The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has unveiled five proposed changes to existing hours of service (HOS) rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Predictably, the revisions – which FMCSA says will increase safety and save money – are drawing mixed reactions. U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said the changes would give commercial drivers more flexibility while maintaining the safety limits on driving time.

OSHA may “broaden the circumstances” under which certain employers would be permitted to comply with its Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction, according to a request for information and comment issued by the agency last week. OSHA is looking for information on additional engineering and work practice control methods to effectively limit exposure to silica.

OSHA has issued serious citations against the employer of two employees who died from carbon monoxide (CO) exposure while being transported to a jobsite. The incident involving AJR Landscaping, Inc. occurred when a gasoline-powered lawnmower was started inside an enclosed company trailer. OSHA initiated an inspection after the Washington Township New Jersey Police Department notified the agency that the workers had died.

Hinged knee pads that grip better, color blocked protective apparel and cutting edge dust removal equipment were the top occupational safety and health products featured on ISHN.com this week.

On average, Americans working full-time spend more than one-third of their day, five days per week at the workplace. The use of effective workplace programs and policies can reduce health risks and improve the quality of life for American workers. Learn more about workplace health promotion and how to design, implement, and evaluate effective workplace health programs.

Sitting for long periods of time has emerged as a significant health threat, associated with everything from obesity to metabolic syndrome, which can include high blood pressure, and high blood sugar and cholesterol levels. More companies and individuals are taking steps to reduce sitting time by moving to standing workstations, which have surfaces at heights that allow the user to stand while typing on a keyboard and viewing a monitor.

A Hollywood motorcycle stunt that looked dangerous actually was – to the filmworkers who were executing it. A recent incident during the filming of “Bad Boys for Life,” starring Will Smith, Vanessa Hudgens and Martin Lawrence, resulted in injuries to two people and OSHA citations against their employer, Garden Films Productions LLC.

A fatality earlier this month involving a hydraulic breaker represents a sharp uptick in U.S. mining industry deaths caused by machine accidents, according to the Mine Safety and Health Admininstration (MSHA). The 32-year-old general manager/owner and the excavator operator were in the process of positioning the excavator for a motor exchange when the hydraulic breaker attachment fell off the excavator and hit the victim.

Although they compose only six percent of the total U.S. workforce, construction workers accounted for 36 percent of all occupational heat‐related deaths from 1992 to 2016 – and climate change may have something to do with it. That’s one of the key findings from new research from the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR).

“While you don’t have to give up foods derived from animals completely, our study does suggest that eating a larger proportion of plant-based foods and a smaller proportion of animal-based foods may help reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other type of cardiovascular disease,” said lead researcher, Casey M. Rebholz, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.