Bring Your Own PPE Okayed in Washington State

Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries has issued a permanent rule allowing employees to bring in their own personal protective equipment (PPE) for use in the workplace, including hospitals.
The Washington State Hospital Association said it lobbied successfully for important limitations on such use, and the final rule sets specific guidelines for when employee’s voluntary use would be prohibited.
Those limits include blocking personal protective equipment that interferes with workplace security requirements or conflicts with Department of Health or Labor and Industries requirements.
The rule is effective as of Oct. 1.
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Drug test cheating among U.S. workers in 2023 was six times higher than in the previous record 12 months, lab chain Quest Diagnostics found in its analysis of nearly 10 million drug tests.
Tampering surged to the hightest level in more than 30 years of annual reporting, Quest said.
There was a 633% increase in substituted urine specimens, and invalid urine specimens jumped more than 45%.
Quest also reported historically high rates of general U.S. workforce drug positivity as well as post-accident marijuana positivity.
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OSHA administrator Doug Parker wants worker feedback on the agency’s proposed heat rule.
His comments came in a Sept. 5 webinar hosted by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.
He asked how OSHA can make the rule better, and more helpful to workers. “These are conversations that are often dominated by industry organizations. Workers’ voices on these issues are critical,” he said.
Specifically, he sought comments that provide “real world” heat solutions that workers have found to work. As well, he asked for examples of heat illness prevention successes.
Four sets of worker testimonies from the webinar will be added to the agency’s comment docket, National COSH Executive Director Jessica Martinez said.
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At least 19 Las Vegas-area workers were hospitalized due to heat-related illnesses during a record summer heat in June and July, according to OSHA records.
August reports are not yet available.
Statewide, there were 127 heat-related complaints filed to OSHA in June and 208 in July, most related to businesses in Clark County.
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The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) are partnering with construction companies and labor unions to raise awareness of workplace mental health during the nationawide Construction Suicide Prevention Week.
The suicide rate within the construction industry is about four times higher than among the general population, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Between 2021-2022, the number of reported suicides for construction and extraction occupation workers in Michigan increased by 65%, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
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