announcing the public meeting will be published shortly.OSHA is also proposing that establishments with 20 or more employees, in certain industries with high injury and illness rates, be required to submit electronically only their summary of work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA once a year. Currently, many such firms report this information to OSHA under OSHA's Data Initiative.The proposed rule was developed following a series of stakeholder meetings in 2010 to help OSHA gather information about electronic submission of establishment-specific injury and illness data. OSHA is proposing to amend its current recordkeeping regulations to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep under existing standards, Part 1904. The first proposed new requirement is for establishments with more than 250 employees (and who are already required to keep records) to electronically submit the records on a quarterly basis to OSHA.
OSHA plans to eventually post the data online, as encouraged by President Obama's Open Government Initiative. Timely, establishment-specific injury and illness data will help OSHA target its compliance assistance and enforcement resources more effectively by identifying workplaces where workers are at greater risk, and enable employers to compare their injury rates with others in the same industry. Additional information on the proposed rule can be found athttp://www.dol.gov/find/20131107/ and http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/proposed_data_form.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
Monday, December 16, 2013
FDA challenges safety, effectiveness of antibacterial soaps
In many medical treatment scenarios antibacterial soaps have been used and prescribed to treat injured workers. The US FDA has announced that new procedures to substantiate the allegations of the manufacturers as to the effectiveness and safety of these products. Today's post is shared from cidrap.umn.edu
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposed a rule that would require companies that make antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to show that the products are safe for long-term use and are better than regular soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of infections.
Under the FDA's proposal, manufacturers that don't demonstrate the safety and effectiveness would be required to reformulate the products or relabel them to remain on the market, the agency said in a statement today. The FDA detailed its proposal in a 130-page report posted in the Federal Register and is taking comments on it over the next 180 days. Today's rule proposal doesn't apply to hand sanitizers, wipes, or antibacterial products used in healthcare settings. The FDA's proposed rules are part of a broader effort to weigh the benefit and risks of certain active ingredients in antibacterial products, including triclosan in liquid soaps and triclocarban in bar soaps. Scientists have raised concerns about a possible role of widespread antiseptic use in the development of antibiotic resistance. The FDA said in... |
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
US Labor Department seeks public comment on agency standards to improve chemical safety
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a request for information seeking public comment on potential revisions to its Process Safety Management standard and related standards, as well as other policy options to prevent major chemical incidents.
The RFI is in response to executive order 13650, which seeks to improve chemical facility safety and security, issued in the wake of the April 2013 West, Texas, tragedy that killed 15 in an ammonium nitrate explosion.
In addition to comments on its Process Safety Management standard, OSHA seeks input on potential updates to its Explosives and Blasting Agents, Flammable Liquids and Spray Finishing standards, as well as potential changes to PSM enforcement policies. The agency also asks for information and data on specific rulemaking and policy options, and the workplace hazards they address. OSHA will use the information received in response to this RFI to determine what actions, if any, it may take.
After publication of the RFI in the Federal Register, the public will have 90 days to submit written comments. Once the RFI is published in the Federal Register, interested parties may submit comments at www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Comments may also be submitted by mail or facsimile. To view the RFI visit http://www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/OSHA_PSM_RFI.pdf. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/index.html.
The RFI is in response to executive order 13650, which seeks to improve chemical facility safety and security, issued in the wake of the April 2013 West, Texas, tragedy that killed 15 in an ammonium nitrate explosion.
In addition to comments on its Process Safety Management standard, OSHA seeks input on potential updates to its Explosives and Blasting Agents, Flammable Liquids and Spray Finishing standards, as well as potential changes to PSM enforcement policies. The agency also asks for information and data on specific rulemaking and policy options, and the workplace hazards they address. OSHA will use the information received in response to this RFI to determine what actions, if any, it may take.
After publication of the RFI in the Federal Register, the public will have 90 days to submit written comments. Once the RFI is published in the Federal Register, interested parties may submit comments at www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Comments may also be submitted by mail or facsimile. To view the RFI visit http://www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/OSHA_PSM_RFI.pdf. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/index.html.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The startling rise of disability in America
In the past three decades, the number of Americans who are on disability has skyrocketed. The rise has come even as medical advances have allowed many more people to remain on the job, and new laws have banned workplace discrimination against the disabled. Every month, 14 million people now get a disability check from the government.  The federal government spends more money each year on cash payments for disabled former workers than it spends on food stamps and welfare combined. Yet people relying on disability payments are often overlooked in discussions of the social safety net. The vast majority of people on federal disability do not work. Yet because they are not technically part of the labor force, they are not counted among the unemployed. In other words, people on disability don't show up in any of the places we usually look to see how the economy is doing. But the story of these programs -- who goes on them, and why, and what happens after that -- is, to a large extent, the story of the U.S. economy. It's the story not only of an aging workforce, but also of a hidden, increasingly expensive safety net. For the past six months, I've been reporting on the growth of federal disability programs. I've been trying to understand what disability means for American workers, and, more broadly, what it means for poor people in America nearly 20 years... |
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Rules to improve employment of people with disabilities and veterans published today
| The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the Federal Register published two final rules to improve hiring and employment of veterans and for people with disabilities. The rules were first announced Aug. 27, 2013, and more information is available at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/ofccp/OFCCP20131578.htm. The rules will become effective March 24, 2014, and federal contractors will be required to comply with most of the final rule's requirements by that date. However, some contractors may have additional time to comply with the requirements in subpart C, which relates to affirmative action plans. Contractors with affirmative action plans in place on March 24 may maintain them until the end of their plan year and delay their compliance with the final rule's affirmative action plan requirements until the start of their next plan cycle. |
Saturday, February 11, 2012
US Labor Department announces comprehensive final rule on H-2B foreign labor certification program
 Image via Wikipedia |
| Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis |
The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and its Wage and Hour Division today announced a final rule to improve the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program. The rule, to be published in the Feb. 21 edition of the Federal Register, includes changes to several aspects of the program to ensure that U.S. workers receive greater access to jobs and strengthens worker protections.
The H-2B program allows the entry of foreign workers into the United States on a temporary basis when qualified U.S. workers are not available, and the employment of those foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. The H-2B program is limited by law to a cap of 66,000 visas per year.
"The H-2B program is designed to help businesses when there is a temporary shortage of U.S. workers," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The rule announced today will ensure that the program is used as intended by making these jobs more accessible to U.S. workers and providing stronger protections for every worker."
The department responded to comments received from employers and worker advocates in drafting the final rule, providing employers with greater flexibility and certainty throughout the application and recruitment processes as well as improving U.S. workers' access to jobs. The final rule creates a national registry for all H-2B job postings and increases the amount of time during which U.S. workers must be recruited. The rule also requires the rehiring of former employees when available.
In addition, H-2B program benefits such as transportation costs and wages will be extended to U.S. workers performing substantially the same work as H-2B workers. Worker protections also will be strengthened by enhanced transparency throughout the employment process.
The rule will be effective on April 23. It can be viewed at http://s.dol.gov/MZ. Materials, including fact sheets, are available athttp://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/h-2b.cfm and http://www.dol.gov/whd/immigration/H2BFinalRule/index.htm.
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Friday, December 31, 2010
NIOSH Focuses On Safety of Nanotechnology
On Wednesday, April 8, 2009 [74 FR 15985], the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced in the Federal Register plans to evaluate the scientific data on carbon nanotubes and to issue its findings on the potential health risks. A draft Current Intelligence Bulletin entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers'' has been developed which contains an assessment of the toxicological data and provides recommendations for the safe handling of these materials. NIOSH is seeking comments on the draft document and plans to have a public meeting to discuss the document. The draft document and instructions for submitting comments can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket161A/ default.html.
NIOSH has interest in:
(1) Identification of industries or occupations in which exposures to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers can occur;
(2) Trends in the production and use of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers;
(3) Exposure measurement data;
(4) Case reports or other health information demonstrating possible health effects in workers exposed to carbon nanotubes or nanofibers;
(5) Reports of experimental in vivo and in vitro studies that provide evidence of a dose-relationship between exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers and biological activity;
(6) Reports of experimental data on the airborne characteristics of carbon nanotubes or nanofibers, including information on the amounts that are inhalable and respirable;
(7) Criteria and rationale for including workers in a medical surveillance and screening program;
(8) Description of work practices and engineering controls used to reduce or prevent workplace exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers; and
(9) Educational materials for worker safety and training on the safe handling of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers.
This announcement follows an earlier conference by NIOSH in July 2010.
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