News

ISSA LARU—ISSA Positively Impacts Period Poverty

Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public-policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on the impact to-date of ISSA’s campaign to End Period Poverty, our August Period Project Update, three new members of ISSA’s Government Affairs Advisory Committee, and more.

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ISSA Advocacy

ISSA Campaign Positively Impacts Period Poverty
ISSA proudly released its 2022-2023 End Period Poverty Campaign Impact Report. The association believes that menstrual-care solutions should be as available in away-from-home bathrooms as soap, toilet paper, and paper towels. Accordingly, in October 2022, ISSA launched its End Period Poverty Campaign in partnership with the Hygieia Network, an ISSA Charity™. “ISSA has taken our message of period positivity to facilities, state capitols, and even the White House. The association is proud to look back at our successes over the last year as we build on that momentum going into 2024 and beyond,” said John Nothdurft, ISSA’s Director of Government Affairs. Learn more

ISSA’s August Period Project Update – Making an Impact
ISSA’s August Period Project Update will keep you up to date on efforts to end period poverty through advocacy and education. Learn more and sign up to receive this monthly update

ISSA Announces New Government Affairs Advisory Committee Members
ISSA is pleased to announce three new members of its Government Affairs Advisory Committee: Jody Carroll from Power X3 Property Maintenance Services, Caryn Gilliam from PortionPac Chemical, and Amber Reyna from Verde Clean. Learn more

Register Now for Hot Topics: Cleaning Products Workshop 2023
Ensure your continued success in the marketplace by attending Hot Topics: The Cleaning Products Workshop 2023, a one-day live workshop, November 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This workshop will address the latest regulatory, legislative, and sustainability issues, along with other trending topics that impact the manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and sale of household and commercial cleaning products. Learn more and register

Upcoming Webinars

PFAS and the Cleaning Industry
Save your seat now for ISSA’s webinar on PFAS and the Cleaning Industry, set for September 27, 12 pm-1:30 pm CT, to learn how laws and regulations targeting PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” impact the overall cleaning industry. Learn more and register

Implementing and Maintaining Period-Friendly Bathrooms
ISSA and the ISSA Hygieia Network invite you to learn about what period poverty is, what is being done to address this issue, and why more buildings are providing period-friendly bathrooms. This free webinar from 1 pm-2 pm CT on October 5 will focus on why menstrual-care solutions should be as available in away-from-home bathrooms as soap, toilet paper, and paper towels. The speakers will address how ISSA is educating and engaging the public on this issue, as well as providing best practices and benefits to facilities for implementing and maintaining a period-friendly bathroom. Learn more and register

Regulatory

DOL Proposes Restoring, Extending Overtime Protections
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking that would restore and extend overtime protections to more than 3.6 million salaried workers. The DOL’s proposed revision would guarantee overtime pay for most salaried workers earning less than US$1,059 per week, or about $55,000 per year. In addition, the rule will “better ensure workers who are not exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees receive additional compensation when working more than 40 hours a week.” 

The DOL’s rule proposes automatically updating the salary threshold every three years to reflect current earnings data and restores overtime protections for all U.S. territories. ISSA intends to submit comments to the DOL regarding this proposal. The association supports overtime rules that are both fair to employees and maintain reasonable thresholds that do not result in unmanageable compliance and costs. Learn more

Union Officials Could Join OSHA Inspections with Policy Revival
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise regulations regarding workplace inspections, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reported. The proposed rule seeks to clarify who can be authorized by employees to act as their representative to accompany the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance officers during physical workplace inspections. According to the updated regulations, employees can authorize an existing employee or a non-employee third party. Learn more

OSHA Enters Settlement with Retailer to Address Facility Hazards
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) entered into a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the operators of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar to improve workplace safety in their stores nationwide, according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management. The settlement agreement requires Dollar Tree and Family Dollar to conduct a comprehensive, nationwide assessment of the root causes of the violations that OSHA has repeatedly cited at multiple stores. The retailers must then create a plan to identify the causes of the violations and make operational changes to correct them within a two-year period. Learn more

Investigation of Amputation Injury Reveals Safety Issues
The U.S. Department of Labor announced that an investigation, following the amputation injury of a worker who was cleaning equipment at a Neenah, Wisconsin, manufacturing plant in February 2023, found that the company failed to follow required safety procedures, Cleaning & Maintenance Management reported. Learn more

EPA Releases Final Guidance to Control Pathogens on Soft Surface Textiles
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final guidance and methods for evaluating efficacy claims of antimicrobial products registered to reduce bacteria and viruses on soft surface textiles (such as non-clothing fabrics and textiles/upholstery that may be laundered on an infrequent [non-routine] basis) in clinical and institutional (non-residential) settings. The final guidance to support soft surface textile claims, the soft surface textile bacterial method, and the soft surface textile virus method supersede the interim guidance and methods, which EPA published on December 21, 2022. The agency also published its response to comments received on the interim guidance and methods. Learn more

Judicial

U.S. Appeals Court Upholds OSHA Rulemaking Powers
A U.S. appeals court rejected an Ohio contractor’s challenge to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) ability to adopt rules governing workplace safety, Reuters reported. In a 2-1 ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the 1970 law that gives OSHA its powers is valid because it limits the agency’s oversight to workplace safety and establishes a set of principles it must follow in adopting safety standards. Learn more

State News

Michigan Appeals Court Invalidates Rules Regulating PFAS in Drinking Water
Some of the country’s more stringent standards limiting “forever chemical” pollution are at risk after a Michigan appellate court said that state regulators “botched the rule-making process and failed to calculate cleanup costs imposed on industry,” Bloomberg Law reported. Learn more