Category: Personnel Safety

Cal/OSHA Protections Extended to Domestic Workers

Domestic workers, such as caregivers, gardeners, and house cleaners, who are employed by companies in California are now covered by the state’s workplace safety and health laws, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced July 1. Changes in state law allow Cal/OSHA to enforce regulations for covered employers in the domestic services […]

Back to Basics: Dealing with Common Workplace Injuries

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to deal with common workplace injuries. Some workplace injuries can be tragic, like amputations, severe burns, and fatal falls, and more frequent or common worker injuries can result in costly workers’ compensation […]

OSHA Proposes Changes to Respiratory Protection Rules

On July 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took significant steps at deregulation by proposing changes to medical evaluation requirements in the respiratory protection standard. It also proposed changes to several toxic and hazardous substances standards to allow different types of respirators, remove provisions that duplicate requirements of the respiratory protection standard, or […]

OSHA Takes First Steps at Deregulation

On July 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took its first steps at deregulation, publishing one final rule and many proposals. The final rule revokes 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1911.10, the requirement for the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health to consult with the Advisory Committee on Construction […]

FMCSA to Withdraw Speed-Limiter Proposal

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will withdraw a proposed rule that would have required the use of speed-limiting devices on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced June 27. The announcement was part of a “pro-trucker package” unveiled by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, which also includes plans to “eliminate […]

Labor Department Outlines Criminal Referral Policies

On June 25, the Department of Labor (DOL) outlined its policies for referring regulatory enforcement cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal prosecution (90 Fed. Reg. 27057). The DOL’s Office of the Solicitor published its policies in response to the May 9 Executive Order “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” (E.O. 14294; 90 Fed. […]

Back to Basics: Building and Maintaining Psychological Safety

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the importance of workplace psychological safety. While workers face many physical hazards on the job, it’s important to consider the non-physical hazards as well. Psychological safety is a crucial part of any […]