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American Society of Safety Professionals shares the latest news on occupational safety and health legislation and regulation as well as updates on our member-driven initiatives to ensure that safety professionals are part of the conversation.

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Government Affairs News

Virginia Passes First-In-Nation Safety Standard for COVID-19

Jul 16, 2020

On July 15, 2020, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board, passed first-in-the-nation standards to address COVID-19 in workplaces. Virginia is a state-plan state that operates its own occupational safety and health program.
OSHA Updates Beryllium Standard

Jul 14, 2020

OSHA has amended its standard for occupational exposure to beryllium. The revisions will take effect Sept. 14, 2020.
CDC's COVID-19 Toolkits Cover Wide Range of Settings

Jul 13, 2020

CDC's toolkit webpage provides a wide range of resources for communicating about COVID-19 to a variety of audiences.
OSHA Updates COVID-19 Resources Guide

Jul 09, 2020

Through its Alliance program, OSHA has created a recurring digest of COVID-19 resources that are published on its webpage and those of several other agencies and organizations.
OSHA Directive Guides Silica Inspections

Jun 29, 2020

A new compliance directive from OSHA gives compliance safety and health officers with guidance on how to enforce the agency's silica standards’ requirements.
OSHA and ASSP Share Trenching Safety Webinar

Jun 22, 2020

OSHA and ASSP recently partnered to deliver a webinar on trenching safety. Watch it now on-demand.
OSHA Issues New Guidance on Returning to Work

Jun 18, 2020

OSHA has issued new Guidance on Returning to Work to help employers as they reopen nonessential businesses and have employees return to work during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Court of Appeals Upholds OSHA 6(a) Construction Standard

Jun 18, 2020

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently ruled that OSHA’s process in adopting “start-up standards” in 1971, many of which OSHA still enforces, was permissible and the standards may be enforced.
OSHA Issues Guidance on Face Coverings, Surgical Masks and Respirators in the Workplace

Jun 11, 2020

OSHA has published a series of frequently asked questions and answers regarding the use of masks in the workplace, and explains the differences between cloth face coverings, surgical masks and respirators.
OSHA Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Construction

Jun 01, 2020

Construction employers and workers need to understand how they can protect themselves from COVID-19 exposure on the job site. New OSHA guidance offers insights into assessing worker risk level and controls to help prevent exposure.
OSHA Updates Enforcement Guidance and Enforcement Response Plan for COVID-19

May 21, 2020

OSHA has revised two of its COVID-19 enforcement policies to assess an employer’s actions as economies begin to reopen.
OSHA and CDC Issue Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Meat and Poultry Processing

Apr 30, 2020

A new resource from OSHA and CDC offers guidance on specific steps that employers in meat and poultry processing can take to protect their workers from COVID-19.
OSHA Issues Interim Guidance on Respirator Decontamination

Apr 28, 2020

As employers strive to provide workers with adequate PPE to protect themselves from exposure to COVID-19, OSHA has issued interim enforcement guidance on decontamination of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs).
OSHA to Consider Good-Faith Efforts for Compliance During COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 17, 2020

As employers continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has announced that it is advising compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) to evaluate employers’ good-faith efforts to comply with safety and health standards.
Three Keys to Addressing COVID-19 in the Workplace

Apr 16, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 has required safety professionals to reevaluate the steps they can take to protect the health of their workers. As you take steps to address the virus among your workforce, keep these three points in mind.
OSHA Interim Enforcement Response Plan for COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 14, 2020

OSHA has released an interim enforcement response plan that offers area offices and compliance safety and health officers guidance and instructions on handling COVID-19-related complaints, referrals and severe illness reports.
Federal COVID-19 Stimulus Bills Should Include Professional Associations

Apr 14, 2020

Members of professional associations rely on these groups to provide them with critical support, guidance and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal stimulus bills should include relief for these groups, ASSP says.
OSHA Temporarily Suspends Some Recordkeeping Requirements on Work-Relatedness of COVID-19

Apr 12, 2020

On Friday, April 10, OSHA issued interim enforcement guidance that provides time-limited exceptions to its recordkeeping requirements (29 CFR Part 1904) for reporting cases of COVID-19.
10 Ways to Reduce Worker Exposure to COVID-19

Apr 06, 2020

A new OSHA poster highlights 10 measures employers and safety professionals can take to foster a cleaner, healthier workplace and help prevent workers from contracting COVID-19.
OSHA Guidance on N95 Shortage

Apr 03, 2020

OSHA has issued interim guidance to help address nationwide shortages of disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators.