OSHA is proposing a rule to clarify crane operator certification requirements – one which would reinstate the employer's duty to ensure that a crane operator is qualified to safely operate equipment.
The agency says a change to the categories of certifications for crane operators under the proposed rule would ensure more operators are able to meet the requirement.
Five years after a catastrophic ammonium nitrate explosion in West, Texas killed 15 persons, destroyed much of the city, and launched reforms in the way the federal government oversees the safety of the nation’s chemical facilities, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt last week told us that he cares more about the concerns of the chemical industry than he does about the millions of Americans living in the shadow of hazardous chemical facilities.
A panel discussion Monday morning offered some insight into the first 17 months of OSHA under the Trump administration. Some questions that arose include: How has the mission or strategy of the Agency changed? How might these changes at the Agency affect worker safety and health? What do we expect based on the regulatory agendas? How has enforcement been affected?
A direct final rule issued by OSHA on May 4 “clarifies” several provisions of the agency’s beryllium standard for general industry, the agency announced in a press release. The provisions addressed in the rule concern processes, operations, or areas where workers may be exposed to materials containing less than 0.1 percent beryllium by weight; the definitions of the terms “beryllium work area,” “emergency,” “dermal contact,” and “beryllium contamination”; disposal and recycling; and dermal exposure to materials that contain at least 0.1 percent beryllium by weight.
OSHA releases its spring regulatory agenda, more tobacco warnings rolled out and the effects of climate change on health were among the top safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
People will not risk their jobs to speak up about problems. They cannot afford it. That is reality. It is the very reason why the Occupational Safety and Health Act has protection for whistleblowers. It is also the reason for the Federal Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA).
When Spring is in the air, this man’s fancy turns to (where else?) the 2018 Spring Regulatory Agenda to discover what movement OSHA will be planning to move forward (or backward) to protect American workers from injury, illness and death in the workplace.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is giving food and beverage manufacturers additional time to comply with labeling requirements that were supposed to take effect this year. The FDA has published a final rule to extend the compliance date for two rules, the Nutrition Facts Label Final Rule and the Serving Size Final Rule, for about 1.5 years.
OSHA has issued a direct final rule (DFR) clarifying aspects of the beryllium standard for general industry as it applies to processes, operations, or areas where workers may be exposed to materials containing less than 0.1% beryllium by weight.
In May of 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” to revise its recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses regulation.