Pre-market approval by the Food and Drug Administration of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies that lack adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, according to a study in the December 23/30 issue of JAMA. The researchers found that of nearly 80 high-risk devices, the majority received approval based on data from a single study.
Employers already are seeing a lot of activity by OSHA but also should watch the NLRB, EEOC, and U.S. Supreme Court this year, writes Rich Meneghello, managing partner of the Portland, Ore. office of Fisher & Phillips LLP.
As a result of using data collected from millions of cars and trucks gathered since MOBILE6.2 was released in 2004, MOVES2010 provides increased accuracy in emissions inventory results, the agency said.
Learning how to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous or fatal fall hazards allows organizations to take a proactive approach to worker safety. In November 2007, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released a comprehensive family of standards, known as the Z359 standard or "Fall Protection Code," to help organizations learn how to reduce risk.
The H1N1 pandemic was 2009's biggest safety and health story, but OSHA also grabbed the spotlight last year with a blockbuster $87 million fine. For all of the attention paid to tower crane safety, combustible dusts, crumbling infrastructure, and a jobless recovery, the biggest story of 2000-2009 was Sept. 11, 2001.
The standards are designed for anyone involved in pumps, including users, consultants, contractors, construction firms, manufacturers of pumps, seals, motors, instrumentation, controls, and pump software developers and systems integrators.
EPA completed a short-term cleanup removing asbestos from the former mill building and hazardous substances in drums and containers on the Blackburn & Union Privileges Superfund Site, in Walpole, Mass.
Amendment 6 to the European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) will take effect no earlier than Sept. 21, 2010.
Jackson, Mich., resident Terrence Hicks and Detroit residents Muhammed Al Mahdi and John Saunders pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan for their roles in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI's Detroit Field Office, and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced recently.
These additions address salvage cylinders, alternative packaging for hazardous wastes, aerosols transported for recycling or disposal, and authorizations for rail tank cars to exceed maximum capacity and weight limits with specific Federal Railroad Administration approval.
The Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has begun enforcing its New Entrant Safety Assurance Process rule, which requires newly registered truck and bus companies to meet stricter safety requirements. This final rule raises the compliance standards for passing new entrant safety audits and requires that new carriers correct safety deficiencies before being granted permanent registration.
The commission has granted stakeholders until March 15 to comment on its advance notice of proposed rulemaking concerning recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), but the public comments already are pleading for a federal rule.
Advancing its efforts to improve the federal complaints process, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on a series of discrete changes to discrimination complaint regulations. The agency is soliciting comments from the public and other interested parties by Feb. 19, 2010.
Ivy Hall Assisted Living LLC will pay $43,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced recently.
Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has settled with Clear Lam Packaging Inc. for alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements for treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste. The Elk Grove, Ill., company will pay a $20,750 penalty and perform an environmental project costing at least $221,000.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously (5-0) to extend a stay of enforcement on testing and certification of many regulated children's products. While enforcement of specific CPSC testing requirements has been stayed, the products must still comply with all applicable rules and bans.
A new issue brief, "Free Riding on Families: Why the American Workplace Needs to Change and How to Do It," says it is time to change U.S. policies so they'll support the vital unpaid work of caregivers.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation moved two bills forward on Dec. 17 that will address carbon monoxide poisoning cases -- like home fires, they are a recognized winter danger -- and the safety of motorcoach operations.
The Health and Safety Executive's fourth annual Simplification Plan shows it expects to reach 499.1 million pounds in administrative burden reductions by year-end and 527.3 million pounds by May 2010 against a target of 505.6 million pounds.