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In conducting COVID-19-related inspections, OSHA has frequently cited employers for violating certain standards. In the fourth quarter (Q4), OSHA cited 176 employers for COVID-19-related violations, including failure to protect employees from exposure to COVID-19 and not following respiratory protection standards. These penalties resulted in $2,936,089 in fines, ranging from $1,000 to nearly $33,000.
In the fourth quarter (Q4), the EPA finalized 150 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant decrease in enforcement actions—down from 327 penalties issued in Q3 for 2020. The actions taken resulted in $4,582,755 in fines.
On January 7, President-Elect Joseph Biden named Boston Mayor Marty Walsh his nominee for secretary of Labor. Walsh would be the first labor union member to serve as labor secretary in nearly half a century, according to the Biden-Harris transition team. Before turning to politics, Walsh held a number of labor union leadership positions, heading […]
In December, the EPA released its final risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane, a chemical “currently used as a solvent in a variety of commercial and industrial applications such as in the manufacture of other chemicals, a processing aid, functional fluid, a laboratory chemical, in adhesives and sealants, in spray polyurethane foam, in printing inks, and as […]
Most of the year, you probably hear a lot of warnings about heat illness or stress. Winter may offer a break from the heat, but your workers may be facing a whole other set of cold weather hazards.
If there’s one thing that most people can agree on, it’s some measure of relief that the year 2020 is behind us. It was a time of constant disruption and uncertainty, and while change will continue to be the norm in 2021, we’re all hoping the changes will be a little less painful. What might […]
There is no doubt that 2020 has not been a great year for most organizations, no matter if you’re a business, a nonprofit, or a government agency. The multilayered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s health and wellness and has pushed people responsible for workplace safety in directions they have […]
On December 22, 2020, the federal district court in the northern district of California ordered the EPA to make broad changes in its asbestos reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.
The diagnosis of histoplasmosis, a fungal infection of the lungs, often can be delayed due to a lack of awareness of the condition, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said in its January 2021 newsletter on recent research developments. Workers in agriculture and construction are at higher risk for histoplasmosis, which is […]
The number of U.S. workplace deaths rose 2% in 2019 to 5,333 from 5,250 fatal workplace injuries in 2018, according to the most recent Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, the same […]