OSHA

11/16/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised its acetylene standard. A final rule replaces references to outdated industry standards with updated references reflecting current industry practices.

"This final rule incorporates current technology that enhances OSHA's acetylene standard for improving industry work practices and providing safer workplaces," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "It exemplifies our mission of providing strong and effective regulations that protect the safety and health of working men and women."    » read more »

New Report Documents Unparalleled Employer Abuse In Underreporting Of Workplace Injury And Illness

November 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s workers suffer more workplace injury and illness than employers report, and medical professionals are under pressure from employers to misdiagnose and under-treat work-related health conditions, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The report confirms what workers and worker advocacy organizations have known for a long time—Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) statistics do not reflect the real risk workers face from workplace hazards.    » read more »

10/30/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced it is issuing $87,430,000 in proposed penalties to BP Products North America Inc. for the company’s failure to correct potential hazards faced by employees. The fine is the largest in OSHA’s history. The prior largest total penalty, $21 million, was issued in 2005, also against BP.    » read more »

Commemorates Those Lost on Workers Memorial Day

April 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following is a statement from Change to Win Executive Director Chris Chafe on Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 2009.

“Each year, thousands of workers are killed on the job and millions more sustain workplace injuries. According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than four million workers were injured on the job and nearly 6,000 were killed by injuries due to job-site hazards in 2007 alone. Thousands more died of job-related diseases.    » read more »

New Data Available in Report Released Today to Mark Workers Memorial Day

April 27, 2009 -- The nation’s workplace safety laws and penalties are too weak to effectively protect workers, according to the new AFL-CIO annual report released today: Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.

There were a total of 5,657 fatal workplace injuries in 2007, a slight decrease from the year before, according to the AFL-CIO’s analysis of the newly available data. In 2007, employers reported more than 4 million workers having a work-related injury or illness, more than 10,950 each day. Due to the impact of underreporting of injuries and illness, the true toll may be as high as 12 million workers experiencing an injury or illness in 2007.    » read more »

03/16/2009 -- WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the withdrawal of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for occupational exposure to food flavorings containing diacetyl.

The withdrawal will facilitate the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) timely development of a standard to protect workers from bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious and potentially fatal lung disease associated with such an exposure.    » read more »

Washington, D.C, July 02, 2008 -- The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have renewed their Alliance and will continue to focus on advancing a culture of prevention of safety and health hazards for the nation’s working men and women. Dow and OSHA will jointly promote the case for safer, healthier workplaces by sharing proven practices and technical knowledge in areas such as process safety management, safety and health management systems, emergency preparedness, and employee wellness programs.    » read more »

As stories of underreporting spread, OSHA's efforts to audit injury and illness records have declined

April 22, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is effectively working to ensure that employers are accurately reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace.    » read more »

02/04/2008, WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. today announced that President Bush has requested $501.7 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in fiscal year (FY) 2009. The request represents a boost of nearly $15.7 million over the fiscal year 2008 level.    » read more »

Cincinnati – August 17, 2007 – Cintas experienced workplace incidents at its laundry facilities earlier this year, including one that took the life of a fellow employee. Cintas CEO Scott Farmer offers the following statement in response to proposed fines and citations from OSHA:    » read more »