MSHA Asks Court to Leave Miner Protection Rules in Limbo The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to keep in legal limbo a Biden-era rule that would have lowered miners’ permissible silica dust exposure limit from 100 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, and […]

  OSHA Launches Probe into Deadly Recycling Plant Explosion Two workers died and two or three others suffered minor injuries after two explosions and a large fire tore through Brent Industries, an industrial textile recycling facility in Toledo, Ohio, on the morning of Aug. 18 during a shift change, according to Toledo Fire Chief Allison […]

  Bill Would Set Mandatory Heat and Cold Protections for Workers A measure introduced in the Massachusetts legislature, Senate Bill 3240, would require employers to provide shaded areas, free drinking water and thermometers once the heat index in a work area exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with paid 10-minute cooldown breaks required at 90 degrees and […]

  Probe: Refinery Workers Lacked Respirators Before Fatal Chemical Leak The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found that workers at the Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia weren’t required to wear respirators or carry personal gas monitors while disposing of chemicals during the facility’s shutdown, ahead of an April leak […]

  Chemical Process Sickens 16 at Coating Plant, Prompts Hazmat Response A chemical process being conducted at Precision Coating Company in Hudson, Mass. went awry, sickening 16 employees who were transported to local hospitals via eight ambulances after falling ill Aug. 13. The workers reported symptoms including serious illness, dizziness and irritated eyes, according to […]

  Silicosis Cases Among Stonecutters Surge More Than Tenfold: Study A New England Journal of Medicine study found silicosis cases among California stonecutters who work with engineered stone countertops jumped from 47 cases between 2019-2022 to 571 cases from 2023 through August of this year, with Latino men accounting for roughly 98% of cases and […]

  OSHA’s Dallas Office Extends Focus on Manufacturing Noise Hazards OSHA’s Dallas area office renewed and updated a Regional Emphasis Program targeting hazardous noise across several manufacturing sectors, extending the initiative through March 2029, covering wood product manufacturing (NAICS 321), plastics and rubber products manufacturing (326), cement and concrete product manufacturing (3273), nonmetallic mineral product […]

  Hospital Rolls Out Panic-Button Wearables Amid Workplace Violence Concerns Beebe Healthcare, a not-for-profit health system in Lewes, Delaware, has partnered with Canopy to deploy Canopy Protect, a wearable safety button that instantly alerts nearby coworkers and security when a frontline caregiver activates it, distributing devices to roughly 1,500 staff members starting in its Emergency […]

  Oregon OSHA Report Fines Ski Resort $43K Over Worker Death The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) fined Mt. Hood Skibowl LLC $43,180, including a $40,265 “Serious” penalty tied to a workplace fatality, after an investigation into an April 30 chairlift maintenance basket failure that killed a 30-year-old technician and critically injured another […]

  New Law Adds Criminal Penalties for Violence Against Workers Louisiana’s Behind the Counter Protection Act, which took effect Aug. 1, establishes new criminal penalties for threats and acts of workplace violence against customer-facing workers in retail stores, restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies and similar establishments. Simple assault against a protected employee carrying penalties […]