Regulatory & Standards


DOL Rule Directs Federal Contractors to Provide Paid Sick Leave

The agency said it means up to 56 hours of paid leave per year will be offered to an estimated 1.15 million employees, including 594,000 workers who currently receive no paid sick leave.

During transportation, the HMR governs hazcom labeling requirements, and OSHA

Joint Memo Clarifies Hazmat Labeling Requirements

PHMSA and OSHA issued it Sept. 19, it explains that an HSC 2012-compliant OSHA label and a DOT HMR label or marking may both be the same package.

ASTM Sets Commercial Spaceflight Organizational Meeting

Standards would support the growing number of people and organizations that design, manufacture, and operate commercial space vehicles for both manned and unmanned flights; human spaceflight occupant safety will be an area of immediate focus, according to those who have expressed initial interest, ASTM reported.

DC Circuit's Process Safety Decision a Setback for OSHA

In a unanimous decision, three D.C. Circuit judges -- Sri Srinivasan, Judith W. Rogers, and Patricia A. Millett -- ruled that OSHA failed to follow the required notice-and-comment procedure when it narrowed the retail exemption in its PSM standard following the West Fertilizer explosion in 2013.

Comment Period for Oregon Sick Time Rules Winding Down

The rulemaking will implement a law passed during Oregon's 2015 legislative session that requires employers to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick time or unpaid but protected sick time per year, depending on the employer's size and location.

OSHA Issues Final Rule on Retaliation Complaints under Seaman's Protection Act

The rule establishes procedures and time frames for handling retaliation complaints

Comments Sought on IAEA Radioactive Materials Transport Regulations Draft

"Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material" is an international standard promoting the safe and secure transportation of radioactive material, a standard IAEA reviews and updates periodically. And IAEA has released its draft for a 120-day Member State review.

After reviewing current Medicare emergency preparedness regulations, CMS found the regulatory requirements were not comprehensive enough to address the complexities of emergency preparedness.

CMS Issues Final Rule to Increase Facilities' Emergency Preparedness

The rule will require Medicare and Medicaid participating providers and suppliers to develop an emergency plan using an all-hazards approach and to meet other industry best practices.



FDA Provides $21.8 Million for Produce Safety Rule Implementation

The funds will help local farmers with implementation.

OSHA Wants Input on Shipyard Fall Protection Rules

Falls are a leading cause of shipyard fatalities, according to OSHA, which states that 40 percent of all fatal incidents in shipyard employment from 1992 to 2014 resulted from falls to a lower level, citing BLS data. The current standards haven't been updated since 1971.

Celebrating Labor Day 2016

"The best way we, in the occupational safety and health community, can honor workers today and throughout the year, is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for every man and woman—young and old alike," NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard wrote in his Labor Day 2016 message.

OSHA, Health Canada Develop Joint Workplace Chemicals Work Plan

The updated plan will align labeling and classification for the hazards of workplace chemicals.

2015-2016 Construction Safety Highlights

From OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down to bridge collapse investigations and trenching hazards, the construction industry can learn from mistakes in order to boost its safety performance.

New FAA Drone Rules Go Into Effect

New FAA Drone Rules Go Into Effect

The rules are the first for operational use for routine non-hobbyist drones.

Major incidents at oil and gas refineries pose a significant risk to refinery workers and nearby communities while costing Californians an average of $800 million a year in disruption to fuel supplies, according to the state agencies behind the new safety regulations.

Two Weeks Left to Comment on California's Refinery Regs

The Department of Industrial Relations, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and the California Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules to strengthen safety at oil refineries statewide in July.

The agency has not proposed a specific set speed but has considered the benefits of 60, 65, and 68 mph. Those three limits would save anywhere from 27 to 498 lives annually, NHTSA estimates.

NHTSA and FMCSA Propose Speed Limiters for Large Commercial Vehicles

The agencies have not proposed a specific set speed but has considered the benefits of 60, 65, and 68 mph. Those three limits would save anywhere from 27 to 498 lives annually, they estimate.

"A year after the Mount Carbon crude oil train fire, residents there know that they narrowly escaped their town becoming the American Lac-Mégantic – an outcome of a fiery derailment that could still happen at any moment," NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt wrote Feb. 18, 2016.

Washington State Adopts Crude Oil Train Notification Rule

Four facilities in the state currently receiving crude oil shipments by rail and two pipelines that transport crude, along with new facilities and pipelines that are built, must notify the Washington Department of Ecology in advance.

EPA and DOT Finalize Fuel Efficiency Standards for Trucks

EPA and DOT Finalize Fuel Efficiency Standards for Trucks

In terms of emissions and energy use, trucks are the second-largest segment in U.S. transportation.

Labor Department to Study Paid-Leave Programs

Labor Department to Study Paid-Leave Programs

The Women's Bureau has awarded $1.1 million in grants for research on how these programs can be developed in the United States.

The final rule establishes a scoring system for new transit buses that would be purchased using FRA funds.

Final Rule Aims to Boost Transit Buses' Safety

A new scoring system addresses these categories: structural integrity, safety, maintainability, reliability, fuel economy, emissions, noise, and performance.

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