OSHA proposes delaying e-reporting compliance for injury, illness tracking

OSHA proposes delaying electronic reporting compliance for injury, illness tracking

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing to delay compliance with electronic reporting requirements for workplace injury and illness tracking.

The administration published the final rule Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in May, which was supposed to go into effect July 1. OSHA has proposed delaying the compliance date to Dec. 1 instead to allow OHSA additional time to review laws and policies surrounding the rule. The administration is reviewing public comments on the proposal.

CDC seeks comment on emerging workplace health hazards

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is collecting information from various industries to identify chemical, biological and physical hazards across U.S. workplaces, including health care settings. Employees, employers and other representatives are free to submit comments through NIOSH’s Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program.

NIOSH reviews the HHE request to determine if an on-site evaluation is needed. The primary purpose of an on-site evaluation is to help employers and employees identify and eliminate occupational health hazards.

Bacteria surface size has no bearing on adhesion to contact area, research suggests

A new study on surface adhesion properties of Staphylococcus aureus suggests that the size and shape of the bacteria’s surface, has no effect on its adhesion to a contact area.

Experimental physicist Karin Jacobs and microbiologist Markus Bischoff, both professors at Saarland University in Germany, say the results of the study can help to develop facility surfaces that can be carefully adjusted to modify these adhesive forces and help to prevent the adhesion of unwanted bacterial pathogens.

Joint Commission podcast discusses Life Safety Code clarifications

The Joint Commission’s director of engineering discusses the organization’s clarifications to its Life Safety Code in a recent Take 5 podcast. George Mills, FASHE, CEM, CHFM, CHSP, goes into detail to bring insights to four of the code’s most frequently misinterpreted requirements.