OSHA just issued a heap of new proposed rules and took other agency actions as part of broader deregulatory efforts at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) – which are being called one of the most ambitious federal red tape...more
7/16/2025
/ Comment Period ,
Construction Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Farm Workers ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor just overhauled OSHA’s penalty guidelines to give small employers and safety-conscious businesses a financial break. Effective immediately, the new policy:
- significantly increases penalty...more
The U.S. Department of Labor just quietly launched one of the most sweeping deregulatory efforts in recent memory, advancing over 60 proposals that could reshape workplace rules across industries. From overtime and minimum...more
7/9/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Apprenticeships ,
Collective Actions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Duty Clause ,
H-2A ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Public Comment ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Union Organizers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The US Department of Labor just relaunched and significantly expanded its opinion letter program, offering employers across five enforcement agencies a direct line to legal interpretations of federal laws on wage and hour,...more
6/6/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Opinion Letter ,
OSHA ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
VETS ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
OSHA’s long-awaited heat illness rule could be inching closer to reality, with a public hearing that could determine its fate now scheduled for June 16. While many predicted the Trump administration would stall or shelve the...more
Two new Kentucky laws will soon reshape workplace safety rules and how courts review agency decisions — with big implications for employer compliance and litigation strategy. Lawmakers passed House Bill 398, which will bring...more
Federal workplace safety officials are one step closer to completely overhauling the rules covering fire brigades and broadly expanding them to include emergency response workers – but an open question remains about when the...more
Even the most experienced employers are sure to have questions from time to time about the nation’s workplace safety agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). That’s where we come in. The Fisher...more
3/12/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Citations ,
Depositions ,
Discovery ,
Electronic Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Interrogatories ,
OSHA ,
OSHRC ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Request for Admissions ,
Request for Production ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is about to get a new leader. President Donald Trump has nominated David Keeling, a workplace safety veteran with experience at UPS and Amazon, to take the lead at the...more
2/20/2025
/ Electronic Reporting ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Heat Exposure ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
In the last days of President Biden’s administration, federal workplace safety officials issued an updated compliance directive on the controversial electronic recordkeeping policies and procedures rule that took effect last...more
In the waning days of the Biden administration, federal workplace safety officials finally scrapped plans to finalize an outdated COVID-19 regulation – but started the ball rolling on a broader infectious disease standard...more
Employers will face higher penalties for workplace safety violations in 2025 now that the U.S. Department of Labor has just published its listing of annual increases. These yearly increases to OSHA’s maximum civil penalties...more
Construction employers must be ready for a federal safety rule that takes effect on Monday. A major update to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules regarding safety and health regulations for the...more
Recently released statistics revealed that nearly 400 workers in the manufacturing industry were killed on the job in the most recent reporting year, demonstrating once again that safety needs to be of paramount concern in...more
Our Workplace Safety thought leaders have pulled together their top predictions for the new year so that employers can get a running start to 2025....more
1/7/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Budget Cuts ,
Chevron Deference ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Health and Safety ,
Heat Exposure ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
For the very first time, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has publicized the comprehensive details on the nearly 900,000 reported workplace injuries and illnesses recorded by...more
A major update to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules regarding safety and health regulations for the construction industry will soon mandate that employers provide personal protective equipment...more
Our firm’s Workplace Safety Practice Group has provided some general perspectives on what employers can expect under the next Trump administration – but it’s time for a deeper dive that OSHA and MSHA safety professionals will...more
Starting today, Kentucky employees may designate a third party – including union representatives in non-union facilities – to accompany safety inspectors during walkaround inspections. State safety officials adopted an...more
The Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling that gives employers a powerful tool to fight back against regulatory overreach will have a broad impact on just about every area of workplace law. We’re looking at the specific...more
The federal government recently issued a final rule permitting third parties – including union representatives – to accompany inspectors during facility walkarounds, raising many questions and concerns for employers from both...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) just finalized a rule that will allow workers to designate a union representative to accompany an OSHA inspector during a facility walkaround — regardless of whether...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is close to finalizing a rule that will allow workers to designate a union representative to accompany an OSHA inspector during a facility walkaround — regardless of...more
Welcome to this edition of the FP Snapshot on workplace safety, where we take a quick snapshot look at a recent significant workplace law development that affects your safety and health programs. This edition is devoted to...more
2/23/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Health and Safety ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Protected Activity ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Standard of Proof ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Investigations ,
Workplace Safety
Even the most experienced employers are sure to have questions from time to time about the nation’s workplace safety agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). That’s where we come in. The Fisher...more
2/15/2024
/ Appeals ,
Citations ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Discovery ,
Electronic Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
OSHRC ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety