Labor Department seeks funding for staffing surges
The Labor Department, which has around fewer 3,000 employees than it did four years ago, according to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, wants to increase staff across the department, including Fed-OSHA. The Biden administration’s budget request proposes a 13.5 percent staffing increase at the department, which would mean an additional 2,100 full-time-equivalent employees. FCW
Three injured in ladder incident near Boston
Three people were seriously injured Friday morning at a Norwood, Massachusetts apartment complex after they fell about 25 feet off a ladder. When first responders arrived at the scene they found two in critical and the third in serious condition. Fed-OSHA reportedly was notified. Boston.com
Washington releases new heat rules to increase protections for outdoor workers
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries released an emergency rule Friday to provide farm and other outdoor employees with additional protection from heat-related illnesses. The rule requires employers to offer shade or other means for employees to cool down when temperatures reach 100 degrees, as well as rest periods of at least 10 minutes every two hours. The measure, combined with existing rules, also will require employers to provide cool drinking water once temperatures reach 89 degrees, and allow employees to take additional paid rest when needed, to prevent overheating. Seattle Times
Pennsylvania roofing contractor dies in 40-foot fall
A contractor working on a roof earlier this month in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania died in an estimated 40-foot fall to the ground. Fed-OSHA is investigating. Lehigh Valley Live
North Carolina city employee killed in mowing accident
A Washington, North Carolina city employee was killed last week while he was mowing a ditch bank along a drainage canal behind two businesses around noon on Tuesday when his tractor rolled over him. WXII [with video]
Fed-OSHA signs alliance with Ohio Agribusiness Association on grain handling hazards
Fed-OSHA this month signed a two-year safety alliance with the Ohio On-Site Consultation Program, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Ohio Agribusiness Association intended to train employees on the grain industry’s six major hazards: engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, “struck by,” combustible dust explosions and electrocution hazards and OSHA’s Grain-Handling Safety Standard. Ohio’s Country Journal
Eastern Tennessee mine cited three times in week before fatal collapse
One miner was killed and two other miners were injured in a mine collapse July 13 in Mascot, Tennessee. The collapse marked the second fatal incident this year at the Nyrstar Immel Mine, which received three federal citations in the week leading up to the July 13 collapse, including one the day prior for violation of a code requiring telephone or other voice communication be provided between the surface and refuge chambers. WATE (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Legal workload expected to increase in ‘return to work world’
Decisionmakers anticipate a rise in administrative claims and lawsuits related to labor and employment matters over the next year due to new regulations and enhanced enforcement from the Biden administration, and the many issues still cropping up related to COVID-19. Indiana Lawyer
Parents of Missouri employee killed in construction accident file lawsuit
The parents of a man killed in a retaining wall collapse last year at a Jefferson City, Missouri construction site are suing contractors and the property owner. The lawsuit alleges the foreman knew the dangers of stacking too many retaining wall blocks without backfill. Fed-OSHA cited the landscaping firm for the incident. KMIZ [with video]