In today’s news and commentary, the U.S. Forest Service and California respond to concerns about firefighter safety, a new pay transparency law takes effect next month in Massachusetts, and Trump adds new hurdles for H-1B visa applicants.
Last month, a series of New York Times articles covered the U.S. Forest Service’s decades-long policy of sending firefighters out into toxic wildfire smoke without masks. As a result, many firefighters develop cancer, heart disease, or other severe conditions in their twenties or thirties. Despite USFS research warning about perilous health outcomes, the agency prohibited its workers from wearing masks on the frontline, citing the risk of overheating. Yet other countries around the world use masks, and the Times investigation found that internally, USFS appeared more concerned about the costs associated with protecting its workers from the health effects of wildfire smoke. After the Times coverage motivated a House Oversight hearing, USFS released new guidance permitting firefighters to wear NIOSH-approved N-95 masks and has begun exploring a full mandatory mask program. In California, state regulators are looking to make further safety improvements. A draft proposal circulated by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health division would require employers to provide masks with filters to all firefighters, including contract workers who often receive less protection. The state has also proposed more research on firefighter cancer risk to...
False information has been circulating online claiming the retirement age will be increasing and it’s even been picked up by Google’s AI Overview and Discover service. There has been a spate of fa...