Insight & Commentary on Occupational Safety & Health Issues
In a newly released letter of interpretation, OSHA has concluded that "therapeutic exercise" recommended by a health care professional in response to minor work-related "pain" constitutes medical treatment under OSHA’s recordkeeping rule.
OSHA was asked whether exercises recommended for a short period of time by an on-site health care professional when an employee is experiencing minor…
OSHA has announced that it will give employers in residential construction an additional three months to come into compliance with its new fall protection directive. OSHA published the new directive on December 16, 2010 and originally gave employers until June 16, 2011 to ensure their fall protection practices were compliant. The three month extension, according to OSHA…
An OSHA compliance directive requiring contractors performing residential construction comply with the residential fall protection standard will take effect as scheduled on June 16, 2011. The Standard (29 C.F.R. § 1926.501(b)(13), Duty to Have Fall Protection) generally requires that guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems be used on residential jobsites that are more than six…
We thought you would be interested in the following article highlighting the Top Ten OSHA Developments Affecting Employers published this month on the Association of Corporate Counsel website.
In a much anticipated decision, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (Commission) has ruled that OSHA can enforce its requirement for employers to record work-related injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 Log even when the employer’s duty to record the injuries and illnesses occurred more than six months before the issuance of the citation. The…
OSHA’s new Enforcement Guidance for Personal Protective Equipment in General Industry (CPL 02-01-050) has been “on the street” for a few weeks and employers are still working through its details. While employers need to go through the directive carefully on their own and incorporate the aspects of the directive that are applicable to their facilities, after…
OSHA has established new procedures for enforcing its personal protective equipment (PPE) standards in general industry. The compliance directive "provides general guidance for the enforcement of standards applicable to personal protective equipment (PPE) in general industry, including guidance on payment for PPE." The new procedures became effective on February 10, 2011.
The directive provides useful information to employers to help them…
Citing "concerns raised" and the need for "more public outreach," OSHA is withdrawing its proposed interpretation on occupational noise. The proposal would have altered existing Agency enforcement policy for determining when an employer could utilize PPE to protect employees from noise exposures, as opposed to relying on engineering and administrative controls. Existing policy provides that…
It’s that time of year again! Employers covered by OSHA’s recordkeeping rule must prepare and post the OSHA Form 300A "Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses" by February 1 and keep the form posted until April 30. The form must be posted at each establishment covered, in a conspicuous place where notices to employees are customarily posted.
After…
With the recent increase in OSHA enforcement activity, many employers are being forced to answer the question: "If an OSHA compliance officer visits my workplace, is my company prepared?" Hopefully, for most employers the answer is a resounding "yes." However, for employers who are not so sure about their ability to handle an OSHA inspection, the…
