Archive for July 2020

Longtime industry allies American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding that outlines how the organizations will continue to collaborate on advancing workplace safety and health, and strengthening the occupational safety and health profession. ASSP and AIHA have worked together to improve work environments…

A new risk-assessment chart produced by the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force and Committee on Infectious Diseases ranks activities by risk level, from opening the mail (low) to going to the beach (moderate) to attending a large music concert (high). Here’s the complete list, from lowest to highest risk: Low Risk: 1 Opening the mail…

During a pandemic, syndromic methods for monitoring illness outside of health care settings, such as tracking absenteeism trends in schools and workplaces, can be useful adjuncts to conventional disease reporting, according to the CDC. Each month, CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) monitors the prevalence of health-related workplace absenteeism among currently employed…

The purpose of this new CDC document is to provide employers with strategies for consideration of incorporating testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, into a workplace COVID-19 preparedness, response, and control plan. Employers are encouraged to collaborate with state, territorial, tribal and local health officials to determine whether and how to implement the testing strategies and…

A company in Pasadena, Texas, has been cited by federal officials and faces penalties of almost $500,000 for exposing employees to confined space hazards after two workers died. OSHA cited Alpha Technical Services (ATS) – doing business as Quala Rail and Specialty – after two employees were fatally overcome by fumes while cleaning a tank…

Tesla, which earlier re-opened its Fremont electric car factory in defiance of a coronavirus health order, has had more than 130 employees test positive for the deadly virus, according to a blog claiming to have received company information, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News. “An internal data leak shows that Tesla is seeing…

Mealtime will look very different for many students returning to college campuses in the fall, according to The New York Times. Gone are the self-serve salad stations and communal condiments in dining halls; in their place are plexiglass barriers, where masked and gloved workers will serve nearly everything to students. Other proposed solutions to limit…

The city of Pittsburgh is reporting more than a dozen confirmed coronavirus cases between the departments of Public Safety and Public Works, with 20 Environmental Service employees also off because of health issues and injuries, according to KDKA. The city says services, especially recycling collection in some East End neighborhoods, are being affected because of…

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered every county in California to halt indoor dining and bars, as well as shut down churches, gyms and hair salons for 80 percent of the population as the state struggles to control its coronavirus spread. The hardest hit counties of California will see the toughest constraints, Newsom said. Dozens…