By James L. Curtis, Meagan Newman, Patrick J. Bannon, Barry J. Miller
In a recent Client Alert, Jim Curtis and Meagan Newman discuss workplace safety issues in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Employers need to keep in mind that storm cleanup poses significant hazards that must be addressed. Employees may be asked to perform tasks, or volunteer
Continue Reading After the Storm: Workplace Safety and Wage & Hour Considerations
Seyfarth Shaw’s partner James Curtis was quoted in the October 2012 issue of Chicago Lawyer in an article discussing the rise in whistleblower cases over the last few years. With a vibrant Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) practice, and with OSHA responsible for litigating whistleblower cases, Jim handles a wide variety of whistleblower cases. However, a consistent trend in
Continue Reading James Curtis Quoted in Chicago Lawyer: Notable Growth in Whistleblower Cases
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BOL) has just released preliminary findings in its 2011 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary.
Key preliminary findings of the 2011 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data indicate that fatal work injuries in private truck transportation rose fourteen percent in 2011, the second consecutive year
Continue Reading BLS Releases Preliminary Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
By James L. Curtis, Meagan Newman, and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted a new directive, CPL 02-03-004 (September 12, 2012), to provide procedures for the processing of appeals filed under Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Section 11(c)), and appeals filed under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response
Continue Reading OSHA Adopts Procedures for Filing Whistleblower Appeals
Seyfarth Shaw partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Whistleblower Team Jim Curtis was quoted in Business Insurance on August 23. The article discusses a recent study published by Seyfarth Shaw which demonstrated the growing number of whistleblower lawsuits filed with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the inability of OSHA to resolve these claims in a timely manner.Continue Reading James Curtis Quoted in “Business Insurance”: “Increasing Whistle-Blower Claims Slow Resolution Process: Study”
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has just published a Guidance on removing employers from the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). As we noted in a previous blog, since the SVEP has been in effect over 300 employers have been designated as severe violators. However, until now, there has not
Continue Reading Procedures for Removal from the OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Program List
By James L. Curtis and Meagan Newman
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that it is creating a Whistleblower Ombudsperson position. According to the DOJ news release, “Whistleblowers play a critical role in uncovering waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.” This new position will enable the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) “to continue its leadership as
Continue Reading New DOJ Whistleblower Ombudsperson Position Reflects Government Commitment to Whistleblower Protection and Enforcement
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
In the two years since the start of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP), CPL 02-00-149 (June 18, 2010), the list of severe violators has grown considerably. The SVEP Directive defines severe violators as those “employers who have demonstrated indifference to their OSH Act obligations by
Continue Reading OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Program Employers List Nearly Doubles
By James L. Curtis, Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Lakeview Specialty Hospital in Waterford, Wisconsin, for exposing employees to workplace violence at its healthcare facility and treatment center. This citation is another example of OSHA’s ongoing efforts to hold employers accountable for workplace violence
Continue Reading OSHA Cites Healthcare Facility for “Inadequate Workplace Violence Safeguards”
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new Directive that is for training OSHA representatives in communicating investigation procedures with family members following a workplace fatality. Communicating OSHA Fatality Inspection Procedures to a Victim’s Family, CPL 02-00-153.
The Directive seeks to “ensures that OSHA representatives speak to the