Florida still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane
- OSHA has ramped up efforts to provide onsite technical assistance and outreach in the areas of Florida hardest hit by a recent storm.
- The goal is to protect workers involved in the recovery and response and to prevent any further injury or loss of life.
- The agency had ceased programmed and planned enforcement inspections in counties identified in the hurricane’s path.
- Once the storm had passed, OSHA deployed safety and health professionals to help employers and workers engaged in recovery operations to eliminate serious hazards.
Safety campaign ahead of soccer’s World Cup
- The Qatar Ministry of Labour and other officials launched a joint awareness campaign themed “Occupational Safety and Health… Our Choice to Maintain a Safe Work Environment.”
- The goal is to raise awareness among employers and workers at worksites and labor accommodations.
- Qatar has been heavily criticized for not protecting workers during the construction of the stadium for the world-renowned tournament that starts in November.
- Inspection teams will ensure that all procedures and requirements for occupational safety and health are implemented at worksites and labor accommodations.
More scrutiny after death at a marijuana facility
- Marijuana regulators in Massachusetts started investigating a Holyoke facility over safety complaints even before a worker collapsed and died in a dust-filled room.
- The Cannabis Control Commission was already probing Trulieve’s plant at the time of Lorna McMurrey’s death in January.
- Lorna McMurrey collapsed on Jan. 7 while filling pre-rolled joints with ground cannabis flower at a cultivation and processing center in Holyoke owned by Trulieve.
- Union organizers and employees in the burgeoning cannabis sector have long charged that Massachusetts marijuana regulations are short on worker protections
More labor grants
- OSHA is awarding more than $11.7 million in grants to educate workers and employers on workplace health and safety.
- The grants are derived from the Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training program.
- For the 2022 fiscal year, grants were awarded for education and training on hazard recognition and injury prevention, workers’ rights and employers’ legal responsibilities to provide safe and healthful workplaces.
- The DOL reports that the grants are a critical part of OSHA’s effort to educate workers and assist employers.