Walkaround rule raises more concern

• The Coalition for Workplace Safety and 40 other employer organizations sent a letter to the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee criticizing OSHA for its proposed worker walkaround rule.
• The measure would let OSHA inspectors allow union organizers, community activists, or other third parties to accompany OSHA on an inspection of a workplace if an employee requests the inspector do so, regardless of whether the workplace is actually unionized.
• This new policy contradicts the OSHA’s governing regulations, longstanding agency guidance, and past interpretations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and could result in unmanageable OSHA inspections with multiple third-party representatives.
• The proposed rule conflicts with federal labor law, is contrary to the principles of workplace democracy and potentially violates the wishes of the workers, according to the Coalition.
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Candymaker did not evacuate workers quickly enough

• The U.S. Department of Labor found a Pennsylvania candy maker failed to evacuate employees after some reported smelling gas before a March 2023 explosion that killed seven workers at the company’s West Reading facility.
• OSHA opened an investigation and learned that R.M. Palmer Co. did not remove workers from the manufacturing plant despite workers’ concerns about what OSHA later determined was a natural gas leak.
• The agency cited the company under its general duty clause for not evacuating workers. OSHA also cited R.M. Palmer for not marking emergency exit signs clearly, using flexible cords improperly and for recordkeeping violations.
• “Seven workers will never return home because the R.M. Palmer Co. did not evacuate the facility after being told of a suspected gas leak,” said OSHA Area Director Kevin T. Chambers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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Investigation after N.C. man dies after falling from bucket truck

• OSHA and the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division are investigating when a man died after falling out of a bucket truck while trimming trees in Franklin County on Tuesday.
• Raymond Morgan, 44, was in a bucket truck about 60 feet off the ground.
• First responders said Morgan went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital.
• Morgan was an employee of Asplundh Tree Service and witnesses told investigators that he hit nearby power lines when he fell before landing on the ground.
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More help for workers with substance abuse issues

• The U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA joined the Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council to discuss new methods for supportive work environments for people with substance use disorder and mental health conditions in the trades.
• The Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council supports recovery efforts for workers with substance use disorder by promoting the recovery benefits and programs within each affiliate trade.
• Members of the 62 local unions and district councils in MBTU have access to recovery support.
• Any union member can contact a peer at any time to ask for help, learn about local resources such as recovery meetings at union halls, explore treatment options, and find much-needed personal connections.
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