Former OSHA Administrator Michaels’ Research Shows Data Impact on Injury Risks

• Analysis by former OSHA administrator Dr. David Michaels suggests that using injury data from OSHA and other sources can help reduce the risk of work-related injuries.
• Agency administrator from 2009 to 2017, Michaels is now a professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University.
• According to the research, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) two most-comprehensive data reports on aggregate injuries and illnesses — the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) — can reveal trends in fatal and nonfatal injuries by demographic, industry, and occupation but are less useful for researchers looking at causation.
• OSHA’s recent “Work Related Injury & Illness Summary” report includes data on more than 890,000 workplace injuries and illnesses at more than 91,000 workplaces.
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Senators Question Cuts to NIOSHA-Administered 9/11 First Responders Program

• New York’s two US senators are questioning how staffing cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program will affect 9/11 first responders, survivors and residents.
• The program, administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, has specific criteria for coverage, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
• The jobs of some 20% of the program’s federal workers have been eliminated in recent days.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) are seeking a briefing on how the cuts will impact administration of the program, according to their letter to to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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OSHA Names Senior Executive Performance Review Board Members

• The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has published the appointees to its Senior Executive Performance Review Board (PRB), according to the Federal Register.
• The three are: Fred B. Jacob, Solicitor, National Labor Relations Board; Michael A. McCord, General Counsel, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; and, Reggie James, Associate Director, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency.
• The PRB reviews and evaluates the initial appraisal of a senior executive’s performance by the supervisor and makes recommendations to the Chairman of the Review Commission regarding performance ratings, performance awards, and pay-for-performance adjustments.
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