Federation of Scientists Says Effective OSHA Heat Standard Hinges on Infrastructure 

• The influential Federation of American Scientists said Wednesday that while OSHA’s proposed heat safety standard is a critical step toward protecting millions of workers, its success depends on substantial infrastructure investment.
• The group’s paper outlines a call to action guide for policymakers, employers, healthcare providers, researchers, and workers and advocacy groups.
• “The success of the OSHA standard hinges on prioritizing these infrastructure investments to create a comprehensive, well-resourced system for heat safety,” the Federation said.
• OSHA proposed a rule at the beginning of July outlining steps employers must take to protect indoor and outdoor workers from the risk of heat illness, the first major federal regulation aimed at preventing heat-related deaths on the job.
  READ MORE

Virginia Sous Vide Plant Ammonia Leak Sends 26 to Hospital

• An ammonia leak at a Cuisine Solutions facility in Sterling, Virginia sent at least 26 people to the hospital Wednesday night.
• Employees arriving Thursday morning at the food processing plant, which makes sous vide items, were told there was no work for the day, according to local reports.
• This is the company’s second safety incident this summer, after a maintenance employee at its facility in San Antonio, Texas, died after he suffered a heart attack and was trapped in equipment. The local medical examiner found he died from blunt head and neck trauma.
  READ MORE

Analyzing OSHA Ruling on Work-Related Motor Vehicle Injury, Fatality

• OSHA recently clarified the circumstances when a motor vehicle injury and fatality would be considered work-related, according to a blog by Cozen O’Connor attorney John Ho.
• In his analysis, he said OSHA restated the general principle that injuries that occur when an employee is on travel status are work-related, if, at the time of the injury, the employee was engaged in work activities “in the interest of the employer.” 
• Some of the examples that OSHA provided in a June 12 ruling include travel to and from customer contacts, conducting job tasks, and entertaining or being entertained to transact, discuss, or promote business.
• However, he noted that OSHA was clear that work-related entertainment only includes entertainment activities engaged in at the direction of the employer.
  READ MORE