Ohio Healthworkers Set to Get New Protection

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is set to sign into law a workplace safety measure for nurses and healthcare workers.
The bill focuses on enhancing security practices within hospitals and implementing measures to prevent and report incidents of violence.
The Ohio Chapter, of the American College of Emergency Physicians said this would help make significant progress in preventing hospital violence, enhancing training, improving reporting, and strengthening security plans,
A second piece of legislation, focused on safe staffing ratios, was not passed.
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The Center for Disease Control is advising health professionals to consider a diagnosis of blastomycosis in work-related respiratory disease outbreaks in areas where the fungal disease is endemic.
The move follows an outbreak of the disease that occurred among workers at a paper mill in Delta County, Michigan, from November 2022 to May 2023.
Among the 645 workers studied, 162 received a blastomycosis diagnosis, of whom 12% were hospitalized, and one died.
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The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries will develop ergonomics rules in an effort to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders in industries with high rates of worker injuries.
It will start with Ground Crew Operations in Scheduled Airlines, beginning with a scoping virtual meeting on Jan. 9.
The state legislature tasked the agency in 2023 with creating rules for industries or risk classes with workers’ compensation claim rates exceeding twice the statewide average.
However, the agency is limited to adopting one rule per year targeting either an industry or a risk classification.
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Four new members have been named to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH).
Serving in the vacant Public Representative seat, effective Jan. 16, 2025, is John Stephen Frost, of the University of South Florida OSHA Training Institute Education Center, while Kirk Sander, of the National Waste & Recycling Association, will serve in the vacant Management Representative seat.
The Labor Representative seat will be held by Rebecca Reindel of the AFL-CIO, while the Occupational Safety Professional Representative position will be held by Sarah Williams Ischer of the National Safety Council.
They will serve one-year terms on the 12-member panel.
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The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health division is encouraging construction employers and workers to attend a two-day conference to increase their protection from safety and health hazards.
The Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit will be held Jan. 27-28 in Bend, Oregon.
It will feature OSHA’s 10-hour training for construction and training in work zone safety and flagging. Certifications, recertifications and continuing education credits, including credits through Oregon’s Construction Contractors Board and Landscape Contractors Board, will be available.
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