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Things you should know

Ladder safety reminders for workers

The risk of ladder falls can increase during the holiday season as workers hand decorations and move more merchandise.

Here are a few tips to remember:

(Washington State Department of Labor and Industries)

Fighting the flu

Like an uninvited visitor, seasonal influenza comes knocking every fall. A new NIOSH web page www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/flu on seasonal influenza was designed to help employers, workers, health professionals, and others manage the current flu season in the workplace, and stay current with evolving scientific and medical knowledge.

NIOSH unveils tool to assess lead exposure

A new online resource intended to help workers identify harmful overexposures to lead was launched by NIOSH last week.

The webpage includes data on cases of elevated blood-lead levels in adults and allows users to create customized charts and tables of data from 2002 to 2008.

ISEA answers FAQs on new high-vis requirements

The International Safety Equipment Association this month published a "frequently asked questions" brochure to address common concerns regarding the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear consensus standard (ANSI/ISEA 107-2010).

The Arlington, VA-based ISEA's FAQs address topics such as the relationship between standard and federal and state regulations, and changes in the 2010 revision.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Rules Issued

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published final regulations in the Nov. 9 Federal Register to implement Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act that prohibits using genetic information in making employment decisions, restricts acquisition of genetic information by employers and strictly limits its disclosure.

One concern of employers was that the initial proposal would have allowed employers to use genetic information in connection with voluntary wellness programs but did not define such programs. The final regulations indicate that wellness programs that provided financial incentives are considered voluntary.