The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled late last month to uphold an OSHA rule to protect 2.3 million workers who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica. A three judge panel was not convinced by any of the arguments to reject the OSHA rule that were made by attorneys for the National Association of Home Builders, American Foundry Society, and other industry groups. The judges’ 60-page opinion had this bottom line: “We reject all of Industry’s challenges.”
Recent pieces address how Trump administration moves threaten the census response rate, AIDS prevention efforts, and other crucial work that depends on science; delve into statistics on sexual assault in the US; investigate the working conditions behind Ivanka Trump-branded clothing and accessories; and consider how human bodies and healthcare systems maintain themselves.
Scientific Integrity & Ethics
CDC instructed not to use seven words, including “evidence-based,” in budget documents
We’re fully into Orwellian territory now. The Washington Post’s Lena H. Sun and Juliet Eilperin reported Friday evening that a group of CDC employees were told not to use seven words in official budget documents: “vulnerable,” “fetus,” “transgender,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “evidence-based,” and “science-based.”
An Oklahoma rehab center funnels forced free labor into private industry; the National Labor Relations Board reconsiders Obama-era union election rules; farmworkers at risk from California’s wildfire smoke; and domestic workers organize for greater labor rights in Seattle.
Environmental Health
Protecting the workers rebuilding Houston: ‘We must see them as full human beings who deserve fairness’
Even before the rains of Hurricane Harvey let up, Marianela Acuña Arreaza was mobilizing to protect the workers who would dig out and rebuild the city of Houston after catastrophe.
The 22-person editorial board of an occupational and environmental health journal resigns in protest. They are rejecting the publisher’s interference in the board’s decision-making and scientific independence.
Food Safety & Nutrition
WHO releases new guidelines on antibiotics in food animals; USDA muddies the waters
In its release of new guidelines that recommend big reductions in antibiotic use in food animals, WHO cited the presence of extensive literature on this topic. So why did USDA put out a statement with a misleading description of the guidelines’ scientific basis?
U.S. Chemical Safety Board considers withdrawing retaliation protections for offshore oil workers; unions re-examine their role in the wake of sexual harassment revelations; America’s fastest-growing jobs are also among the lowest-paying jobs; and migrant women continue to face exploitation on the job.
The Steelworkers union is challenging the Trump administration’s plan to diminish mine safety improvements and a 1969 law is on their side.
At BuzzFeed News, Zahra Hirji and Jason Leopold report that the news organization has obtained internal emails, recordings and interviews from oil company BP showing that executives are struggling to “reset” its Alaska operations after a string of incidents that threatened workers’ lives. For example, on Sept. 10, two workers inadvertently triggered a leak of […]