The Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday, April 30 on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Enhanced Enforcement Program.
Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee, led by U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, introduced legislation April 23 that “would help the nation’s health and safety agencies to hold unscrupulous employers accountable for exposing their workers to preventable hazards,” according to a committee press release.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced that OSHA will convene a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) panel May 5 on a draft proposed rule on occupational exposure to diacetyl and food flavorings containing diacetyl, according to an OSHA press release.
During a groundbreaking ceremony for a workers’ memorial monument held at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md., Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis paid tribute to the men and women who have lost their lives on the job, according to an OSHA press release.
EPA notified petitioners of its intent to reconsider portions of three rules under its New Source Review (NSR) permitting program, an agency press release noted.
Springtime brings new poison exposure dangers, warns the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in a recent press release. Among these hazards are poisonous plants, snakes, pesticides and fuel products.
The current situation regarding the outbreak of swine influenza A(H1N1) is evolving rapidly, according to the World Health Organization. As of April 27, the United States government has reported 40 laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A(H1N1), with no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection with the same virus, including seven deaths. Canada has reported six cases, with no deaths, while Spain has reported one case, with no deaths.
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak, according to information posted on OSHA’s web site. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population; begins to cause serious illness; and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. According to OSHA, a worldwide influenza pandemic could have a major effect on the global economy, including travel, trade, tourism, food, consumption and eventually, investment and financial markets. Planning for pandemic influenza by business and industry is essential to minimize a pandemic's impact, says OSHA.
EPA has released a list of the nation’s top green power purchasers. The list is led by Intel Corporation, PepsiCo, Kohl’s Department Stores, Dell Inc., Whole Foods Market, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Air Force, Cisco Systems, Inc. and the City of Houston. The nation’s top 50 purchasers are buying more than 11 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) that would be produced from the electricity use of more than 1.1 million average American homes.
On Friday, Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. of Phillipsburg, N.J., was sentenced to pay a fine of $8 million for committing numerous environmental and worker safety crimes, according to an EPA press release. The judge also ordered the company to serve 48 months “monitored” probation, requiring it to submit biannual reports to the court.
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