While Federal OSHA has issued numerous COVID-related guidance documents, it has declined to issue an enforceable COVID standard. Instead, OSHA continues to reference numerous other statutory and regulatory standards that potentially apply to what OSHA may determine are COVID-related deficiencies in the workplace.

As construction professionals, it feels like we’re always thinking about safety — and yet, our industry is still one of the most high-risk. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one in five worker deaths occurs in construction, accounting for nearly a quarter of all worker fatalities in the United States.

In addition to following the specific OSHA-mandated requirements for safety data sheets (SDS), there are a few easy ways to upgrade your SDS binder to create a more thorough right-to-know station.

Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council based on May data from all 50 states indicate that for the third month in a row, road users in the U.S. were at a higher risk of dying from a motor vehicle crash.

Experts say that more than a decade of research — including two new studies out of California, and one on a Texas community — has made it clear that current setback distances, in states where they exist, are inadequate to protect public health. Now, political pressure to push oil and gas wells about half a mile from homes and other buildings is peaking across the country, over industry alarm that such measures could amount to a de facto ban on drilling.

OSHA recently issued guidelines for oil and gas workers and employers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While similar to guidelines issued previously by various governmental authorities, this guidance is specific to oil and gas industry workers and employers. 

On July 2, 2020, OSHA published an FAQ web page based on COVID-19 related inquiries that the agency received from the public.

OSHA published a final rule revising the beryllium standard for general industry. The final rule includes changes designed to clarify the standard, and simplify or improve compliance.