Workplace exposures

RSS

Sacramento, CA — An updated version of California’s emergency temporary standard that requires employers to protect workers from COVID-19-related hazards has been adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Tumwater, WA — Fully vaccinated workers in Washington state do not have to wear masks or follow physical distancing protocol unless otherwise required to do so by their employer, according to updated COVID-19 workplace safety and health guidance from the state’s Department of Labor & Industries.

Washington — As warmer summer temperatures approach, OSHA has unveiled a new poster intended to help workers reduce their risk of heat-related illness.

Davis, CA — U.S. counties that are home to beef-, pork- and poultry-processing plants experienced accelerated COVID-19 infection rates during the pandemic, according to a recent study led by a researcher at the University at California, Davis.

Lansing, MI — In addition to updating its temporary COVID-19 emergency rules intended to clarify employer requirements for protecting workers from exposure, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has rescinded a draft of permanent COVID-19 rules.

The NSC-led initiative wants to help employers ‘understand the spectrum of what they can do’ to safely return employees to the workplace.

Portland, ME — A new online training course launched by the University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute focuses on protecting retail workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — Citing “continued concerns regarding personal protective equipment shortages in the agricultural sector,” the Environmental Protection Agency has extended until Sept. 30 the provision on “annual fit test delay” in temporary guidance intended to help protect workers who handle agricultural pesticides against exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — OSHA is reviewing new COVID-19-related guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for fully vaccinated people and anticipates an update of its own guidance materials in the near future, the agency says on its COVID-19 website.

London — Workers who use cleaning and disinfecting products may be more likely to develop asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – 50% and 43%, respectively – than those who don’t, results of a recent study led by British and Italian researchers show.