Environmental Health and Safety

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A federal rule restricting workers’ compensation claims to black lung diagnoses based only on film radiographs has been updated to embrace the digital age. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs has published for public comment a direct final rule and a companion proposed rule adopting updated standards for administering and interpreting digital radiographs for the Federal Black Lung Program.

Outdoor workers in agriculture, construction, and other industries are exposed to a great deal of exertional and environmental heat stress that may lead to severe illness or death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will work with employers in eight counties across the nation in a National Healthy Worksite Program -- a new initiative aimed at reducing chronic disease and building a healthier, more productive U.S. workforce.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected chemical industry challenges to an agency's decision to list the chemical styrene in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens as "reasonably anticipated" to be a cancer-causing agent. A major styrene trade association and a manufacturer of the substance had sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for including styrene in the report.