2 minute read
SAFETY
by subcusa.com
US Department of Labor To Hold Public Meeting To Provide Overview Of OSHA Initiatives To Protect Workers From
Heat Hazards
By Subcontractors USA News Provider
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration held a stakeholder meeting on May 3, 2022, to provide an overview of and seek comments on the agency's ongoing efforts to protect workers from heat-related hazards.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to workplace safety, OSHA is working to address the threat of heat, the leading cause of death among all weather-related workplace hazards. OSHA's efforts to address heat-related hazards include the agency's Heat Illness Prevention Campaign, compliance assistance, and enforcement activities. During the meeting, the process of federal rulemaking and ways for the public to participate in the process were discussed. Individuals who were unable to attend and those who prefer to submit written comments must do so by Aug. 1, 2022, at www.regulations. gov, and cite Docket No. OSHA-2022-0006. Visit the Heat Forum Public Stakeholder page for more details. Workers in outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate-controlled environments risk hazardous heat exposure. Statistics show workers of color are exposed disproportionately to hazardous levels of heat in essential jobs in these work settings.
OSHA recently launched a National Emphasis Program to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. Through the program, OSHA will conduct heat-related workplace inspections before workers suffer completely preventable injuries, illnesses, or, even worse, fatalities.
Learn more about working in outdoor and indoor heat environments.
Source: www.OSHA.gov
SAFETY Secretary Marty Walsh Issues Statement Remembering Fallen Workers, Reaffirming Commitment to
Worker Safety on Workers Memorial Day
By Subcontractors USA News Provider
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh recently issued the following statement on Workers Memorial Day as the nation remembers those whose work claimed their lives: "In the past year, nearly 5,000 workers left home for work and did not return. None knew that going to work would cost them their lives. While each life lost is a tragedy, those taken in incidents that might have been prevented – had their employers followed required safety and health standards – are especially painful for their families, their co-workers and friends, and their communities.
Today, we join the families of those workers we have lost on Workers Memorial Day to remember them, reflect on the difference they made in our lives and recognize the high cost of failing to adhere to workplace safety and health regulations.
Amid the losses of thousands of workers each year – 13 people a day on average – we have also endured the heightened risks brought by the coronavirus pandemic for more than two years. Many workers suffered fatal exposure to COVID-19 as they worked to care for our health, protect our safety and feed our families.
While we have made much progress toward safer workplaces, we must do more to ensure that employers understand and take responsibility for addressing workplace hazards and keeping them from causing workplace fatalities. As our economy continues its recovery, we are determined to empower workers as well so they can recognize the hazards around them, and demand their rights to a safe workplace without fear of retaliation.
On Workers Memorial Day, we honor the fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters whose lives ended tragically and, in their memory recommit ourselves to our belief that no worker should ever have to trade their life for a paycheck."
Source: www.OSHA.gov