The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act is working its way through the legislative process. Introduced by Rep. Judy Chu of California in late March 2021, the bill requires the U.S. Department of Labor to instate an enforceable federal safety standard with respect to exposure to excessive heat. “Excessive heat,” according to the […]

Cardinal Automation Group and Cardinal Insulated Glass, both in Spring Green, Wis., recently were awarded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Level Designation. According to a Department of Labor press release about the honor, the companies earned recognition for their initiative-taking safety and health programs, and can now be considered […]

A 45-year-old worker at Sunbelt Forest Products died after a forklift struck her as she walked across the Athens, Ala., lumber shipping yard on Nov. 15, 2021. The subsequent U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation has resulted in a citation levied against the company, which is now facing the possibility of fines […]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has granted door manufacturer Marvin’s West Fargo, N.D. facility a “Star Level Designation” in its Voluntary Protection Program. In an OSHA news release issued yesterday, the organization said that Marvin employees, of which there are about 200 at the West Fargo site, use hand and power tools to […]

WDMA sent a letter earlier this week to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging the agency to rescind its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for “essential” travelers coming into the United States. Beginning Saturday, January 22, DHS required that all inbound foreign national travelers, including truck drivers, crossing any U.S. land or ferry port of entry […]

Some companies and organizations in the glass and fenestration industry may have breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled to block an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule mandating businesses with at least 100 employees require workers to be vaccinated or get tested weekly and wear a mask. In Minnesota, […]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is creating an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards and launched a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard. The Agency is also forming an advisory committee on Occupational Safety and Health Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group which it says will provide better understanding of challenges and […]

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s website, the penalties an employer could face in the wake of serious workplace violation have increased. Accounting for inflation, infractions that fall under the designation “Serious Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements” will run up to (but no more than) $13,653 per violation, and failing to […]

The number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is rising rapidly and so is the number of citations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) related to the coronavirus. From the beginning of the pandemic through November 12, OSHA issued 232 citations with $3,148,452 in penalties. Of those citations, […]

As the U.S. continues to fight the spread of COVID-19 and door and window companies grapple with physical distancing in the workplace, matters can be more complicated on jobsites where installers rub elbows with other companies and trades. Officials for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) implored jobsite workers to practice safety and vigilance […]