U.S. President Joe Biden on January 21 issued an Executive Order (EO) that aims to improve worker health and safety protections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EO statues that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is tasked to, among other things: issue revised guidance to employers on workplace safety within two weeks; consider whether any emergency temporary standards (ETS) are necessary and, if so, issue them by March 15; and launch a national program to focus on enforcement.  It is too early to know the specifics that will flow from the EO, but should any ETS be issued, it would take effect immediately and would be in effect until superseded by a permanent standard.

For now, companies should continue to ensure workplace protections meet local or state requirements.  

IPC is excited to announce that it has committed to developing a new consensus-based industry standard, IPC-1402, Standard for Green Cleaners Used in Electronics Manufacturing. This standard will expand IPC’s existing 300-plus catalog of electronics manufacturing standards to include safer, greener practices.

IPC-1402 is intended to apply to chemical cleaners used in the manufacture of electronic assemblies, components, and materials including the direct use of chemicals on these assemblies or for the cleaning of manufacturing machines during operation and maintenance. The standard will establish a scientifically defensible set of green chemistry requirements for cleaners used in electronic manufacturing – giving electronic manufacturing companies another way to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of environmental and occupational health and safety. We welcome you to get involved with this standard’s development. 

If you are interested in volunteering to be a member of the Green Initiatives for Cleaners task group, please contact me at KellyScanlon@ipc.org.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) is working with a consultancy to conduct an industry survey to collect information that will allow them to analyze health, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts from new occupational exposure limits for lead (Pb) and its compounds.

Information collected, such as current exposure levels, risk management measures in place, costs associated with engineering controls, and cost-benefit data, will enable the Commission to establish practicable, protective limits. The final limits will be binding in the EU. All data and information submitted in response to the survey will be treated as confidential.

We encourage electronics manufacturing companies working with Pb to review the survey and consider contributing data and information by the deadline of February 26. Questions regarding the survey, the information being requested, or the deadline for the survey should be directed to the consultancy.

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to sign an unprecedented number of executive actions in the days ahead. Many of these actions will freeze or reverse the policies of his predecessor, including the U.S. rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Others constitute the first steps in implementing the agenda he laid out in his campaign.

Notably, the President tomorrow plans to direct a review of the COVID-related supply chain and lay the groundwork for invoking the Defense Production Act. On Monday, he will direct agencies to strengthen federal “Buy American” requirements.

All of the planned executive actions can be reviewed here, and we will keep you posted on developments of interest to our industry. Visit whitehouse.gov any time for the latest presidential statements, documents, and more.

Today, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released a report on their Section 301 investigation into "Vietnam's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Currency Valuation." The Federal Register notice is here. The report draws three conclusions:

• Vietnam's acts, policies, and practices in regards to currency valuation are "unreasonable;"
• Vietnam's acts, policies, and practices "burden or restrict U.S. commerce"; and
• These acts, policies, and practices are actionable under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act.

Notably, however, USTR chose not to take any steps towards imposing tariffs or other measures to remedy these issues. There had been some suggestion that USTR was considering levying tariffs against all imported products from Vietnam.

That means the incoming Biden Administration will be able to craft their own response, rather than being forced to deal with hastily implemented tariffs at the end of an outgoing administration. There are numerous ways that the new USTR may choose to deal with the currency valuation issues, and tariffs may still be levied at a later date. However, the delay gives industry an opportunity to engage with the incoming USTR staff, including USTR-designate Katherine Tai. 

U.S. imports of electronics from Vietnam nearly doubled from 2018 to 2019, as the U.S. and China ramped up their tariff war.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released this month its annual report to Congress on industrial capabilities. The report reflects ongoing (DoD) concern about the challenges facing the nation’s industrial base and recommends “continued and accelerated national focus over the coming decade” to preserve American leadership. Importantly, it warns that advancements in 5G, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and quantum computing will not “wave away” the underlying issues confronting DoD readiness and superiority.

In a snapshot of the electronics industry, the report concludes that foreign dependency and diminishing manufacturing sources and materials shortages (DMSMS) continue to be the primary risks. The “decline of the U.S. printed circuit board” manufacturing also gets called out as does IPC-1791 and federal efforts to establish a trusted supply chain for PCBs and PCBAs.