Regulatory & Standards


a heavy commercial truck

Fatigue Study Well-Timed for Hours Rule Foes

Public Citizen, the Teamsters, and their allies went back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday asking it to again review the twice-invalidated FMCSA hours of service rule. A new study out yesterday recommends mandatory obstructive sleep apnea screenings to reduce truck crashes.

Georgia Commercial Shipper Sentenced for Hazmat Violations

The company and its owner were indicted for shipping chemicals via United Parcel Service and Federal Express on multiple occasions without declaring the chemicals as hazmat. The owner's activities were discovered when a shipment leaked onboard an aircraft causing the entire aircraft to be unloaded and cleaned.

Can Dems and Labor Pass EFCA?

A titanic battle between unions and employer groups began today when the Employee Free Choice Act was filed again in Congress. Congress watchers expect the biggest lobbying fight in decades over EFCA.

EPA Promises Regulations to Prevent Impoundment Failures

The agency’s plan responds to the 300-acre contamination from a massive spill at a TVA facility in Kingston, Tenn., last December. About 300 units with surface impoundments are being asked to provide information.

an electrician at work

Workshops to Help Canadian Firms Use New Electrical Safety Standard

The first of two Workplace Electrical Safety Workshops from the Canadian Standards Association and Schneider Canada Services & Projects will take place Friday in Halifax. CSA announced the new Z462 standard on Feb. 13.

NTSB Urges Modification of Mobile Acetylene Trailer Regulations

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the Department of Transportation modify current federal regulations addressing the adequacy of mobile acetylene trailer design for protection during transport and the effectiveness and safety of current unloading procedures.

OSHA to Host VPP Meeting in Connecticut

OSHA has is inviting employers from Connecticut and southern New England to attend a free March 12 meeting at Wesleyan University in Middletown to learn about the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

SHRM, ASIS Cooperating on Workplace Violence Prevention Standard

It will be an ANSI-recognized American National Standard, the organizations announced Wednesday.



FDA Seeks Permanent Injunction against KV Pharmaceutical Company

The Food and Drug Administration announced a Consent Decree of permanent injunction filed March 2, 2009, enjoining KV Pharmaceutical Company, its subsidiaries ETHEX Corporation and Ther-Rx Corporation, and its principal officers from making and distributing adulterated and unapproved drugs.

OSHA Clarifies Training Requirements for Tattooists

An explanation of the use and limitations of methods that will prevent or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens and OPIM, including appropriate engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment, should be included in the training.

NIOSH Proposes New Respirator Quality Assurance Requirements

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has proposed new quality assurance and control requirements for manufacturers of respirators approved by NIOSH or NIOSH and MSHA under 42 CFR Part 84--Approval of Respiratory Protective Devises.

FDA Requires New Boxed Warning for Metoclopramide-Containing Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that manufacturers of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, must add a boxed warning to their drug labels about the risk of its long-term or high-dose use. Chronic use of metoclopramide has been linked to tardive dyskinesia, which may include involuntary and repetitive movements of the body, even after the drugs are no longer taken.

AAOHN Re-visioned

Mark your calendar on Tuesday, April 21, if you’re an occupational health nurse, if you work with OHNs, or if you appreciate their contribution and keep an eye on health costs. April 21 is the day Kay N. Campbell, incoming president of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, will speak at its annual conference about the Re- Visioning project and plans for AAOHN’s future. A new name may be coming, along with new goals and new activism and outreach, she told me Jan. 26.

Secondary Prevention Strategies: Moving Beyond Safety

A recent survey of nearly 100 employers regarding their worker’s compensation policies and practices, conducted by Occupational Health & Safety and Injury Management Partners LLC, demonstrated some alarming findings. The most disconcerting result was that nearly 60 percent of the respondents did not know how their insurance companies, third-party administrators (TPAs), or managed care organizations (MCOs) were compensated for the building and management of medical provider networks.

Coping with the NRR Change

For years, we’ve known many workers in the “real world” do not achieve the same amount of attenuation from hearing protectors as indicated on the EPA required Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) label. Numerous studies show the NRR greatly overestimates the amount of attenuation that workers get in the field. This problem is so widely accepted that OSHA recommends de-rating the NRR by 50 percent. However, studies also show that a one-size-fits-all de-rating is also inaccurate when compared to individual measures of attenuation. EPA will soon make an announcement proposing a major change in the required labeling and method of testing of hearing protection devices (HPDs).

Excavation Hazards Training for the Competent Person

The Construction Safety Council offers a free online course that requires six to eight hours to complete, depending on the study's existing knowledge of excavations. No college or CE credits are awarded for the course.

Ensuring Effective HCPs

It’s late in the afternoon on a Friday at International Meta-Multi-Mega Manufacturing Inc.’s corporate headquarters, and Bill, the manager of Safety, Health and Environmental Services, is on the hot seat regarding management’s latest concerns about compensation liability. The director of Finance, Samantha, is anxious to get some answers. The HR manager, Hector, nods in agreement.

ANSI Approves Acceptance Testing Specs Standard for Electrical Power Systems

"Anyone involved in the energization of electrical equipment should consider this document a must have," says Al Peterson, president of Utility Service Corporation.

FDA Takes Regulatory Action against Ranbaxy India Plant

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that a facility owned by India-based Ranbaxy Laboratories falsified data and test results in approved and pending drug applications. The facility, Paonta Sahib, has been under an FDA Import Alert since September 2008.

Honolulu Mayor Backs Stronger Texting-While-Driving Ban

The city council voted 4-4 Wednesday, sustaining Mayor Mufi Hannemann's veto of a bill that would have banned texting and playing video games while driving. Hannemann wants a more comprehensive bill enacted.

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