Shutdown Furloughs 1,200 at OSHA

The federal government shutdown has furloughed an estimated 1,200 of the agency’s 1,664 employees, according to the Department of Labor’s latest contingency plan.
OSHA will continue to provide support for the payment of benefits for which funding has not lapsed,
including Black Lung Benefits Act, Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, and, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.
The plan said that if the lapse is prolonged, the absence of IT operations and maintenance activity on the agency’s injury tracking application in a prolonged lapse would imperil the schedule of collecting data.
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Exoskeletons to help reduce the lifting strains that can cause musculoskeletal injuries, provide “minimal and inconsistent benefits” in lessening shoulder muscle strain during simulated construction tasks, according to a recent NIOSH study.
Researchers used special tools to measure muscle activity and balance during simulated construction tasks in a laboratory setting. These tasks included lifting a 35-pound cinder block onto a table at different heights.
Study participants included seven men, 21–50 years old, who had worked in construction for at least three months.
The tested exoskeletons provided minimal and inconsistent benefits in reducing shoulder muscle strain during the simulated construction tasks.
Also, balance decreased while wearing the exoskeletons, thereby increasing the risk of falls, particularly when working on unstable surfaces and at heights.
While the NIOSH study said rapid advancements in exoskeleton and other assistive technologies are anticipated, there is a need for comprehensive evaluations of both balance impacts and effectiveness before such interventions are widely used in construction.
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The federal government shutdown has put a lawsuit over black lung benefits on pause.
Harry Wiley, a Kanawha County, West Virginia coal miner, sued HHS and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in April over the Trump administration’s cuts to a program that screens miners for black lung.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charleston now has asked U.S. District Judge Irene Berger to hold the case in abeyance for 14 days.
It says the employees of the Justice Department and Health and Human Services can’t work during the shutdown, even on a voluntary basis.
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Businesses employing nonagricultural workers operating near farmland have been advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to notify nearby farms about their work.
That comes after the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development recently investigated separate incidents involving a total of 10 solar panel installation workers who needed medical attention after being exposed to pesticides.
One of the workers developed new-onset asthma.
Exposure was related to spray drift that reached about two dozen workers after pesticide was applied from an airplane to an area of a field some 50 yards away.
The CDC said that “because farmers are not required to apprise nonagricultural workers about pesticide application,” employers “should consider contacting farmers to determine pesticide application schedules so that nonagricultural workers can be advised to avoid the area or wear protective equipment during application times.”
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