OSHA issues heat illness enforcement guidance On September 20, 2021, OSHA issued an updated heat illness enforcement initiative to guide the agency’s enforcement of heat illness inspections and to inform employers what is expected of them from a heat illness prevention standpoint. The initiative prioritizes inspections of work activities on days when the heat index exceeds 80℉, On these days, OSHA Area…
OSHA to issue ETS mandating vaccines at businesses with 100 or more workers President Joe Biden‘s call for an employer vaccine mandate has put short-staffed OSHA in a tight spot. The agency is to issue within weeks of the September White House announcement an emergency temporary standard that fulfills Biden’s directive for all companies with 100 or more workers to ensure employees are…
By Dave Johnson, Phylmar newsletter editor “California faces unprecedented fire danger as record heat, dryness combine with fierce winds,” was the headline of an August 19, 2021 Los Angeles Times article. “California is entering uncharted territory,” according to the report, with wildfires torching more than a million acres fairly early in the fire season. Record dry conditions that have fueled…
Masks can reduce risk of Valley fever, Arizona experts say Arizona has recorded more than 6,800 cases of Valley fever so far this year, according to July data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Cases have steadily climbed every year since 2016, with the state reporting more than 11,400 cases last year. Valley fever is a lung disease caused by…
Toxic metals are seeping into human bones; new technology may make it worse Researchers in Israel have discovered lead contamination in the bones of humans as far back as 12,000 years ago. They warn that modern technology may only make the problem worse. Despite global regulations banning many harmful toxins from use, study authors say even the “cleanest” products today…
UN climate report increases urgency for green investment funds Green investing has attracted a flood of cash and boosted companies like electric car maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and clean energy company NextEra Energy (NEE.N) that promise to help a transition away from fossil fuels. But sustainable investment managers are confronting a two-sided challenge for ESG, or environmental, social and governance, funds. Fund managers want…
COVID outbreaks doubled in California workplaces in July The number of workplace coronavirus outbreaks in California more than doubled between June and July, according to state data. The data, which was shared with a panel exploring how to revise the state’s COVID-19 workplace safety standard, showed that the number of worksite outbreaks in July was the highest since April. Outbreaks…
OSHA calls on employers to combat surge in construction worker suicides While the hazards most often associated with workplace deaths in the U.S. construction industry – falling, being struck-by or crushed by equipment or other objects, or suffering electrocution are well-known – a recent study finds that another potential killer is taking lives at an alarming rate, according to an…
Pfizer’s full FDA approval triggers new vaccine mandates The full federal approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on August23 immediately, as expected, led to new vaccination mandates by government entities, a development that suggests more could be coming, according to The Hill. Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the vaccine, New York City announced that…
By Dave Johnson, Phylmar newsletter editor Total expenditure on workplace training by U.S. companies totaled a whopping $82.5 billion in 2020, according to Statista. Organizations with 10,000+ employees annually spend about $1,046 per employee. The majority of the training spend is directed at internal training taught by staff members. External training providers are more commonly engaged to assist with technology…
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