Latest news with #OSHA
Scientific American
3 hours ago
- Business
- Scientific American
Government Layoffs Could Make It Easier to Scrap Heat Safety Rules
CLIMATEWIRE | When federal regulators were crafting a first-ever proposal to protect workers from extreme heat, they relied on government health experts who had been working on the deadly effects of high temperatures for years. Now that entire team is gone due to President Donald Trump's personnel purges. It comes ahead of summertime heat waves that are intensifying because of climate change, raising the stakes for the 2024 draft heat rule that took decades to propose and whose fate now rests in the hands of an administration that is eviscerating climate programs. Extreme heat kills more U.S. residents annually than all other disasters. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The heat experts have been fired, placed on leave or forced out at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency, called NIOSH, was the first one to sound the alarm on the dangers that heat poses to workers. It recommended safety regulations in 1975, decades before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed the nation's first heat rule last year. The entire heat team at NIOSH was pushed out of the agency this spring, along with hundreds of experts who were studying other issues, as part of a massive reorganization at the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The layoffs, which take effect this week, come as climate change supercharges temperatures, blanketing the nation in suffocating heat every summer. The personnel purge could also hamstring OSHA at the Department of Labor, as the agency considers whether to move forward with finalizing the heat rule under Trump or ditch it. Preserving it promises to be harder without the heat experts. 'The ability to reach out to experts and work together and solve problems and keep people safe in an efficient manner — that's not going to be possible when you have an agency turned into Swiss cheese,' said Doug Parker, who led OSHA during the Biden administration. Lawsuits have brought back some NIOSH staffers who work mostly on coal mining and firefighting projects, or who test respirators and other personal protective equipment. Some of them have heat expertise in those industries. But most NIOSH heat experts — including those who work with the farming and construction sectors, which see the most heat-related deaths, and those who specifically examine heat as a hazard — have not returned to their jobs. The agency has also stopped all public communications on heat, just before summer threatens to bring suffocating temperatures. In the past, the agency would use social media campaigns and in-person presentations with employers to raise awareness about the dangers of heat. None of that has happened. Its social media accounts have been silent since April 1, when HHS told its workforce of the layoffs. 'If it stays the way it is right now, no one is going to be doing heat,' said one NIOSH worker who came back to the agency after being laid off and was granted anonymity to speak frankly. 'Very open line of communication' Congress created NIOSH in 1970 — by passing the same law that enacted OSHA — to 'develop and establish' safety standard recommendations for regulators. NIOSH had the experts, and OSHA had the regulators. In the 50 years since the agency initially advocated for a heat safety standard, it has made similar recommendations two other times, most recently in 2016. Because NIOSH has been at the forefront of identifying heat as a danger to workers, its experts have also been the preeminent researchers on the issue. The agency has conducted research into how electrolyte drinks compare to water when rehydrating workers and how protective equipment can make workers hotter than if they were only exposed to ambient air. It has also helped determine how to measure what heat truly feels like in work environments. When OSHA finally proposed national heat protections last summer, it cited its sister agency's work more than 250 times. The regulation would require employers to provide water and rest breaks to workers when heat rises above 80 degrees and paid rest breaks when temperatures exceed 90 degrees. 'We had a very open line of communication to discuss any questions they had while working on the regulation,' said one NIOSH worker who was laid off and was granted anonymity to speak frankly. Almost every aspect of the proposed rule has a citation that leads back to NIOSH, from the definitions of heat stress, to the explanation of how heat affects the human body, to a description about how hydration helps prevent heat-related dangers. 'We really fostered a strong relationship with NIOSH and it was at a peak level, so it is a tragedy what has happened,' said Parker, the former OSHA leader. As the layoffs take effect this week, it could complicate OSHA's consideration of the heat rule. In mid-June, the agency is scheduled to hold a weekslong hearing to let the public weigh in on the draft regulation. Normally, when worker advocates and industry representatives testify at OSHA hearings, agency staff is able to ask follow-up questions that can help shape the outcome. It's unclear if NIOSH experts — those who still have jobs — will testify at the hearing. Neither HHS nor the CDC responded to questions about expert testimony. HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said Kennedy "has been working hard to ensure that the critical functions under NIOSH remain intact." "The Trump administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the secretary's leadership, NIOSH's essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations," she said. "Ensuring the health and safety of our workforce remains a top priority for the department." 'They are neutral' Parker said holding a public hearing, and continuing the heat rulemaking, without NIOSH experts would be like prosecutors trying to convict a murderer without having the testimony of a medical examiner. 'It's like going to trial without your expert witness,' he said. 'They are neutral; they help review not only the content of the rule, but the comments of other advocates and industries. It's a well you can go to again and again.' Jordan Barab, former deputy assistant secretary of OSHA during the Obama administration, said NIOSH is a helpful resource when industry and worker groups provide conflicting information. The laws governing OSHA say it can only issue rules to protect workers that are also practical and cost-effective for employers, which means the agency has to be able to justify every aspect of a regulation. Most end up in court. 'If they have two opposing opinions and their rule is agreeing with one, they need to carefully explain why they chose what they did, and they spend an enormous amount of time justifying their rules, often with the help of NIOSH expertise and research,' Barab said. Rebecca Reindel, safety and health director at the AFL-CIO, said she is worried that without NIOSH testimony OSHA will be more likely to kill the heat rule. The agency has been under pressure from industry groups to stop work on the rule or water down its protections. The oil and gas industry has said moving forward on the rule would jeopardize Trump's vision of achieving 'energy dominance.' NIOSH's testimony, she said, would be important to counteract that narrative. 'When you have industry groups saying 'we don't want this' or 'it's too expensive,' you want that neutral party that has actually done the research into what interventions work and that knows of how they have been successfully deployed in other workplaces,' Reindel said. 'Without NIOSH experts at this hearing, we lose a very critical part of the testimony and a part of the record we need to ensure that OSHA does regulate this hazard and uses the best available evidence and information.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Third Iowa baby surrendered this year
IOWA (KCAU) — Another baby has been surrendered in the State of Iowa under the 'Safe Haven' act. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced the surrender in a press release. They said a baby girl, born on May 23, is now in the custody of the state. She will be placed with a foster family for now. Story continues below Top Story: OSHA has set fines for workplace death in January Lights & Sirens: Nebraska officials find 25 lbs of drugs during I-80 stop Sports: Local IHSAA State Quarterfinal soccer scoreboard Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here She is the third baby to be surrendered under the 2002 law so far in 2025. To surrender a baby under Iowa's Safe Haven Act, he or she must be 90-days old or younger and delivered to a designated location like hospitals and police or fire stations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
E&E News
8 hours ago
- Business
- E&E News
Trump fired the heat experts. Now he might kill their heat rule.
When federal regulators were crafting a first-ever proposal to protect workers from extreme heat, they relied on government health experts who had been working on the deadly effects of high temperatures for years. Now that entire team is gone due to President Donald Trump's personnel purges. It comes ahead of summertime heat waves that are intensifying because of climate change, raising the stakes for the 2024 draft heat rule that took decades to propose and whose fate now rests in the hands of an administration that is eviscerating climate programs. Extreme heat kills more U.S. residents annually than all other disasters. Advertisement The heat experts have been fired, placed on leave or forced out at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency, called NIOSH, was the first one to sound the alarm on the dangers that heat poses to workers. It recommended safety regulations in 1975, decades before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed the nation's first heat rule last year. The entire heat team at NIOSH was pushed out of the agency this spring, along with hundreds of experts who were studying other issues, as part of a massive reorganization at the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The layoffs, which take effect this week, come as climate change supercharges temperatures, blanketing the nation in suffocating heat every summer. The personnel purge could also hamstring OSHA at the Department of Labor, as the agency considers whether to move forward with finalizing the heat rule under Trump or ditch it. Preserving it promises to be harder without the heat experts. 'The ability to reach out to experts and work together and solve problems and keep people safe in an efficient manner — that's not going to be possible when you have an agency turned into Swiss cheese,' said Doug Parker, who led OSHA during the Biden administration. Firefighter Geo Mulongo drinks water while taking a break during the Line Fire in Highland, California, last year. | Jae C. Hong/AP Lawsuits have brought back some NIOSH staffers who work mostly on coal mining and firefighting projects, or who test respirators and other personal protective equipment. Some of them have heat expertise in those industries. But most NIOSH heat experts — including those who work with the farming and construction sectors, which see the most heat-related deaths, and those who specifically examine heat as a hazard — have not returned to their jobs. The agency has also stopped all public communications on heat, just before summer threatens to bring suffocating temperatures. In the past, the agency would use social media campaigns and in-person presentations with employers to raise awareness about the dangers of heat. None of that has happened. Its social media accounts have been silent since April 1, when HHS told its workforce of the layoffs. 'If it stays the way it is right now, no one is going to be doing heat,' said one NIOSH worker who came back to the agency after being laid off and was granted anonymity to speak frankly. 'Very open line of communication' Congress created NIOSH in 1970 — by passing the same law that enacted OSHA — to 'develop and establish' safety standard recommendations for regulators. NIOSH had the experts, and OSHA had the regulators. In the 50 years since the agency initially advocated for a heat safety standard, it has made similar recommendations two other times, most recently in 2016. Because NIOSH has been at the forefront of identifying heat as a danger to workers, its experts have also been the preeminent researchers on the issue. The agency has conducted research into how electrolyte drinks compare to water when rehydrating workers and how protective equipment can make workers hotter than if they were only exposed to ambient air. It has also helped determine how to measure what heat truly feels like in work environments. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., seen here with President Donald Trump, is overseeing mass layoffs this week at the Department of Health and Human Services. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP When OSHA finally proposed national heat protections last summer, it cited its sister agency's work more than 250 times. The regulation would require employers to provide water and rest breaks to workers when heat rises above 80 degrees and paid rest breaks when temperatures exceed 90 degrees. 'We had a very open line of communication to discuss any questions they had while working on the regulation,' said one NIOSH worker who was laid off and was granted anonymity to speak frankly. Almost every aspect of the proposed rule has a citation that leads back to NIOSH, from the definitions of heat stress, to the explanation of how heat affects the human body, to a description about how hydration helps prevent heat-related dangers. 'We really fostered a strong relationship with NIOSH and it was at a peak level, so it is a tragedy what has happened,' said Parker, the former OSHA leader. As the layoffs take effect this week, it could complicate OSHA's consideration of the heat rule. In mid-June, the agency is scheduled to hold a weekslong hearing to let the public weigh in on the draft regulation. Normally, when worker advocates and industry representatives testify at OSHA hearings, agency staff is able to ask follow-up questions that can help shape the outcome. It's unclear if NIOSH experts — those who still have jobs — will testify at the hearing. Neither HHS nor the CDC responded to questions about expert testimony. HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said Kennedy 'has been working hard to ensure that the critical functions under NIOSH remain intact.' 'The Trump administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the secretary's leadership, NIOSH's essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations,' she said. 'Ensuring the health and safety of our workforce remains a top priority for the department.' 'They are neutral' Parker said holding a public hearing, and continuing the heat rulemaking, without NIOSH experts would be like prosecutors trying to convict a murderer without having the testimony of a medical examiner. 'It's like going to trial without your expert witness,' he said. 'They are neutral; they help review not only the content of the rule, but the comments of other advocates and industries. It's a well you can go to again and again.' Jordan Barab, former deputy assistant secretary of OSHA during the Obama administration, said NIOSH is a helpful resource when industry and worker groups provide conflicting information. The laws governing OSHA say it can only issue rules to protect workers that are also practical and cost-effective for employers, which means the agency has to be able to justify every aspect of a regulation. Most end up in court. 'If they have two opposing opinions and their rule is agreeing with one, they need to carefully explain why they chose what they did, and they spend an enormous amount of time justifying their rules, often with the help of NIOSH expertise and research,' Barab said. Rebecca Reindel, safety and health director at the AFL-CIO, said she is worried that without NIOSH testimony OSHA will be more likely to kill the heat rule. The agency has been under pressure from industry groups to stop work on the rule or water down its protections. The oil and gas industry has said moving forward on the rule would jeopardize Trump's vision of achieving 'energy dominance.' NIOSH's testimony, she said, would be important to counteract that narrative. 'When you have industry groups saying 'we don't want this' or 'it's too expensive,' you want that neutral party that has actually done the research into what interventions work and that knows of how they have been successfully deployed in other workplaces,' Reindel said. 'Without NIOSH experts at this hearing, we lose a very critical part of the testimony and a part of the record we need to ensure that OSHA does regulate this hazard and uses the best available evidence and information.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Marietta stone product manufacturer cited by USDOL for safety issues, to pay $120,000 in penalties
The U.S. Department of Labor said it was citing a Marietta-based stone product manufacturer for safety violations and ordering it to pay $120,000 in penalties. According to a USDOL announcement, Art Stone-Granite & Marble Inc. in Marietta was investigated in April 2024 for safety violations and health issues. Five months later, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for two repeat violations and 13 serious violations, with OSHA saying the company had not provided workers with protection against hazards like silica dust and occupational-related noise. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Burned body found at Stone Mountain Park Henry County changing alert system after warnings didn't go out in time for tornado touchdown 'It was startling': Buckhead couple detail finding starving dog that led to R&B singer's arrest Now, USDOL said the company had failed to administer the hearing conservation and respiratory protection programs it needed to and was levying penalties in addition to ordering corrective actions be taken. "The company will pay $120,000 in penalties, take action to correct the hazardous conditions, and put steps in place to prevent recurrence," USDOL said. In response to Channel 2 Action News, an Art Stone-Granite & Marble spokesman said in part that the health and safety of employees has always been their top priority and they are "currently working through the citation and appeal process, we remain committed to full cooperation with OSHA and to implementing any improvements necessary to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for our team." The company also said they had previously raised concerns about the testing methods from a 2023 inspection but had not gotten a clear answer in response. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Time Business News
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
The Smart Choice: Refurbished Fire Extinguishers for Reliable, Budget-Friendly Protection
Fire safety is non-negotiable in any setting—commercial, industrial, or residential. Yet the cost of brand-new extinguishers can add up quickly, especially for organizations that need dozens across multiple facilities. Refurbished fire extinguishers bridge the gap between full price and full protection, offering UL-listed reliability at a fraction of the expense. This article explains what 'refurbished' really means, how the process works, and why the option is both financially and environmentally savvy. A refurbished extinguisher is not simply a used cylinder dusted off and resold. Instead, it is a previously deployed unit that has undergone a comprehensive restoration: Thorough Inspection – Technicians check for dents, corrosion, and gauge accuracy. Complete Disassembly – All valves, O-rings, and interior components are removed for cleaning or replacement. Hydrostatic Testing – The cylinder is pressure-tested to ensure structural integrity meets or exceeds UL and NFPA 10 standards. Agent Replacement – Old dry chemical, water, or CO₂ is discarded and replaced with fresh, manufacturer-approved agent. Reassembly and Recharge – New valves or seals are installed, the unit is refilled to the correct weight, and the extinguisher is pressurized. Final Quality Check – A certified technician performs a last inspection, tags the unit, and issues a dated service record. Depending on type and size, refurbished models typically cost 30 – 50 % less than new. For a warehouse that needs thirty 10-lb ABC units, that can equate to thousands saved—funds that can be redirected toward additional safety measures like alarm upgrades or sprinkler maintenance. Every refurbished extinguisher must pass the same hydrostatic tests and recharge protocols that brand-new cylinders do. When performed by a reputable, certified service company, the end result is a unit that functions exactly like new under live-fire conditions. Reusing an existing steel or aluminum cylinder reduces raw-material extraction and energy consumption. Businesses committed to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals often cite refurbished extinguishers as an easy, high-impact win. Refurbished equipment must meet: NFPA 10 (2022 Edition) : Outlines maintenance and hydrostatic test intervals for portable extinguishers. : Outlines maintenance and hydrostatic test intervals for portable extinguishers. UL 711 : Governs fire-testing performance ratings (e.g., 3-A:40-B:C). : Governs fire-testing performance ratings (e.g., 3-A:40-B:C). OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157: Requires employers to keep portable extinguishers 'fully charged and operable' at all times. Provided the refurbishment is documented by a licensed technician and an up-to-date service tag is attached, regulatory inspectors treat refurbished units the same as new. Step Purpose Key Checks 1. Initial Assessment Confirm cylinder viability Visual defects, manufacture date, past hydro tests 2. Valve Removal Access interior Wear on threads, integrity of seat 3. Cylinder Cleaning Remove old residue Rust, caking agent, contaminants 4. Hydrostatic Test Verify structural strength Expansion under pressure, permanent set 5. Component Replacement Restore factory specs New O-rings, stem, pin, tamper seal 6. Recharge & Repressurize Ready for service Agent weight, gauge position in green 7. Certification & Tagging Provide compliance proof Date, technician ID, next service due Imagine a 20-lb ABC dry-chemical extinguisher retailing new at $220. Refurbished, the same size unit often runs $120. Scale that across an office campus with 50 extinguishers and the immediate capital savings top $5,000. Avoiding new steel production also lowers your carbon footprint—an increasingly valuable metric when bidding for eco-conscious contracts or government tenders. Refurbishment is not a cure-all. Replacement is the safer path when: The cylinder fails hydrostatic testing. The shell shows severe corrosion or mechanical damage. The unit is older than the maximum service life (per UL/Manufacturer guidelines, typically 12 years for some pressurized-water models). The extinguisher's design has been superseded by more effective technology (e.g., move from Halon to clean-agent alternatives). Always vet vendors carefully. Look for: Certification : Technicians licensed by state fire authorities or NICET. : Technicians licensed by state fire authorities or NICET. Transparent Records : Detailed refurbishment logs and pressure-test certificates. : Detailed refurbishment logs and pressure-test certificates. Warranty Support: At least a one-year warranty on labor and components. For businesses across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, a leading provider is refurbished fire extinguishers from Service-d Fire Equipment. Their walk-in facility allows same-day testing, recharging, or exchange, backed by decades of NFPA-compliant service. Refurbished fire extinguishers deliver equal firefighting power, verified safety compliance, and major cost savings—while advancing sustainability objectives. Whether you oversee a school, a manufacturing plant, or a retail chain, adopting refurbished units can free up budget, tick ESG boxes, and still keep occupants protected when seconds count. Ultimately, the question isn't whether refurbished extinguishers are 'as good as new.' With proper certification, they are new—just smarter for both your wallet and the planet. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
