OR-OSHA investigating 2,000 pandemic-related complaints

Oregon OSHA receives 2,000 complaints a year on average, according to an agency official, but in the past two weeks has received close to 2,300, citing the coronavirus outbreak. On March 23, the state’s governor issued an executive order that closed dine-in restaurants and bars, gyms and hair salons. KATU (Portland)

 

Fed-OSHA relaxes enforcement to permit use of N95s certified in certain countries

Acknowledging the current overwhelming demand for N95 filtering facepiece respirators in healthcare and other industries, new Fed-OSHA enforcement guidance permits employers, under certain circumstances, to use FFRs, air-purifying elastomeric respirators, and compatible filters that are not approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and were certified in: Australia, Brazil, China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico. National Law Review

 

Family of Chicago-area Walmart employee files COVID-related wrongful death lawsuit

The surviving family of a Chicago-area Walmart employee alleges the company ignored the employee’s COVID-19 symptoms and failed to notify other employees that their colleague may have contracted the virus, before he died March 25 at 51 years of age. Morbid obesity was a contributing factor, the medical examiner’s office determined. Chicago Tribune

 

A nurse’s experience fighting coronavirus in New York

A 40-year-old healthcare worker talks about the experience of working at a Brooklyn hospital during the pandemic. New York Post

 

Prevent working remotely from being hazardous to your health

During the coronavirus pandemic, when millions of Americans are working from home, setting up a makeshift workspace can increase exposure to avoidable repetitive-stress and/or orthopedic injuries. A Florida chiropractic and sports rehabiliation doctor weighs in on how to create a safer workspace. Palm Beach Post

 

Nontraditional mask makers hit regulatory obstacles

A group of engineers and entrepreneurs are trying to make N95 respirators, protective masks for medical professionals, but the group’s efforts have run up against serious regulatory barriers. The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety told the Open PPE Project that approval could take up to three months. Washington Free Beacon

 

Canada: COVID-19 forces construction industry to slow the pace

While construction sites may appear to be one of the few places where work continues undisturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner of a Nova Scotia contracting company says it’s anything but business as usual. Another contractor says sites where plumbing has yet to be installed are using more hand sanitizer, and crew schedules are being reworked to try to ensure sites are not overcrowded. CBC

 

Training initiative seeks to curb grain industry fatalities

Following a challenging start to the year, a US-based grain safety program seek to reduce injuries and fatalities in the industry through training and education. Feed Navigator