safety regulations

The cost of careless gas detection

We’re talking about fines, neglected equipment, no maintenance & possible loss of life

March 21, 2019

Debt is a general concept that we all seem to understand from a financial perspective. Likely most have incurred or are currently incurring some form of financial debt -- for example, a car payment, mortgage, or a student loan.

Three important questions manufacturers need to ask themselves

July 10, 2018

While 2018 has been a banner year so far for equipment manufacturers, the long-term future of the industry and the markets it serves is – and likely will remain – far less certain.

OSHA under Trump: A status report

Benita Mehta

May 21, 2018

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 Confined Space blog post

OSHA and industry reach beryllium settlement

Jordan Barab

May 2, 2018

OSHA and the Beryllium industry have reached a settlement regarding changes in OSHA’s Beryllium standard for general industry. The changes, which mostly focus on clarifications of “ancillary requirements” dealing mostly with regulated work areas, hygiene (cleaning of workers and equipment) and medical management, will be phased in in two major stages.

Error in date for injury, illness tracking reg fixed

May 2, 2018

Following a review of the requirements put in place in 2016 regarding the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” regulation, OSHA has taken action to correct an error that was made with regard to implementing the final rule.

Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2018

May 1, 2018

The AFL-CIO’s just-released annual report on the state of safety and health protections for America’s workers tallied up millions of work-related injuries in 2016 that resulted in billions of dollars in costs to the economy and revealed that workplace violence is now the second leading cause of death while on the job in the U.S.

A Confined Space blog post

Written in blood: Trump appointee reverses lessons of Deepwater Horizon

Jordan Barab

March 15, 2018

They say that those who forget history are forced to repeat it. But when it comes to workplace and environmental disasters, that’s not exactly true. Because while the politicians and their corporate supporters are doing the forgetting, it is the workers, the environment and surrounding communities that ultimately pay the price when the inevitable — and preventable — tragedies come home to roost.

A Confined Space blog post

OSHA Hearing: OSHA has great tools; please don’t use them. Hearing Report Part 3

Jordan Barab

March 2, 2018

The messages to OSHA from the Chamber of Commerce at this week’s House hearing were clear: 1. Don’t (miss)use the General Duty Clause as a substitute for issuing OSHA standards. 2. Don’t issue any OSHA standards.

A Confined Space blog post

OSHA: What’s On Your Regulatory Agenda?

Jordan Barab

July 25, 2017

The Office of Management and Budget released its Spring (very, very late Spring) Regulatory Agenda yesterday. The Regulatory Agenda is what it sounds like: a plan and timeline for each agency’s regulations, what the next steps are and when they are expected. The Regulatory Agenda is released every Spring and Fall.

Opinion

Killing the regulations that keep workers alive

June 1, 2017

In their first 100 days in power, the Trump administration and the Republican Congress have repealed and blocked worker safety regulations that were years, sometimes decades, in the making. Through legislative action, executive orders and the use of the Congressional Review Act, the executive and legislative branches jointly and repeatedly shifted the cost and responsibility of keeping workers safe from corporations to workers and the public.