The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered American Airlines Inc. to reimburse a pilot who was retaliated against for reporting that he was too sick to fly. American Airlines rejected medical documentation that the pilot provided in accordance with American's internal policy, and later deducted sick pay that had already been paid from the pilot's paycheck.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test, the first nucleic acid test that screens for the presence of two divergent types of HIV in donated blood plasma and tissue.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced that Lasko Products Inc., of West Chester, Pa., has agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty. The penalty, which has been provisionally accepted by the Commission, settles allegations that the company failed to immediately report incidents about its defective portable fans.
The National Safety Council (NSC) is introducing two new versions of its OSHA Walkthrough for Industry training program. Like the original program, these versions are designed for educating new employees or refreshing the expertise of seasoned staff.
The alleged violations include everything from the illegal transportation, treatment, and disposal of hazardous waste and other pollutants to conspiracy and mail fraud.
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Notifier, of Northford, Conn., has announced a voluntary safety recall of about 2,000 Notifier Fire Alarm Control Panels.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), every year, thousands of adults and children are treated at U.S. hospital emergency rooms for head and neck injuries related to winter sports. As a result, many people are left with permanent health problems, are paralyzed, or lose their lives.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Atomic Skis GmbH, of Austri, have announced a voluntary recall of the Alpine Ski Bindings.
Eight years after she took the job, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao leaves the safety and health community wanting more from her successor.
A proposal out for comments will allow for the enforcement of the European Regulation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures, which adopts the internationally agreed Global Harmonized System on the classification and labeling of chemicals.
With a growing global awareness of the need for environmental protection and sustainability, organizations are eager to demonstrate their efforts to inventory, report, and reduce GHG emissions, ANSI said.
Under the new rule, DOL may debar for up to three years employers, attorneys, and agents found to have committed fraud or willful misrepresentation concerning the H-2B employment-based immigration program, or failed to cooperate with labor department audits or investigations.
The Health and Safety Executive said 455 agricultural workers have died in the past decade, and the annual death toll has remained high.
A key feature of the meeting will be the opportunity to work with technical committees on industry standards, guidelines, and electronic data exchange protocols affecting the pump industry.
This four-hour event will cover major topics like SPCC plan basics, integrity testing, applicability, secondary containment, and recent rule revisions and will include a one-hour live question-and-answer session.
ANSI notes that December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month, and one of its members (the Toy Industry Association) started a Toy Safety Certification Program last year to improve toy safety.
OSHA recently announced a final rule on improving the safety of longshoring employees who work with vertical tandem lifts (VTLs). The final rule will reduce hazards related to lifting two containers at a time using cranes by ensuring that safe work practices are followed. The rule was published in the December 10 Federal Register.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is joining Target, of Minneapolis, Minn., in announcing a new notification system for communicating product recalls in Target stores nationwide. Target's safety and recall notification program involves posting signs throughout its stores that direct guests to gift registry kiosks near the Guest Service desk to learn about recalled products.
As director of NIOSH from July 2002 to July 2008, Dr. John Howard's accomplishments were numerous, noted GCAC Chair John T. Steele in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Designate Rep. Hilda Solis.
James Purnell, Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, said he commissioned the inquiry because some 2,800 people have died from injuries in construction work in the past 25 years, and "no one can find it acceptable that this number of people have died directly as a cause of their work and we are not making sufficient progress on preventing this total of human misery."