OSHA seems to be devaluing advice from outside stakeholders — or at least from workers. We’ve written before about the Trump Administration’s proposal in its FY 2019 budget document to kill two OSHA federal Advisory Committees. ProPublica, along with the Santa Fe New Mexican has has now published an article on the demise of OSHA’s five Advisory Committees which provide advice to the Assistant Secretary on general OSHA issues, construction, maritime, whistleblower and federal employee health and safety issues.

Polaris Industries has agreed to pay $27.25 million – a record penalty – to settle charges that it failed to immediately notify federal officials about a fire hazard on its recreational off-highway vehicles that regulators have linked to at least one death and more than 180 fires.

A township in Indianapolis is mourning the loss of two volunteer firefighters who were killed in an airplane accident last night at the Marion Municipal Airport. The two Pipe Creek Township firefighters – Kyle Hibst and David Wittkamper – were taking a pleasure trip when the single-engine airplane they were in collided with a jet, according to news sources.

Last October, more than 40 people lost their lives in a rash of Northern California wildfires that burned more than 245,000 acres. In December, wildfires near Los Angeles forced more than 230,000 people to evacuate their homes. Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Utah also experienced large fires in 2017. It may not be possible to prevent all wildfires, but it is possible to prepare for them and to mitigate their effects, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which is partnering with State Farm® to help people enhance their safety through the fifth annual national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, on May 5, 2018.

The day set aside each year to honor workers who have died on the job or because of the job is fast approaching, and a variety of events related to it are being finalized. Workers' Memorial Day is observed every year on April 28 – the day OSHA was established in 1971. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their workers.

OSHA has fined Tower King II Inc. $12,934 for the death of three workers who were attempting to install a new antenna on a communications tower in Miami. This is the maximum fine for one serious citation. OSHA has no standard specifically targeted to cell tower worker safety and used the General Duty Clause, which requires employers to maintain a safe workplace and is used when there are no relevant OSHA standards.

The Kentucky legislature this week passed a bill to exclude radiologists from the types of doctors who can diagnose black lung disease among miners seeking workers’ compensation for their illness. A radiologist uses x-rays to diagnose disease. Black lung disease is diagnosed through x-rays and an occupational history.

A commercial pilot who lost his job after complaining about violations of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations will be reinstated, under an order from OSHA. Massachusetts-based Jet Logistics Inc. (JLI) and New England Life Flight Inc. - doing business as Boston MedFlight (BMF) – must also pay the pilot $133,616.09 in back wages and interest; $100,000 in compensatory damages; and reasonable attorney fees.

Coffee causes cancer. That is the warning coffee shops in California will have to post in highly visible places, after a David v. Goliath court battle in the state ended with a win for the little guy. A small nonprofit organization, The Council for Education and Research on Toxics went up against the powerful coffee industry, led by Starbucks Corp., over a chemical called acrylamide, which is produced during the bean roasting process.

A group of U.S. senators are hoping that the 16th attempt will be the charm for legislation that would include more workers in federally mandated protections, increase OSHA civil penalties and toughen criminal penalties for unsafe employers.