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Joint employer rule rescinded

The DOL announced on July 29 that it will rescind the March 2020 rule on Joint Employer Status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (the "2020 Rule"), effective on September 28, 2021.



Hot weather increases workplace injuries indoors, outdoors

A study by the University of California-Los Angeles examined data from California's workers' compensation system from 2001 to 2018 and state weather data. It found that compensable injuries, not only heat-related but also unrelated incidents, like falling off a ladder or getting your hand caught in a machine, increased 6% to 9% when temperatures were above 90 degrees Fahrenheit compared with days when the temperature is in the 50s or 60s. When the temperature is above 100 degrees, the risk of injuries increased by 10% to 15%, regardless of whether the work was performed inside or outside.



AMA releases updates to impairment rating guidelines

The American Medical Association has released a major update to its impairment rating guidelines, the first since 2008. Effective July 1, it deals mostly with mental and behavioral conditions, including suspected malingering by injured workers.



FMCSA finalizes entry-level driver training rule

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has finalized an interim final rule that delayed, by two years, the compliance date for minimum training requirements for entry-level commercial motor vehicle drivers. The compliance date for the ELDT is Feb. 7, 2022.



Hazard alert about vapors from isopropyl alcohol

Vapors from isopropyl alcohol solutions, also known as rubbing alcohol, and disinfecting wipes can irritate workers' eyes, nose, and throat, cause dizziness and headaches, and build up in the air and easily ignite, warns a new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.



"Surprise billing" final rule

The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management issued the first interim final rule with comment period, in what is likely to be a series of rules, aimed at ending surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. With a focus on billing for emergency services, this places new requirements on hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centers, and other providers as well as commercial payors.



EPA final rule on reporting 50 specified chemicals

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that requires anyone who manufactures or imports 50 specified chemicals to report to the agency "certain lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies" undertaken within the past decade.



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