Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), employers have a right to be given the opportunity to accompany an OSHA compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) during an inspection of the workplace.
In...more
An accident happens at your workplace, leading to an employee injury. During the hectic response, incorrect information funnels its way up to the safety director charged with notifying OSHA of reportable injuries and...more
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage, and lost productivity. Motor vehicle crashes...more
3/8/2019
/ Best Practices ,
Distracted Driving ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
General Duty Clause ,
Motor Vehicles ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety
An accident happens at your workplace, and an employee is injured. During the hectic response, incorrect information funnels its way up to the safety director or person charged with notifying OSHA of reportable injuries and...more
Employers will be facing higher penalties from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“Fed-OSHA”) in 2019. On January 15, 2019, Fed-OSHA announced that it plans to increase the maximum penalty an employer...more
As of Saturday, the current federal government shutdown became the longest in our nation’s history—and employers are starting to feel the sting. While the peculiarities of the federal budget process meant that this shutdown...more
1/14/2019
/ Anti-Deficiency Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Shutdown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
With the threat of a partial government shutdown looming on December 21, employers are left wondering which government agencies will be impacted if the shutdown occurs. Presently, departments in the following areas will be...more
While it is not comparable to David Letterman’s Top 10 lists, at a recent industry gathering, OSHA announced its annual top 10 violations for fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018). For those who have...more
11/16/2018
/ Citations ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Workers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Contractors ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Training ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
At a recent national safety conference for the industry, the acting head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) remarked that the agency is focusing on the use of peracetic acid in the poultry industry....more
Your employees could be at a heightened risk for developing an addiction to opioids after a workplace injury. Now is the time to take measures to minimize the risk of this happening to them.
It is well known that...more
The changes to MSHA’s workplace examination rule governing metal and nonmetal mines have garnered significant attention. Stakeholders fought back against the original proposed rulemaking, and MSHA delayed implementation three...more
5/22/2018
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Mining ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
On April 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Fed-OSHA) reversed course and issued a press release announcing that employers in all state-plan states must implement Fed-OSHA’s new electronic recordkeeping...more
Until 2015, it was the practice of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to look back only three years to establish “repeat” violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). In 2015, OSHA...more
Nearly 2.3 million people in the United States work in jobs that expose them to silica. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) claims that more than 100,000 of those workers are engaged in “high risk jobs such...more
2/14/2018
/ Appeals ,
Construction Industry ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Health and Safety ,
New Rules ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Shipyard Industry ,
Silica ,
Substantial Evidence ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Unions ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
What can the connection between legendary alternative rock band R.E.M. and veteran reporter Dan Rather tell us about workplace safety? Most probably didn’t even realize these two popular culture figures had anything in...more
It’s that time of year again: for employers to celebrate the successes of the prior year and make plans and resolutions for the new one. But OSHA and MSHA are making New Year’s resolutions, too, and employers are well-advised...more
12/11/2017
/ Budget Cuts ,
Citations ,
Consultation ,
Electronic Reporting ,
Inspections ,
Investigations ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Mining ,
OSHA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safety Standards ,
Silica ,
Trump Administration ,
Willful Violations ,
Workplace Exam Standards ,
Workplace Safety
It’s a news headline we’ve seen too often, including several times in recent weeks: another disgruntled employee or former employee has entered the workplace and killed or injured coworkers. What can you do to minimize the...more
6/20/2017
/ Best Management Practices ,
Bullying ,
Catastrophic Events ,
EAP ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Mass Shootings ,
Protective Orders ,
Safety Training ,
Threat Management ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
New presidents are often judged based on their accomplishments in their first 100 days in office. President Trump is no exception to that rule. The Trump administration recently passed that milestone date, offering an...more
5/4/2017
/ Affirmative Action ,
Blacklist ,
Buy American Act ,
Data Security ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
EEO-1 ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
LGBTQ ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. shocked the racing world last week when he abruptly announced his retirement from NASCAR at the end of the 2017 season. -
“Dale Jr.,” is in the prime of his career and a 26-time race winner on...more
Federal OSHA increased its maximum penalties last summer for the first time since 1990. The increase occurred pursuant to a new law requiring federal agencies to adjust penalties to account for inflation. However, the OSH...more
Richard Marx Won’t Be Right Here Waiting To Save You From Workplace Intruders: Lessons To Make Sure Your Workers Are Prepared....more
The election of Donald Trump surprised some Americans. In the days since his victory, our firm’s lawyers have fielded numerous questions from employers regarding what changes to workplace law they can expect under the Trump...more
11/21/2016
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Drug Testing ,
Electronic Reporting ,
Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces ,
Labor Regulations ,
OSHA ,
Penalties ,
Presidential Elections ,
Repeal ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Silica ,
Trump Administration ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
How Would Coach Nick Saban Handle an OSHA Inspection? Lessons for Employers from the Crimson Tide’s Championship Football Coach
September has arrived. That can only mean one thing: it’s time for college football!...more
As many employers know, OSHA has attempted to gain unprecedented power in the inspection process. Indeed, as this article is written, battles are being fought in federal court relative to OSHA’s authority and power in the...more
Now that the first cases of locally transmitted Zika virus have hit the continental United States, it is time for employers to sit up and take notice. Until recently, Americans could generally acquire the virus only if they...more