May 17, 2024
OSHA restructuring, heat safety rule update and more
The Department of Labor (DOL)
The DOL has announced plans to change OSHA's regional structure and rename regions after their regional office city. For example, Region 6 will be renamed the Dallas Region. The agency will also create a new office in Birmingham, Alabama to reflect the growth in that region and the specific safety hazards in industries like construction and manufacturing. The full transition to this new structure is expected later in fiscal year 2024.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA heat safety rule advances
OSHA presented its regulatory framework for a heat safety rule to the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), which unanimously approved its advancement for public comment. OSHA will gather input from stakeholders and the public before proposing and finalizing the rule. In the interim, the agency will continue emphasizing heat safety education, enforcing existing regulations and prioritizing inspections in high-risk workplaces like agriculture.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
MSHA encourages participation in stand down event
In a recent letter, the MSHA assistant secretary commends the mining community for a decrease in fatalities this year but emphasizes there's more work to be done. He encourages participation in the Stand Down to Save Lives event on May 22, a day dedicated to prioritizing miner safety through discussions, inspections and training.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
The future of nonstandard work arrangements and employee health
A new NIOSH Science Blog article explores how nonstandard work arrangements, such as contingent, platform-based, seasonal, on-call or others will affect employees' well-being. To better understand this future, the authors propose a two-tiered system that separates legal employment classifications, such as employed, co-employed and non-employed, from the specific details of each job, like pay and work schedule. The authors recommend further research on various work arrangement elements and improved data collection to understand their impact on employee well-being across their careers and families.
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