OR-OSHA proposal would require COVID-19 safety measures at employer-provided housing

Oregon OSHA is proposing extending protective measures against COVID-19 for employees who rely on housing provided by employers, including as part of farming operations. The proposed requirements include: ventilation; masks, face coverings, and face shields; physical distancing; and cleaning and sanitation. KATU

Advocates ask how employer in deadly Boston incident got work permit

MassCOSH, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, is questioning how the company involved in last week’s double fatality at a Boston worksite was able to get a permit from the city given its history of serious Fed-OSHA violations, which the city is supposed to be screening for. In last week’s incident, two employees were killed when a truck backed into them, knocking them into a trench at a worksite in the financial district. Their employer was cited and fined a combined $34,920 for three safety violations in 2016 for a job in Boston, including issues with support systems and stability measures to prevent the possible collapse of structures, such as sidewalks and pavement. WCVB (Boston)

Investigation of Texas construction worker’s death closed without citations

Fed-OSHA has closed its investigation into the death of a man who died at a construction site at Lufkin High School in Texas last August, with no citations issued, according to an agency official. The construction worker who died in the accident was an employee of a structural steel and precast concrete contractor. KLTV

Fed-OSHA finds employees working on unprotected 3-story roof

For the sixth time since 2012, Fed-OSHA has cited a construction contractor after determining it failed to provide employees with fall protection equipment. In the most recent matter, an an inspector observed employees allegeldy using nail guns to install roofing material at a Canton, Ohio apartment building, without fall protection. Highland County Press

Seven signs new N95s at your physician practice might be fake

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has issued a notice about fake N95s that are circulating and how physicians and others in healthcare charged with obtaining personal protective equipment can properly identify them. AMA