Massachusetts gets approval to protect safety and government workers
- OSHA will allow Massachusetts to enable the state’s safety and health plan to be responsible for protecting state and local government workers.
- The Massachusetts State and Local Government Only State Plan will cover more than 430,000 employees of the state and its political subdivisions.
- Private sector and federal government employees in the state remain under federal OSHA jurisdiction.
- Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and the Virgin Islands have similar provisions.
Indiana worker dies after machine malfunctions
- An Indiana man died on the job when a machine at a local factory malfunctioned, according to local police and Indiana OSHA.
- Elliot Sullivan, 38, a worker at High Performance AlloysInc., died from “massive” abdominal and chest trauma, and his death was ruled accidental, Tipton County.
- IOSHA issued a “serious” violation to High Performance Alloys on June 21, 2022.
- The agency found a grinder was ineffectively guarded, which exposed employees “struck-by and caught-in hazards.”
California lawmakers propose boost for polluted communities
- Calfornia Senators Lena A. Gonzalez and Senator Monique Limón want to establish buffer zones for communities potentially affected by pollution.
- Their legislation — SB 1137 — is focused on areas that could be negatively impacted by corporate oil and gas operations.
- The proposal mandates a 3,200-foot buffer zone between oil and gas wells and schools, childcare centers, residential homes, and hospitals, among others.
- The bill prohibits the California Geological Energy Management Division from approving the drilling, re-drilling, or significant alteration of any oil and gas well within this “health protection zone.”
Help available to workers affected by hearing loss
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids which may in turn lower costs.
- Nearly 24 percent of hearing loss cases can be attributed to exposure in the workplace, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment can purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online retailers.
- These purchases can be made without the need for a medical exam, prescription, or fitting adjustment by an audiologist.