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Will workers be protected from extreme heat on the job?

Jun 3, 2024
More than 400 workers died due to heat exposure between 2011 and 2021, according to federal records. Five states have created their own workplace heat safety rules, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working on a new safety standard.
Five states have created their own workplace heat safety rules and several more are close to adopting them, says Anastasia Christman at the National Employment Law Project.
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OSHA to publish details of workplace injuries under new reporting rules

Dec 29, 2023
The regulation, which applies to some 50,000 employers, aims to increase disclosure and public accountability for safety on the job.
An AFL-CIO report estimated it would take OSHA 190 years to inspect all 8 million worksites it is tasked with covering.
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Government figures show more people getting sick or hurt at work

Nov 9, 2023
The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a rising problem. Firms will soon be required to give more information about injuries and sicknesses.
OSHA has begun cracking down more on warehousing companies, including Amazon. Above, an employee at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in November 2022.
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Workers face blistering temperatures again, with little federal protection

Jun 10, 2022
The Biden Administration ordered OSHA to draw up workplace heat standards. How soon will they be in place?
Farmworkers and other laborers could suffer in this weekend's heat wave.
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Federal rules around COVID and health care workplaces lapse

Dec 29, 2021
Under the requirements, OSHA had issued COVID-specific workplace standards for things like training, respirators and adequate ventilation.
OSHA required health care employers to provide things like training and adequate ventilation, but those protections were temporary.
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How exactly does OSHA make rules?

Sep 10, 2021
A presidential order requiring a new standard means the pressure's on.
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OSHA issues workplace COVID rules, but they're limited to health care

Jun 11, 2021
There are still no emergency COVID standards from OSHA for other industries like meatpacking and farming.
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Biden has his hands full rebuilding a demoralized federal workforce

Mar 8, 2021
There are giant holes to fill, but also a huge pool of people with experience in government who are ready to go.
President Joe Biden tried to shore up federal employees’ morale even before his inauguration. He has substantial restaffing to do, but many former appointees are willing to serve again.
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Biden orders OSHA to strengthen COVID-19 safety rules

Jan 22, 2021
The order also asks OSHA to strengthen its workplace enforcement efforts.
An employee wipes down outdoor tables at a restaurant in Florida.
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The law that created OSHA was signed 50 years ago this week

Dec 30, 2020
The agency is responsible for the health and safety of about 130 million workers in the U.S., employed at more than 8 million worksites.
Richard Nixon gives the thumbs up as he addresses the White House staff upon his resignation as 37th President of the United States, Washington, D.C., in 1974. His son-in-law, David Eisenhower, is with him on the left.
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