OSHA - General

Carbon monoxide is known as a silent killer because it lacks any distinct taste or smell. It is the byproduct of combustion and can prove to be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 400 Americans die each year from accidental poisoning not caused by fires. As

On March 4, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court held in BNSF Railway Co. v. Loos that a railroad’s payment to an employee for work time lost due to an on-the-job injury is taxable compensation under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA).

On February 7, 2019 the Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualifications final rule became effective, requiring employers using cranes in the construction industry to document their evaluation of their crane operators. That same day OSHA issued temporary enforcement guidance indicating t

In any major city (and, actually, everywhere), construction is a way of life. Cities continuously expand, renovate, and build. With more job sites has come more scrutiny and oversight from OSHA. OSHA’s stated mission includes to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women b

On January 25, 2019, OSHA issued a final rule eliminating the requirement that employers with 250 or more employees electronically submit information from Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) to OSHA each year. These establishments,

Congress took employers by surprise when it increased Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) penalties nearly 80 percent in 2016. Today, a Serious violation can fetch a maximum penalty of $13,260, and a Willful or Repeat violation can cost up to $132,598. Citations often include mult

In the final part of this four-part series, we examine the fourth element an employer must establish to successfully raise the “unpreventable employee misconduct” affirmative defense in response to an OSHA citation: that the employer effectively enforces its safety rules upon discovering any violati

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published a final rule that increases civil monetary penalties the DOL assesses and enforces, as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 and the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The incr

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued a final rule rescinding major portions of its electronic reporting rule. Specifically, the rule (1) amends the recordkeeping rules for employers with 250 or more employees; (2) further clarifies OSHA’s position on post-incident

On January 30th the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced that it would hold a hearing on February 6th for several of President Trump’s nominees, including Scott Mugno, the President’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA.

On January 24, 2019, citing a need to protect worker privacy, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule eliminating the requirement that businesses with 250 or more workers electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illne

Today OSHA published the final rule revising the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses regulation promulgated under the Obama administration. The final rule aligns with the proposed rule and rescinds the requirements for establishments with 250 or more employees to electronically file

On January 22, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance to general industry employers on OSHA’s final rule regulating occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica in general industry. The rule requires em

While much of the rest of the government is shutdown, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) is hard at work. OSHA which is an agency within DOL is one of the few agencies that is fully funded and operational. On January 15th, OSHA issued a pre-published version of its Federal Register notice for the incre

To get the attention of CEO’s and upper level management, one must focus the conversation on the company’s bottom line. Often times, discussions of workplace safety involve conversations about increased expenses and red tape. However, the struggle to promote the need for additional workplace safety

On May 12, 2016, OSHA caused confusion and concern amongst employers in the preamble to 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) reporting requirements. The preamble appeared a prohibition, at the very least discouragement, of post-incident drug testing or policies. On October 11, 2018, OSHA provided a memoran

In September, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a draft report criticizing OSHA for not having appropriate controls in place to ensure employers report severe injuries and abate hazards. The September OIG report recommended to OSHA that the agency develop formal guidance and train staff o

Holiday plates overflow, we are more stressed, tired, rushed, and a little inclined to cut corners and bend a few rules. Although there tend to be fewer work accidents this time of year, it is no time to ignore those basic practices we rely on all year round to ensure those around us make it home sa

OSHA reinstated the Site Specific Targeting Program (SST) effective October 16, 2018. The SST, OSHAs main site-specific targeting inspection plan for non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more employees, will be based on the 300A data associated with a 2017 rule published by the US Department

Workplace safety is moving in the right direction, according to employers and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Based on an annual survey, BLS estimates that private industry employers had 45,800 fewer cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses among full-time employees in 2017 as compared to the