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Itasca, IL — Employers preparing to protect their workers and communities from the spread of COVID-19 – now considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization – should “prepare, don’t scare,” them, an expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is saying.

Washington — Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have introduced legislation that would allow workers to accrue up to 56 hours of paid sick leave while requiring employers to immediately provide 112 additional hours during public health emergencies, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — Are your cleaning products strong enough to protect against COVID-19? The Environmental Protection Agency has published a list of 83 registered disinfectants authorized to help prevent and reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Washington — In an effort to prevent injuries related to commercial grease traps, OSHA has issued a hazard bulletin.

Washington — House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and 20 other representatives are sponsoring a partisan bill that would require OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard for health care facilities to implement comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plans.

Washington — The Department of Education – together with the departments of Health and Human Services, Justice, and Homeland Security – has launched a new website it calls a “one-stop shop of resources” for K-12 teachers, administrators, parents and law enforcement to identify, prepare for, respond to and mitigate school safety threats.

Washington — A new online tool from NIOSH is designed to guide users through daily pre-shift inspections of mast climbing work platforms and help identify common hazards associated with the equipment.

Silver Spring, MD — In response to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the nation’s largest union and professional association of direct care registered nurses is petitioning OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard to protect frontline workers, patients and the public from the potentially deadly respiratory illness.

Washington — Six weeks after the full implementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the agency said it had documented nearly 8,000 positive tests for substance misuse among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — Effective April 20, the Federal Railway Administration is requiring the nation’s largest freight railroads – known as Class I – and smaller freight railroads with “inadequate safety performance” to develop and implement a formal risk reduction program. However, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says the final rule does not fulfill a congressional mandate to address rail worker fatigue.