Standards

On October 20, two American National Standards Institute (ANSI) members and accredited standards developers, ASIS International and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)announced the release of ASIS/SHRM WVP.1-2011, "Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention."  The new standard establishes policies, processes, and protocols that organizations can adopt to identify and prevent threatening behavior and violence affecting the workplace, and to better address and resolve threats and violence that have occurred.

A final rule that, according to OSHA, streamlines standards while reducing employer burdens, was published in the June 8, 2011 Federal Register. The rule stems from President Obama’s Jan. 18 Executive Order, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.”

On May 9, 2011, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a Federal Register notice amending the commercial driver’s license (CDL) knowledge and skills testing standards and establishing new minimum Federal standards for States to issue the commercial learner’s permit (CLP).  The rule requires that a CLP holder meet virtually the same requirements as those for a CDL holder, meaning that a driver holding a CLP will be subject to the same driver disqualification penalties that apply to a CDL holder.