Two Biden OSHA Regs Seen Likely for Trump Review
- Two pending Biden Administration workplace safety regulations — the Walkaround rule and Heat Safety rule — are likely to be reviewed by the new Trump team at the OSHA and could be rolled back in the near future, according to law firm Maynard Nexsen.
- Meanwhile, OSHA this week joined other federal agencies in the early days of the Trump Administration in advising website visitors that information could be out of date or not within current policies.
- The header atop standard OSHA Trade Releases read “Please note: Information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies. A trade release originally dated Jan. 7 now displays that banner at the top of the webpage.
- On Jan. 21, the Trump administration instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, including health advisories, weekly scientific reports, website updates and social media posts.
- “We are evaluating efforts to undo rules proposed or finalized by the prior administration, potentially including the home- and community-based requirement for worker compensation, and the [Occupational Health and Safety Administration] healthcare worker safety rule,” an senior living communities manager Argentum spokesman told McKnight’s Senior Living.
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Soapmaker Zep Unit Fined After NO2 Sends Dozen to Hospital
- Soap manufacturer Zep has been fined $161,310 by OSHA after a nitrogen dioxide gas release sent to the hospital 12 workers from its subsidiary AFCO’s Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, plant in July 2024.
- The federal agency’s inspectors found high gas exposure levels, inadequate emergency response and violations in respiratory protection and hazard communication in their investigation.
- Zep has faced several similar citations at other facilities for not training employees on hazardous chemicals, as far back as 2022, with fines totaling at least $90,000.
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Cority Acquires Occupational Health Software Firm Meddbase
- Cority, an enterprise environmental, health, and safety software firm, has acquired Meddbase, which develops occupational medicine and enterprise medical practice management software.
- Meddbase began in 2004 as a clinical software solution designed for healthcare providers in the UK, and has since expanded its offerings to include occupational health, electronic health records, and private healthcare management solutions.
- Cority expects Meddbase’s solutions will become part of Cority’s Health Cloud, and its scalable software suite for occupational medicine and workforce wellbeing.
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Concentra Expands Network With Deal for Nova Medical Centers Parent
- Occupational health services company Concentra Group Holdings will pay $265 million to acquire U.S. Occmed Holdings, the parent company of Nova Medical Centers.
- Nova runs 67 sites in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana and Wisconsin that provide workers’ compensation injury care as well as physical therapy, drug- and alcohol-screening services and pre-employment physical examinations. Concentra today runs 108 locations on Nova’s five states.
- The deal will expand Concentra’s network by nearly 10%.
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