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Washington – Senators on both sides of the aisle are again seeking to make OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs a permanent fixture.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking input on a draft of its National Occupational Research Agenda for Construction, a document intended to identify the research, information and actions “most urgently needed” to prevent injuries and illness in the construction industry from 2016 to 2026.

Washington – OSHA has awarded $10.5 million in one-year federal safety and health training grants to 80 nonprofit organizations, as part of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, the agency announced Sept. 26.

Indianapolis – The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017 remained largely unchanged from FY 2016, except for one new addition: Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) entered the list at No. 9 with 1,523 violations, just ahead of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,405 violations).

Washington – Employers who are found to be acting in “good faith” will have an additional 30 days to comply with OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard, according to a Sept. 20 memorandum from the agency.

Washington – NIOSH has released an overview of its Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program, which seeks to improve the “organization of work.”

Washington – OSHA has stated that it will change some of the processes in its Voluntary Protection Programs, after a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General audit uncovered several weaknesses in recording and reporting systems involving contract workers.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board released a set of recommendations Sept. 18 after its investigation into last year’s ExxonMobil refinery fire, which severely burned four workers in Baton Rouge, LA.

Washington – The House on Sept. 14 passed all of its appropriations bills, including one that would fund OSHA, NIOSH, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. That set of bills, however, likely will not get through the Senate in its current form.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is proposing to amend a final rule intended to improve pre-shift examinations of metal and non-metal mines, as well as delay its effective date until March 2, according to separate notices published in the Sept. 12 Federal Register.