Newsline

On July 27, President Joe Biden announced a series of actions aimed at protecting workers from the impact of extreme heat, including asking the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a first-ever hazard alert for heat.

On July 17, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in response to OSHA’s request for comments on its efforts to develop a leading indicators resource for usage by employers to improve safety management systems.

On June 22, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it will be holding Small Business Advocacy Review panel (also known as a SBREFA panel) meetings this summer to gather input on a possible Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule.

On May 18, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a Field Assistance Bulletin on Enforcement of Protections for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work, which is intended to provide enforcement support and guidance to field staff regarding the application and requirements of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP Act.

Beginning April 1, 2023, states that maintained continuous Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic may start terminating coverage for individuals who are no longer eligible. Employers will likely see an increase in midyear enrollment requests as individuals lose eligibility for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage.

On Feb. 9, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-1, “Telework Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act,” which provides guidance to WHD field staff on how to ensure teleworking employees are properly paid and protected under the FLSA and how to apply eligibility rules under the FMLA.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is promoting its Workplace Stress Safety and Health Topics page as a resource to help support workforce mental well-being. The webpage offers guidance to employers on how they can alleviate stress and shares outreach materials, including posters, with tips on how employers and workers can work t

On Jan. 31, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, by a bipartisan vote of 227-203. ABC supported the legislation, which would eliminate the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate on health care workers and repeal the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services health care staff vaccination rule that continues to affect ABC members who perform construction work at health care facilities. ABC provided a statement in support of the bill ahead of passage.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently issued an updated suicide prevention poster that you can customize with your logo and post in the workplace. Everyone can help prevent suicide. Do your part to raise awareness of the warning signs of suicide and how to get help if a colleague is in crisis.

There’s a brand-new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. The 988 lifeline connects callers to an existing network of more than 200 local crisis call centers across the United States, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s number—1 (800) 273-8255—will route calls to 988. The goal is to aid those seeking help through safe, immediate intervention, similar to the 911 hotline for emergencies. 

From Aug. 9-16, ABC celebrated Safe + Sound Week to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offer information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

On July 15, Occupational Safety and Health Administration released additional materials to educate the workforce on heat illness prevention.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 40% of heat-related worker deaths occur in the construction industry.  As with all incidents, heat illness is entirely preventable, provided you develop and implement simple preventive measures. 

ABC of California applauded the California State Assembly for the unanimous and bipartisan passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 23, which proclaims March 18, 2021 as Construction Suicide Prevention Awareness Day in California—raising awareness of an important health problem affecting the state’s construction industry. ABC of California supports ACR 23 and is currently working alongside its author, Assembly member Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton), to help change the conversation around suicide and suicide prevention.

On Feb. 1, ABC joined 41 trade associations in urging Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Charlotte A. Burrows to quickly issue guidance clarifying the extent to which employers may offer employees incentives to vaccinate without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws enforced by the EEOC.

On July 15, Virginia became the first state in the nation to enact an Emergency Temporary Standard to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The ETS will go into effect at the end of July.

ABC is committed to providing its members with the latest health, safety, economic and policy information regarding the coronavirus pandemic. To better manage the growing number of resources, ABC just updated its Coronavirus Update webpage to simplify and improve navigation, with topics and resources organized in four different categories: Employer Resources, Employee Resources, National Markets and State & Local Markets.

On March 24, ABC, as a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition Steering Committee, wrote to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding recordkeeping and respirator enforcement during the COVID-19 outbreak. CISC is comprised of a number of trade associations that represent every aspect of the construction industry.

In the wake of coronavirus-related business shutdowns impacting the construction industry in Boston, Pennsylvania and other localities, ABC is urging President Trump to recognize construction as an essential service and keep workers employeto preserve the industry’s current and future ability to build and maintain health care facilities, respond to critical infrastructure requirements and aid in recovery efforts after natural disasters.  

ABC and its chapters are reaching out to state and local lawmakers and asking them to treat construction activities conducted in a safe and responsible manner as essential services in order to permit critical infrastructure services to continue as states and localities draft stay-at-home orders and other policies allowing only movement of workers involved in essential businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC issued a key vote to the Senate on an amendment submitted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). The amendment would have replaced the mandated paid leave requirements of the House-passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act that affect employers with fewer than 500 employees with unemployment insurance capped at $1000 per week.   

Information about coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be issued at a rapid pace. In order to keep ABC chapters and members up to date and provide access to acc

On March 6, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill that, among many o

Information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be issued at a rapid pace.  In order to stay up to date and access accurate information, employers are encouraged to utilize the below links.