Regulatory & Standards


The requirement for risk assessments is one of the biggest changes in the new RIA standard. (Rockford Systems, LLC photo)

I, COBOT: The Rise of Industrial Robotics and the Need for Employee Safeguarding

In general, OSHA's view on robot safety is that if the employer is meeting the requirements of ANSI/RIA R15.06, the manufacturer has no issues.

Some 7,000 American drivers per day were treated in emergency departments following motor vehicle crashes in 2012, CDC reported.

Thirteen States Earn Advocates' 'Worst' Rating for 2017

"Our country is approaching nine years without a single death caused by a commercial aviation crash yet, today, we can't go 15 minutes without a single death caused by a motor vehicle crash. Going forward, the most promising and pragmatic strategy at hand is adopting safety laws and advancing available safety technologies," said Jackie Gillan, President Emeritus of Advocates.

IAFF Firefighter Cancer Summit Set for Feb. 1

"Cancer can be devastating for fire fighters, and we are just beginning to understand the scope of this problem," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, who is scheduled to deliver opening remarks at the event. "That's why we're bringing together the best and brightest minds on this subject. We must continue to learn all that we can to save more lives."

Federal Agencies to Resume Operations Following Shutdown

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, federal government employees are expected to return for work on their next regularly scheduled work day, which for most employees is Tuesday.

SAMHSA Updating Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regs

Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, the nation's first assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, said the new final rule will allow health care providers, with patients' consent, to more easily conduct activities such as quality improvement, claims management, patient safety, training, and program integrity efforts.

NFPA to Fast-Track New Standard for Active Shooter Response

The rise in active shooter incidents and the escalating impact of hostile events has prompted the National Fire Protection Association to process NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events, as a provisional standard, which means it would be available for use as early as April 2018.

Learn What's Next in Electrical Safety

Experts Hugh Hoagland and Lanny Floyd will share their insights on the future of electrical safety contained in NFPA 70E, NESC, IEEE 1584, IEC, NEC, and the ASTM Arc Flash Test Methods in a free OH&S webinar on Jan. 24. They'll reveal the future of electrical PPE, Safety-by-Design, Human Performance Factors, Risk Control Measures, and Continuous Improvement Models in a one-hour webinar Jan. 24.

Foot Protection Essentials

The OSHA 1910.136 standard and the ASTM F2412-11 standard indicate how many kinds of foot injury are possible, some of them even disabling.



Washington Ag Department Adopts Worker Protection Rules Aligned with EPA's

Before EPA adopted the changes, many of Washington's rules were stricter and more protective than federal requirements. For example, new regulations for medical evaluations, respirator fit testing, and training bring federal requirements up to standards that have been in place in Washington for more than 20 years.

Final Publication of ISO 45001 Coming in March 2018

The international standard ISO 45001 has reached the Final Draft International Standard stage, which means interested parties can submit feedback on the draft until Jan. 25, 2018, before its final publication.

NYC Electrical Code Revision Committees Seeking Members

Applications are due by Jan. 25. The Electrical Code revision cycle will include six Technical Committees and one Managing Committee, with the Technical Committees responsible for reviewing and developing amendments to the technical provisions of the Electrical Code by consensus and also reviewing administrative provisions of the Electrical Code in an advisory capacity.

Senate HELP Executive Session Set on OSHA Nominee

The U.S. Senate Health, Labor, Education & Pensions Committee has scheduled a Dec. 13 executive session to consider the nomination of Scott Mugno to be assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, the head of OSHA, and five other nominees.

While 80 percent of cases were classified as low severity, 18 percent were moderate severity, and 1 percent were high severity. Two workers died.

Oregon OSHA Extends Comment Period on Worker Protection Standard Rules

The proposed rules would set restrictions for use of outdoor production pesticide applications when workers or other people are adjacent to the application location and are intended to prevent contamination of employee housing and related agricultural structures from pesticide spray drift.

California's Minimum Wage Rising Jan. 1

The minimum wage will be $10.50 an hour for employers with 25 or fewer workers and $11 an hour for employers with 26 or more. And the rates keep rising until 2023. Other new laws taking effect on Jan. 1 in the state affect agricultural workers' sexual harassment training and CalEPA oversight of refineries' safety.

The revised HCS standard spells out how to maintain a written HazCom program, how to properly label containers of chemicals and chemical containers that will be shipped to other workplaces, and employee training programs.

What the Standards Require

Both 1910.1200 and 1910.120 are critical to those working with hazardous chemicals and to their supervisors.

ASSE Seeking New Executive Director

"We welcome any nominations for executives who you believe would be a great fit for the role, as well as invite any interested parties to submit their resumes to the Korn Ferry team," said ASSE President Jim Smith, MS, CSP.

Crane Operator Certification Deadline: November 2018

OSHA final rule this month sets Nov. 10, 2018, as the date for employers in U.S. construction industries to comply with a requirement for crane operator certification.

Canada Makes Caregiving, Parental Benefits More Flexible

Caregivers who provide care to a critically ill or injured adult family member will have access to a new benefit of up to 15 weeks, and immediate and extended family members of children who are critically ill will, for the first time, have access to a new benefit that was previously available only to parents.

DOT Announces Drone Integration Pilot Program

DOT Announces Drone Integration Pilot Program

The program is an opportunity to connect state, local, and tribal governments with private-sector entities with a goal of safely integrating drones into the national airspace.

The person who conducts the hazard assessment must have an intimate knowledge of each task and should directly observe the employees, looking for hazard sources such as high temperatures, chemicals, dust, sources for falling objects and the potential for dropped objects, the potential for struck/by hazards, moving vehicles and equipment, and more.

Keys to Effective Head & Face Protection

The National Safety Council's "Injury Facts, 2017 Edition" informs us that the most expensive lost-time workers' compensation claims are for those involving the head and central nervous system.

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