The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule (PDF) that allows general aviation pilots to fly without holding an FAA medical certificate as long as they meet certain requirements outlined in Congressional legislation. “The United States has the world’s most robust general aviation community, and we’re committed to continuing to make it safer and more efficient to become a private pilot,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

Question: If an employee with a neatly trimmed goatee is wearing a respirator and it does not interfere with the seal of the face piece or valve function, and has passed a fit test, does this meet the intent of the OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard?

OSHA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to add two quantitative fit-testing protocols to the agency's Respiratory Protection Standard. The protocols would apply to employers in the general, shipyard and construction industries. Appendix A of the standard contains mandatory respirator fit-testing methods that employers must use to ensure their employees' respirators fit properly and protect the wearer.

A new rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration dramatically lowers workplace exposure to beryllium, a strategically important material that can cause devastating lung diseases. The new beryllium standards for general industry, construction and shipyards will require employers to take additional, practical measures to protect an estimated 62,000 workers from these serious risks.

The United Steelworkers (USW) are praising OSHA for its release last week of the final rule for occupational exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds in general industry, construction and maritime. “This has been a long time in the making,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.

Just days away from its first compliance deadline, a Chicago cleaning company has asked a federal appeals court to review OSHA’s new fall protection rule for general industry. News sources say the company, which filed the petition for review Dec. 27 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, supports the majority of the provisions in the rule.

The EPA has finalized a rule amending its Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations to reduce the likelihood of accidental releases at chemical facilities and improve emergency response activities when those releases occur.

Knowledge is power, and when it comes to health and safety, knowledge has the power to save lives. For decades, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has required companies to provide health and safety reports for review.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a Final Rule establishing comprehensive national minimum training standards for entry-level commercial truck and bus operators seeking to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or certain endorsements.