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Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is set for the next two years following Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez’s renewal of the group’s charter.

The era of criminal prosecutions for violations of workplace safety laws being rare may be over, as the Departments of Justice and Labor have agreed to work closer together. Is this a new world of safety, or simply a patch for a broken system?

OSHA announced on March 24 the release of a final rule intended to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica. The agency claims the rule will save more than 600 lives and prevent more than 900 cases of the lung disease silicosis per year, but critics argue the rule is unnecessary and compliance will be costly.

Washington – An on-the-job injury suffered by a drunk employee is likely a recordable case, OSHA states in a new letter of interpretation.

Washington – The Federal Railroad Administration has bolstered its bridge safety oversight program in an effort to protect rail workers and the public.

Washington – The Department of Transportation has created a working group to study how it distributes grant funding to states for large truck and bus safety initiatives.

Washington – OSHA has updated its National Emphasis Program on shipbreaking operations as part of a Memorandum of Agreement with several federal agencies.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has released a safety alert in response to seven stockpile incidents involving dozers in 2015.

Washington – A series of physical, operational and organizational failures preceded the April 2010 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers and injured dozens more on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recent report from the Chemical Safety Board.

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board is scheduled to meet April 20 in Washington.