Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced on Thursday, June 11, an expansive plan to restart the economy and protect public health during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including federally funded testing for every worker called back on the job.

The newly christened House Education and Labor Committee has announced its sub-committee assignments for the 116th Congress. The Workforce Protections sub-committee which covers workplace safety and health issues, workers compensation and trade, international labor rights, and immigration issues as they affect employers and workers, will be chaired by Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC). Bradley Byrne (R-AL) will be the Ranking Member.

Some 800,000 furloughed federal employees – along with government contractors and business owners who rely on federal workers – are feeling increasingly stressed out by the partial government shutdown, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).

Although the partial shutdown of the federal government continues to affect many agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor – of which OSHA is a part – is open and funded as a result of spending bills that were previously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump.

The ongoing federal government shutdown is posing a threat to public health, according to the American Public Health Association (APHA). The organization’s executive director, Georges C. Benjamin, identified the Indian Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, parts of the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as funding losers due to the shutdown.

Will the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch be good for worker safety? The clear answer is “No.” Allow me to elaborate.

President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to eliminate or reverse his predecessor’s efforts to combat climate change is driving the issue to a new arena: the state level.

The steady stream of enforcement announcements issued by OSHA – which identified companies who commit major safety and health violations and revealed the fines levied against them – may have stopped on inauguration day, but a former OSHA official is getting the information out there, by posting it on his blog.

Attorney Jeffrey Rosen’s nomination for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is running into opposition by dozens of safety and environmental advocacy groups, who are urging senators on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to reject his nomination.