Safety in the News: May 2019

Public Citizen, Labor Groups Seek OSHA Heat Standard (EHS Today)
Public Citizen and 111 other safety and labor groups recently called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create a federal standard for protecting workers from heat stress, which they say is aggravated by global warming.

Construction Takeaways from OSHA's July 2019 Updates (Construction Dive)
Since launching the SIP initiative, there have been three revisions to OSHA standards under the program — in 1998, 2005 and 2011 — with a new round of changes announced last week marking the fourth and final one.

Cal/OSHA Proposes Emergency Regulation to Protect Workers from Wildfire Smoke Exposure (The National Law Review)
In response to the poor air quality California experienced during last year’s fires and in recognition of the fact that intense fires will likely continue, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued a proposed emergency regulation addressing smoke exposure.

OSHA Announces Availability of $10.5 Million in Worker Safety and Health Training Grants (OH&S)
The Harwood Training Grant programs offers support for in-person, hands-on training for employees and employers in small businesses, industries with high rates of injury, illness, and fatality, and vulnerable workers who are underserved, have limited English proficiency, or are temporary workers.

OSHA, J&J Snackfoods Reach Agreement (EHS Today)
OSHA and the company reached a region-wide agreement to improve workplace safety and health at the company’s eight food manufacturing and warehouse facilities throughout New Jersey and New York.

OSHA Aims to Keep Young Workers Safe this Summer (Facility Executive)
OSHA is partnering with worker safety organizations on #MySafeSummerJob, a social media campaign to educate young workers about safety rights in the workplace, how to speak up about dangerous work conditions, and how to protect themselves on the job.