Congressional leaders again have pressed the Department of Labor for information on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s potential guidance to OSHA investigators on determining if there is a joint-employer relationship between companies. To read the full article, written by Joseph Dreesen, click here.… Continue Reading
The next version of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s annual voluntary guidance cataloging measures for improving safety and health in the workplace may include insights from the public. For the first time ever, OSHA wants assistance from the public to identify the “leading indicators.” To read the full article, click here.… Continue Reading
The White House is reviewing a proposed worker safety rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that aims to expand the requirement on how long employers must maintain accurate records of worker injuries and illnesses. To read the full article, written by Tressi Cordaro, click here.… Continue Reading
President-elect Donald Trump will assume office on January 20, 2017, with a Republican majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. While it is difficult to predict whether the new administration will be able to deliver on President-elect Trump’s campaign promises, we can expect significant policy and enforcement shifts. To read the full … Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued new guidance designed to protect the rights of whistleblowers who reach settlements approved by OSHA. To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration failed to go through the proper rulemaking process before mandating retailers to implement new stricter storage standards for anhydrous ammonia fertilizer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled. To read the full article, written by Joseph Dreesen, click here.… Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration overstepped its authority in expanding union representation at “walk-arounds” in non-union workplaces, the National Federation of Independent Business has alleged in a lawsuit against the agency filed in Texas. Nat’l Fed’n of Indep. Bus. v. Dougherty, No. 3:16-cv-02568 (N.D. Tex. Sept. 8, 2016). To read the full article, written … Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is considering updating its safety standards covering falls in shipbuilding, ship repair, shipbreaking, and other shipyard-related employment and has issued a Request for Information. Comments and materials must be submitted by December 7, 2016. To read the full article, written by Tressi Cordaro, click here.… Continue Reading
Using a crane to move headstones and small monuments is “generally” not defined as construction, but the crane operator is still responsible for stringent worker-safety rules regarding crane operations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has advised in response to a question from an Arkansas granite and marble cemetery monument delivery company. To read the … Continue Reading
Most state workplace safety programs did not meet performance goals, an annual report by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration studying 21 state programs in fiscal year 2015 has found. To read the full article, written by Joseph Dreesen, click here.… Continue Reading
In an effort to speed up claims under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Whistleblower Protection Program, the Labor Department’s San Francisco region has launched a new process, called the “Expedited Case Processing Pilot.” To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued “interim guidance” to provide employers and workers information and advice on preventing occupational exposure to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. To read the full article, written by Tressi Cordaro, click here.… Continue Reading
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s new campaign — “Water. Rest. Shade.” — alerts employers and workers to the hazards of working in high summer temperatures and highlights OSHA’s educational and training resources, including a free app, to help lower the risk of heat-related illnesses in the workplace. To read the full article, written by … Continue Reading
The first increases to Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines for violations of safety regulations since 1990 went into effect on August 1, 2016. The increases are substantial: the maximum penalties have increased by 78 percent. In addition, OSHA will adjust the amounts annually based on the Consumer Price Index. To read the full article, … Continue Reading
Employers must ensure they are in compliance with the anti-retaliation provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new electronic recordkeeping and reporting rule by August 10, 2016. To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
A New York man and two construction companies he owns have been indicted on manslaughter and other charges in the death of an employee who plunged six stories to his death after allegedly being directed to perform work without fall protection. To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a pilot program in the Midwest region to shame employers who allegedly violate their employees’ whistleblower rights egregiously, but a critic contends the initiative may violate a company’s due process rights and unfairly ruin its business reputation. To read the full article, written by Tressi Cordaro, click … Continue Reading
With the arrival of summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched initiatives to alert employers and workers to heat and lightning hazards and the steps to take to prevent injury or illness from them. To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
At a stakeholder meeting today at its Arlington, VA headquarters, MSHA announced dramatic new changes to requirements that metal/non-metal mine operators conduct workplace examinations each shift. The official publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register will launch a 90-day comment period that will include four public hearings around the country. Mine operators are sure … Continue Reading
On June 1, 2016, The California Occupational Safety and Health Division issued a high heat advisory, warning employers to protect their outdoor workers from heat illness as temperatures hit extreme highs this week. The heat advisory stated that there is a prediction that temperatures will be well over 100 degrees in many locations, including the … Continue Reading
August 1, 2016, is the effective date for imposition of higher fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but violations alleged in inspections occurring as recently as this February may be subject to the increased fees, according to OSHA. To read the full article, written by Nickole Winnett, click here.… Continue Reading
Federal government agencies have released interim guidance to provide employers and workers information and advice on preventing occupational exposure to the Zika virus. To read the full article, written by Donna Vetrano Pryor, click here.… Continue Reading
In its recent publication 16 Legal Tips: Handling OSHA Citations the Right Way, Intelivert asked 16 top legal experts for their tips to safety professionals who may find themselves on the receiving end of an OSHA citation. Three of those experts were Jackson Lewis attorneys – Carla Gunnin in our Atlanta office, as well as … Continue Reading
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched emphasis programs in three Midwestern states in an effort to reduce injuries and illnesses that government data show have affected 7.5 percent of employees in the meat processing industry there. To read the full article, written by Tressi Cordaro, click here.… Continue Reading
