Kentucky Workplace Safety Bill Vetoed, Seen Leading More Injuries

• Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) vetoed House Bill 398, which prohibits the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board or the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet from enforcing any occupational safety and health administrative regulation that is more stringent than the corresponding federal provision.
• Only the fifth veto since taking office, Beshear said the state’s workers would “lose important safeguards related to fall protection, exposure to toxic and hazardous materials, high voltage electrical lines and bulk hazardous liquid unloading.”
• He claimed that officials wouldn’t be able to enforce its regulation regarding fall protection at heights of 10 feet or more, because federal regulations start at 30 feet.
• “House Bill 398 will lead to more workplace injuries, with Kentucky workers paying the price,” he said in vetoing the measure.
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Palm Cooling Device Selected as NSC’s Top Heat Stress Innovation

• The National Safety Council selected a palm-cooling device engineered to combat heat stress as the winner of its Work to Zero Safety Innovation Challenge.
• The device was developed by Apex Cool Labs.
• Five other technologies made it to the finals of the challenge, including Bodytrak’s geofencing technology, which alerts workers and supervisors to high-heat areas in real time.
• The NSC’s Work to Zero initiative and TechConnect, a division of Advanced Technology International, identified nearly 100 potential technology providers for the 2025 Safety Innovation Challenge.
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Fisher Phillips Lawyers Outline What to Expect From Fire Brigade Regs

• With OSHA currently reviewing comments submitted on its proposed rulemaking of the Fire Brigades standard, lawyers at Fisher Phillips outlined what they see as the six biggest changes that interested parties should track as the rule heads toward finalization.
• The proposed rule explicitly expands the scope of the rule and volunteer emergency responders may be considered employees under any new standard enacted by the applicable state.
• One of the most controversial provisions of the proposed rule is the establishment of medical and fitness requirements for responders. However, “there have also been concerns that team volunteer responders would have difficulty meeting the physical fitness requirements,” they noted.
• “The soon-to-be head of OSHA, David Keeling, is expected to bring a different regulatory focus than his predecessors, and it is unclear how highly he and other new leaders prioritize this standard,” they said.
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