U.S. Senators voice concerns to OSHA about heat

• A group of U.S Senators sent a letter calling on the Biden Administration to implement OSHA workplace heat standards as quickly as possible.
• The letter urges the agency to establish an enforceable federal standard to ensure workers and employers can recognize and respond to the signs of heat stress.
• The members released a letter today urging the “fastest possible implementation… given the dire threat to the lives of workers exposed to extreme heat.”
• The standard should require employers to provide adequate hydration and rest breaks, areas for rest breaks that are shaded or air-conditioned and medical services.
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Miners laud prosed rule for safety

• The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has proposed a rule that would cut the current limit for silica exposure.
• The rule, published in the Federal Register this month, cuts the permissible exposure limit for silica dust from 100 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for an 8-hour shift in coal, metal, and nonmetal mines such as sand and gravel.
• The proposal aligns with exposure levels imposed by OSHA on construction and other non-mining industries. It’s the standard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in 1974.
• Silicosis is an occupational pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust present in minerals like sandstone.
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