Infectious Disease Rule on White House Pause

A proposed OSHA rule on infectious diseases in healthcare and other high-risk environments has been withdrawn per the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing all rules that had been sent but not yet published in the Federal Register, in order that that could be “reviewed and approved” by the agency or department head appointed by Trump.
Along with health care settings, the proposed rule was expected to apply to “other occupational settings where employees can be at increased risk of exposure to individuals who are potentially infectious.” Among them:
The proposed rule had been under the White House office’s review from Nov. 8 until Jan. 14.
Along with healthcare settings, the proposed rule was expected to apply to “other occupational settings where employees can be at increased risk of exposure to individuals who are potentially infectious,” including: Emergency response, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters.
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As the commercial fishing industry is known for its high rates of occupational injuries, several recent studies highlighted by the influential journal Nature focus on identifying the specific causes of these injuries and exploring effective safety interventions to mitigate risks.
One study looked at injuries caused by winches, which are a common source of accidents in the fishing industry, and raised the need for practical solutions to prevent entanglement and struck-by hazards associated with winch operations.
Another highlighted the barriers and facilitators to implementing safety interventions in the fishing industry, noting the positive impact of social marketing campaigns aimed at increasing the use of personal flotation devices among fishermen.
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