More regulatory restrictions, pilots mistaking drones for birds and digital stress were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls set for May 8-12
Employers and workers are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction, to be held May 8-12. Sponsored by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, the weeklong outreach event encourages employers and workers to pause during the work day to talk about fall hazards and prevention.
DOL proposes delay to beryllium rule effective date
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a proposed delay in the effective date of the rule entitled Occupational Exposure to Beryllium, from March 21, 2017, to May 20, 2017. The announcement follows a White House memorandum, entitled "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review," issued Jan. 20, 2017, that directed the department to undertake a review of any new or pending regulations and temporarily postpone the date that they would take effect.
Drone sightings in airport zones continue to rise
Reports of possible drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continued to increase during FY 2016, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A recent list of pilot, air traffic controller, law enforcement and citizen reports of potential encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – more popularly called “drones" from February through September 2016 shows 1,274 such reports, 874 for the same period in 2015.
Report from Europe
Making the world of work pay more attention to women’s health
The road to equality between men and women in the workplace is still paved with good intentions, but it’s a long and boring road where progress occurs too slowly. That was a common theme among speakers at a European Trade Union Institute seminar on the gender health gap held earlier this month.
Advocacy groups protest regulatory repeal actions
Lawmakers’ plans to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal federal regulations are meeting with opposition from the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards.
Coal miners fear losing health benefits due to bankruptcies
More than 22,000 retired miners and their dependents will lose their health care benefits on April 30, 2017 unless Congress passes the Miners Protection Act. Miners who for years accepted lower wages in exchange for lifetime health benefits are faced with the loss of the benefits due to the bankruptcies of a number of mining companies.
Trump creates regulatory task force to ID regs to repeal
President Trump on Friday signed an executive order to establish a task force that will identify regulations that are burdensome to U.S. companies. The directive is expected to have a significant impact on the regulatory landscape.
Why your digital addiction can stress you out
A decade after the emergence of smartphones, Facebook and Twitter, more than four out of five adults in the U.S. (86 percent) report that they constantly or often check their email, texts and social media accounts, according to part two of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) report "Stress in America™: Coping with Change" released today. This attachment to devices and the constant use of technology is associated with higher stress levels for these Americans.
