Business and Industry Division

RSS

Dallas – Workers want their employers to offer assistance in coping with work-related stress, according to a new report from the American Heart Association’s CEO Roundtable.

Washington – The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is seeking comments on a draft of its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.

Washington – Noting that “regulators of high-hazard industries must have an informed and reasoned basis for making their regulatory choices,” a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that clarifying design concepts of safety regulations in industries such as transportation, chemical manufacturing, and offshore oil and gas development – and exploring how various circumstances may impact them – can help.

Washington – Citing a “knowledge gap related to robotics and worker safety and health,” NIOSH has launched the Center for Occupational Robotics Research in an effort to evaluate the possible advantages and hazards of robot workers, as well as foster safe robot-human interactions.

Providence, RI – Rhode Island is the latest state to guarantee paid sick leave for workers after Gov. Gina M. Raimondo (D) signed legislation into law on Sept. 28.

Washington – Mandatory guidelines for drug testing of federal employees have been updated to include testing for four semi-synthetic opioids, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently announced.

Burnaby, British Columbia – Engaging in 30 minutes of moderate activity – including household chores and walking to work – most days could decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death, according to a new study.

Ann Arbor, MI – “You learn something new every day,” an old adage suggests. And people who apply that saying at work may be more effective at dealing with stress than their co-workers who take coffee breaks, walk or listen to music to relax on the job, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.

New York – Employers can use several strategies to mitigate cost and health issues associated with workers’ musculoskeletal disorders, the Northeast Business Group on Health suggests in a report issued Sept. 21.

Washington – Concerned about the pace at which OSHA is hiring new inspectors, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) is requesting information on the agency’s staffing levels.