OSHA’s fall 2015 semiannual regulatory agenda projects that the final rule for occupational exposure to crystalline silica, which has been in development for more than 15 years, will be completed in February 2016.
OSHA has proposed to reduce the occupational health exposure to crystalline silica dust due to the evidence of risk of lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease.
More than 50,000 workers estimated to die each year from occupational illnesses
April 28, 2015
This Workers’ Memorial Day, observed April 28, the National Safety Council is calling on employers to better understand and identify the risks associated with occupational illnesses. Workplace-related illnesses are estimated to result in 53,000 deaths and 427,000 nonfatal illnesses each yeari compared to workplace-related injuries, which are estimated to result in almost 4,000 deaths and 4.8 million injuries requiring medical attention annuallyii.
In a letter to the Senate last week, the heads of the nation’s top three occupational safety and health organizations made the case for adequately funding the nation’s top two occupational safety and health agencies.
It’s fairly obvious that we are about to see some major changes take place on Capitol Hill. The mid-term elections have provided the Republicans with total control of both the House and the Senate for the next two years which will alter nearly everything.
A new Farr Gold Series® Package (GSP) dust collector provides high performance capture of dust and fumes generated by CNC laser and plasma cutters. Three compact but powerful models are offered to handle air flows from 1,000 to 3,000 cfm at 8-in. wg.
Ebola featured prominently in the EHS-related news featured on ISHN this week – including an article on how employers can prepare to safeguard their workers from the illness. In other news. OSHA opened the comment period on its PELs update and federal agencies joined forces with a top telephone carrier to reduce communications tower worker deaths.
In formally requesting input from stakeholders about its bid to update chemical permissible exposure limits, OSHA is “initiating a national dialogue” about ways to prevent work-related illness caused by exposure to hazardous substances.
Permissible exposure limits rulemaking, a construction safety worksheet and another hazmat train derailment were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
OSHA has quietly announced the spring semi-annual regulatory agenda, a compilation of the many issues being undertaken or considered by the agency and a look at when the agency expects action on the issues. This agenda is supposed to be a “blueprint” for the agency to follow when tackling each of the issues; however in recent years the agenda has become something that many consider a complete “wish list” as most of the activity is never concluded on time.