Workplace safety rules expanded.Workplace safety rules expanded The U.S. Labor Department The Department of Labor (DOL) administers federal labor laws for the Executive Branch of the federal government. Its mission is "to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working , under threat of contempt of court contempt of court n. there are essentially two types of contempt: a) being rude, disrespectful to the judge or other attorneys or cause a disturbance in the courtroom, particularly after being warned by the judge; b) willful failure to obey an order of the court. , posted new regulations requiring employers to notify workers about hazardous materials in the workplace. The new rules expand current "right to know' requirements to include every industry in which workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals. Previously the rules applied only to the chemical and manufacturing industries manufacturing industries npl → industrias fpl manufactureras manufacturing industries npl → industries fpl de transformation . Under orders from the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. agency established (1970) in the Dept. of Labor (see Labor, United States Department of) to develop and enforce regulations for the safety and health of workers in businesses that are engaged in interstate (OSHA OSHA n. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a branch of the US Department of Labor responsible for establishing and enforcing safety and health standards in the workplace. ) will require employers in such nonmanufacturing areas as agriculture, construction and health care to fully inform workers of any hazardous substances used on the job, and to train workers in the safe use of those substances. The rules are expected to cost employers $687 million in the first year, and more than $100 million annually after that. The new standard, OSHA says, should reduce by 20 percent the number of chemically related injuries, illnesses and deaths among the 18 million employees who are exposed to toxics at work. |
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