Feature Article Mine Safety Rule Details Use of Alternative ‘Refuge’ Shelters New rules on the specifications of underground coal mines’ “refuge alternatives” and the training of miners in the use of such shelters have been proposed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Read this article

Safety & Security News Regulatory News Fitness Guidelines for Rail Employees with Sleep Apnea Being Drafted Guidelines for measuring the fitness of safety-critical railroad workers who are afflicted with obstructive sleep apnea are being drafted by a Federal Railroad Administration advisory committee task force. NIOSH Proposes Wholesale/Retail Safety Research Agenda The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has proposed a research plan focusing on wholesale and retail trade workplace safety that is one of eight research programs being developed under an initiative directed by the National Occupational Research Agenda. House Committee Disputes OSHA Workplace Injury Data The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee says the workplace injury, illness and death data collected by the U.S. Department of Labor might be underreported by as much as 69 percent per year. Be Prepared in Case OSHA Comes Knocking Neil Wasser of Constangy, Brooks & Smith in Atlanta recommends that worksites have detailed written response plans in case OSHA comes for an inspection, and that employees other than HR safety managers are familiar with it. Reporting Dispute Delays Rail Worker Medical Standards A Federal Railroad Administration medical issues task force is working to resolve a dispute on whether railroad employees taking prescription medications should be required to report medication changes to railroad officials. The dispute is delaying a proposed regulation setting medical standards for railway workers. NIOSH Official: New Definition of Safe, Healthy Workplace Needed Increases in work-related chronic conditions has created a situation where a broad change in the definition of workplace safety and health programs is needed, said National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Division of Respiratory Disease Studies Director Greg Wagner. Coal Mine Operators Seek To Modify Some Safety Standards The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration is accepting comments on petitions filed by four coal mine operators who seek to change mandatory safety standards. Safety Tips Evaluate Travel Plans for Risk, Expert Warns HR Ensuring corporate risk-management programs for expatriate employees are within industry norms can decide the appropriate level of corporate spending for those programs, Bruce McIndoe, president of iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, told attendees of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives conference in Washington, D.C. Workplace Violence HR Needs to Implement Violence Prevention, Reaction Plans HR departments need plans for dealing with acts of violence committed against employees by fellow workers, Kathleen McComber, SPHR, senior HR director and former SHRM board chair told attendees at the SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago. HR Essential to Develop Organization’s Emergency Protocols While a business will recover quicker from a disaster or crisis if it has a plan outlining steps to take during and after a crisis, there is reluctance among businesses to invest time and money to prepare a business continuity plan. Illness and Disease Employers Urged to Stockpile Respirators To Combat Flu Pandemic The federal government wants to help U.S. businesses stockpile respirators and facemasks in order to protect employees and reduce the impact of a pandemic flu outbreak.

Webcast Available Security: Your Business Continuity Partner Presenter: James Nelson, MS, MBCP, CDCP, CORP, of Business Continuity Services Inc. As HR assumes an increasingly vital role in continuity planning, it is collaborating with a new business partner: physical security professionals. In this webcast, James Nelson discusses the work of security professionals and how it intersects with HR’s responsibilities. The webcast will also identify contingencies that, working together, HR and security professionals can build and communicate to help their organizations recover from a disaster. Access this webcast

From SHRMStore Leading People Through Disasters Sooner or later, most organizations will face some kind of disaster - flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, workplace violence, bombings, even the arrest or sudden death of the CEO. It is people who make a business run. Leading People Through Disasters shows how to prepare by getting the right people together to examine the critical issues: defining the roles and responsibilities of individuals and departments in a crisis, ensuring the business continuity plan addresses human as well as business issues, considering communication issues and developing HR policies that anticipate the unique problems that arise during and after a catastrophic event. More about this book More Health, Safety and Security titles