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On Oct. 30, ABC submitted post-hearing comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in response to OSHA’s informal public hearing on its Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule. On June 18, ABC participated in the informal public hearing and was asked a series of questions by OSHA, which ABC’s comments address.

Sept. 17, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce passed the ABC-supported H.R. 2844, Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act, The bill makes VPPs permanent and requires the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to allocate a minimum of 5% of its annual budget to the program. ABC believes that encouraging collaborative partnerships between the regulated community and OSHA, such as VPPs, is a win-win approach.

Joe Xavier, ABC senior director of health and safety, testified on Wednesday, June 18 before the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a public hearing on OSHA's Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Proposed Rule.

Construction Safety Week is now in its 11th year and remains dedicated to promoting a stronger safety culture in the construction industry. In 2014, 40 companies recognized the need to elevate the conversation around safety. Despite being industry competitors, they united under the shared mission of bringing everyone home safely from every jobsite.

Post your 2024 Occupational Safety and Health Administration 300A form by Feb. 1, 2025, and keep it posted through April 30, 2025.

On Jan. 14, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on its Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule, urging the agency to withdraw the current rule as proposed and revise it to allow greater flexibility for affected industries, and at a minimum develop a separate standard for the construction industry.

On Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its final rule on Personal Protective Equipment in Construction, which adds specific language requiring that employers provide PPE that properly fits construction industry workers. The change aligns the construction industry standard with the standard already in place for general industry. The final rule is effective on Jan. 13, 2025. To learn more about the final rule read OSHA’s Frequently Asked Questions.

The human body has limitations when dealing with extreme temperatures. We are all affected by heat differently. Just because you are OK does not mean that everyone is OK. If you are feeling symptomatic, speak up for yourself and others who might also be impacted but not realize it or lack the courage to speak up. Together, we can prevent heat injury and illness.

On March 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process final rule, which allows employees to choose a third-party representative, such as an outside union representative or community organizer, to accompany an OSHA safety inspector into nonunion workplaces during site inspections. This final rule is effective on May 31, 2024. ABC will offer a webinar on Tuesday, April 9 at 2 p.m. ET about the final rule. Register now!

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is hosting a webinar on electronically submitting workplace injury and illness data using the Injury Tracking Application on Feb. 7 from 1-2 p.m. ET. Registration is free.