Federal agencies

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Washington — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is evaluating its next course of action after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Sept. 18 denied a CVSA petition requesting that the agency update its definition of “personal conveyance” and clarify a mileage limit.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidance intended to help employers in the retail and service industries protect workers from violence that may occur when they ask customers or co-workers to comply with store policies aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency, in accordance with the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, is seeking comment on proposed “significant new use” rules for 45 chemical substances that are subject to agency premanufacture notices.

Washington — Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia has renewed the two-year charter for the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA announced in a notice published in the Oct. 2 Federal Register.

Atlanta — Workplace water systems in facilities that have had reduced occupancy or have been unoccupied during the COVID-19 pandemic are at increased risk for bacterial growth such as Legionella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a Canadian safety and health training center are warning employers and building managers.

Washington — Two dozen Democratic senators have taken issue with the dollar amounts OSHA has chosen to levy against employers in its individual COVID-19-related fines.

Atlanta — Employers should prioritize COVID-19 exposure controls for essential workers whose existing medical conditions put them at higher risk of severe illness from the potentially deadly disease, say researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has “continued to fulfill its mission” during the COVID-19 pandemic by performing safety and environmental inspections for offshore oil and gas operations, the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General concludes in a report issued Sept. 21.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded $400,000 in safety training grants to six organizations as part of its Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Program.

Washington — OSHA has updated a series of answers to frequently asked questions on protecting workers from exposure to the coronavirus to include a section on the need to report confirmed, work-related COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.