Over the past three months, the media has been fixated on concussions in professional football players. Some of the National Football League’s top players – Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, Clinton Portis – have recently been sidelined for concussions sustained on the playing field. After Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers was held out for an important game against
OSHA Legislation
Pandemic Protection Act Adds to Growing Congressional Concern over H1N1
By Bradford T. Hammock on
Posted in OSHA Legislation
Employers may be required to provide seven days of paid sick time per year under a bill introduced in Congress. The measure, titled the Pandemic Protection for Workers, Families, and Businesses Act (H.R. 4092/S. 2790), was introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in the House and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) in the Senate on the…
Temporary Paid Sick Leave Legislation Introduced to Deal with H1N1, Other Illnesses
By Bradford T. Hammock on
Posted in OSHA Legislation
As concern over H1N1 and influenza-related illnesses continues to spread, legislation that would require employers to provide up to five days of paid sick leave per year to workers afflicted with influenza or other, similar contagious illness has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill applies to employers with 15 or more employees…
George Washington University Professor David Michaels to be Nominated to Head OSHA
By Bradford T. Hammock on
Posted in OSHA Legislation
President Barack Obama has announced he intends to nominate Professor David Michaels to be the Assistant Secretary of OSHA. Professor Michaels is the interim chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health in Washington, D.C. If confirmed, Professor Michaels will join Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Jordan…
Health Care Employers Targeted Again on Ergonomics
By Bradford T. Hammock on
Posted in OSHA Legislation
Representative John Conyers (D-Mich.) has once again introduced in the House of Representatives a bill that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to promulgate a safe patient handling and injury prevention standard. The “Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009” has reignited the debate over the proper approach to…