Steve Shardonofsky was quoted today by Employment Law360 in an article on “Energy Cos. Brace For DOL Crackdown As Worker Deaths Rise.”

In the article Shardonofsky noted that U.S. Labor “Secretary [Thomas] Perez’s recent statement highlights the fact that we’ll expect higher scrutiny of the oil and gas industry for the foreseeable future.”  

Shardonofsky said that “oil and gas companies have already seen more site visits by Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors, more investigations by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, and more information sharing between the two departments.”

Employers should have a plan in place to respond to OSHA or wage and hour site visits before the government shows up at your doorstep, to avoid a situation where your employees are essentially freelancing for the DOL. Employers should have identified a point person to interact with government inspectors and investigators, and have a protocol in place to handle requests for information or interviews.

Readers with questions on this important  topic are encouraged to reach out to us in the ES&TT Group, or to Steve Shardonofsky directly.