Citizen Health & Safety

OSHA Provides New Tools for Worker Chemical Protections

Nov 1, 2013 by Ronald White

In an effort to improve protection of workers from exposure to toxic chemicals, OSHA recently unveiled two new tools on their website to assist companies and their workers. The first resource is a toolkit to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones.

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Agency Extends Comment Period on Long-Overdue Worker Safety Rule

Oct 28, 2013 by Katie Greenhaw

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Oct. 25 that it is extending the public comment period for a proposed rule to lower worker exposure to crystalline silica. Silica dust can be deadly; it kills hundreds of workers every year and sickens thousands more. OSHA stated that in response to requests for an extension, it will give stakeholders an additional 47 days beyond the original Dec. 11 deadline to submit comments on the proposal.

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Senate Briefing Highlights Causes of Regulatory Delays

Oct 25, 2013 by Katie Weatherford

On Oct. 25, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action, chaired by Sen.

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Little Progress Seen in Reducing Risks from Overuse of Antibiotics in Livestock Industry

Oct 25, 2013 by Ronald White

A recent report from the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future on public health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns in the large-scale livestock industry (sometimes called 'industrial food animal production') provides a distressing picture of the limited progress made in addressing a key public health concern – the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic uses such as speeding up growth, bulking up livestock weight,

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American Workers Can't Report Health, Safety Violations on the Job Without Fear of Retaliation

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2013—A study released today by the Center for Effective Government calls for better protections for workers who report health and safety hazards on the job.

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States Taking the Lead to Curb Toxic Chemical Exposure

A new state law addressing toxic flame retardants recently enacted in California is the latest in a string of successful state efforts to improve chemical safety. In response to insufficient federal controls on toxic chemicals, many states have passed or proposed their own policies to protect residents from the risks posed by hazardous chemicals. In the absence of comprehensive national protections, it is imperative that states take the lead in addressing risks to health and safety.

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Americans Want Safer Chemical Facilities, but the Shutdown Stalled Reform Efforts

A new poll released Oct. 11 found that a majority of Americans want the federal government to require facilities to use safer chemicals and processes to prevent chemical disasters like the explosion in West, TX in April. However, an effort to better coordinate the work of three federal agencies was stalled thanks to the government shutdown. Now that the agencies are all functioning again, we hope they will meet their target deadlines for recommending new policies to improve the safety of facilities handling or storing large quantities of hazardous chemicals.

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Workers and Economy to Gain From New Workplace Safety Standards

Oct 18, 2013 by Justin Santopietro

Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a long-delayed proposed rule establishing a comprehensive standard to protect more than two million U.S. workers from exposure to silica in general, construction, and maritime industries.

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Exports of U.S. Natural Gas May Present Risks From Receiving Countries

Oct 18, 2013 by Katie Weatherford

On Oct. 10, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power convened a panel of ambassadors and energy and trade ministers from Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean to discuss the geopolitical implications of the U.S. expanding its export capabilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG).  The delegates primarily highlighted potential economic benefits to receiving nations, such as increased competition in the market and security of supply, and spoke little of the risks that LNG operations pose to human health and the environment.

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Outdoor Air Pollution Identified As Major Cause of Lung Cancer

Oct 17, 2013 by Ronald White

In a groundbreaking Oct. 17 announcement, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization, classified outdoor air pollution as a known cause of lung cancer.

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