Three new training videos and an infographic recently published by NIOSH focus on aspects of donning and doffing personal protective equipment.The videos are part of a series intended to help prevent occupational exposures to H5N1, or avian influenza, also known as bird flu. They guide workers through putting on and taking off PPE for medium- and high-exposure settings as well as for milking parlors, where workers are also at high risk of being exposed to H5N1. CDC lists being splashed in the face with raw milk from an infected or potentially infected cow as an example of a high-risk exposure.
As of Jan. 9, the agency had confirmed 71 human cases of H5 bird flu and 2 deaths. The virus is responsible for outbreaks in poultry flocks and a multi-state outbreak among dairy cattle that was first identified in March 2024. CDC characterizes the current public health risk as low and states that there is currently no known person-to-person transmission.
NIOSH’s new infographic guides firefighters through a PPE doffing sequence meant to limit off-gassing exposures and reduce the transfer of contaminants to skin after a fire incident. According to the infographic, firefighters should first decontaminate with soap and water before proceeding with additional steps to doff their PPE. The agency cautions that firefighters who are overheating should “prioritize gear removal over decontamination” and urges firefighters to be sure to clean their skin after following the protocol, as the skin can still be exposed to harmful contaminants.
Additional NIOSH publications and products can be found on the agency’s website.
OSHA is extending by four months several compliance deadlines for its hazard communication standard, which was last updated in 2024. One deadline was imminent: chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors initially had until Jan. 19, 2026, to evaluate certain substances. That deadline is now May 19, 2026.Three subsequent compliance deadlines have also been extended to allow OSHA to “maintain the tiered approach to compliance adopted in the final rule,” a Federal Register notice explains. Employers now have until Nov. 20, 2026, to update any alternative workplace labeling for substances, make updates to their hazard communication programs, and provide additional training to workers for newly identified hazards. The new deadline for manufacturers, importers, and distributors to comply with modified provisions related to evaluating mixtures is Nov. 19, 2027. And employers now have until May 19, 2028, to provide employee training regarding mixtures and to update relevant labeling and hazard communication programs.
These delays are intended to allow OSHA more time to publish guidance about the updated hazard communication standard for the regulated community and agency staff. According to OSHA, the extended compliance deadlines will also help ensure that those affected by the updated provisions have time to review the new materials before the effective dates.
Details about these extensions are available in the Federal Register. More information about OSHA’s hazard communication standard is available from the agency’s website.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finished removing a large stockpile of expired hand sanitizer from a warehouse at 3800 Highland Avenue, in Niagara Falls, New York. Working with state and local partners, EPA removed more than 300 tons of expired sanitizer, along with contaminated soil and debris, and shipped the material to an EPA-approved facility for proper recycling and disposal.“Hand sanitizer is designed to protect people, but in huge quantities and in the wrong conditions, it becomes a real fire risk,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “Working with our state and local partners, we’ve eliminated that danger at this site and underscored the value of strong cleanup programs that protect local communities.”
Local authorities first flagged the Highland Avenue warehouse after an inspection found extensive amounts of expired sanitizer stored in unsafe parts of the building. A follow up inspection by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) confirmed the volume of material and found evidence that some had been buried on-site. After efforts to secure cleanup by the property owner were unsuccessful, NYSDEC referred the property to EPA in late August 2025.
The 11-acre property sits immediately next to homes, schools, and churches. The site contains a network of interconnected warehouse structures dating back to the 1920s, including a non-operational fire suppression system, an added concern given the volume of flammable sanitizer stored inside.
EPA completed the removal safely and in coordination with state and local officials to minimize impacts on the surrounding community.
The hazards tied to expired sanitizer are not unique to Highland Avenue. On August 30, 2025, a fire at the Eco Operations facility in Gorham, New York, was fueled by large quantities of expired sanitizer, prompting an EPA response at the state’s request. EPA is also addressing an estimated 180,000 gallons stored at a facility in Romulus, New York. Though the product seems harmless in small amounts, stockpiles of this size can create significant fire and safety risks, especially in older or poorly maintained buildings.
A new webpage from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) collects resources related to heat, health, and policy. The page stems from a September 2025 meeting focused on how heat protection policies informed by data can help protect communities from heat exposure and related adverse health outcomes. Resources on the new NAM webpage address introductory topics related to heat and protecting communities and vulnerable populations, public policy on heat and community health at the state and local levels, private policy within organizations, and systems intended to protect workers and patients.The September event was hosted by NAM’s Climate Communities Network, which develops solutions to climate-related health outcomes. Topics discussed during the event include the importance of both qualitative and quantitative data to decision-making and heat protection policies, programs, and tools; how community-based organizations, academic institutions, government entities, and others can work together to help communities mitigate the effects of and respond to heat events; and engaging with decision-makers at federal, state, and local levels.
A recording of the online event is available from the NAM website. The shared resources can be found on a separate page.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will hold the 2026 edition of the World Legal Symposium (WLS) from 17-19 February in Warsaw, Poland, hosted by LOT Polish Airlines, under the theme ‘’Liability in a Changing World’’.Airlines face a variety of enduring and new categories of liability, including their classic insured risks, and a host of contemporary compliance areas, such as ESG, greenwashing, taxation, privacy, and artificial intelligence. WLS will discuss these issues against the background of changing landscapes for consumer protection, trade tariffs, and geopolitics.
‘’Internationally agreed airline liability principles are facing growing pressure from divergent national measures, which risk undermining the uniform application of the international liability treaties and their benefits to connectivity. The challenges this creates for airlines, who must navigate through these inconsistencies to support global operations, will be at the heart of discussions at this year’s WLS,” said Leslie MacIntosh, IATA’s Corporate Secretary and Acting General Counsel.
“New regulations, emerging technologies, and evolving societal expectations create strategic challenges in airline operations today. As Poland’s national carrier, we are pleased to welcome an event bringing together leading aviation law experts, regulators, and industry representatives to jointly identify and address the complexities ahead,” said Michał Fijoł, President & CEO of LOT Polish Airlines.
Among the issues being discussed, the WLS program will include the following sessions:
- Managing Geopolitical Exposures: Trade, Tariffs, Sanctions, and Insurance
- Democratized Liability? Consumer Protection 2.0
- Artificial Intelligence and Competition Law
- From Carrier’s Agent, to Shipper, to Shipper’s Agent; the Moving Target of Freight Forwarder Liability
WLS will open with a welcome speech and keynote address from Michał Fijoł, President & CEO of LOT Polish Airlines.
“The program and speakers we have lined up for WLS 2026 continue a long tradition of addressing the most pressing issues for the aviation legal community. By gathering in-house experts, private practitioners, and government legal advisers, WLS is a unique opportunity for a professional dialogue that unpacks aviation law’s most relevant issues so that we are all better prepared to more effectively mitigate evolving risks,” MacIntosh added.
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