By Hoorya Ahmad and Patrick Joyce

Seyfarth Synopsis: Washington State’s COVID-19 emergency declaration expires October 31, 2022 but the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) administered by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), and codified at WAC 296-62-602 to -609, will remain in place for the time being.

HELSA is triggered by

Continue Reading Washington’s COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Expires October 31, 2022 — Employers Must Continue to Follow HELSA Notice & Reporting Requirements

By Adam R. Young, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: A manufacturer was issued a “willful citation” for failure to correct a machine guarding deficiency identified in a previous audit.

After the amputation, OSHA conducted an injury investigation into the Pennsylvania company’s industrial facility. OSHA uncovered that the Company had previously identified
Continue Reading Conduct Guarding Analyses Under Attorney-Client Privilege! OSHA Issues Willful Violation after Uncorrected Alleged Guarding Issue Results in Amputation

By Wan Li, Brent I. Clark, and Craig B. Simonsen
According to Cai Renjun, an official from the People’s Republic of China, Legislative Affairs Commission, of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, “about 70,000 people died in work safety cases last year, [with] about 60,000 of them in road accidents.” Policy Watch, China Daily (August 26, 2014).
Continue Reading International Employers Watch Out: China Will Assign Hefty Fines for Worker Safety Violations

By James L. Curtis and Kerry M. Mohan

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently announced its new policy regarding employee participation in the investigation of serious chemical accidents.  The CSB’s new policy provides ten new rights to employees:

  1. At unionized sites, the CSB will notify the facility’s union(s) of its plans to investigate.  At non-union sites, the CSB


Continue Reading Chemical Safety Board Expands Employee Participation In Investigations

By Brent I. Clark and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) which it asserts “marks the second such time that the department has expressly sought enterprisewide relief from an employer.” This recent complaint was filed against the DeMoulas Super Markets (DeMoulas).

Continue Reading Foreshadowing a New Trend OSHA Files Another Action Seeking Enterprisewide Relief from an Employer

By Brent I. Clark and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) recently reviewed an employment relationship between a company and the workers allegedly exposed to cited conditions, in Secretary v. Southern Scrap Materials Co., Inc., OSHRC Docket No. 94-3393 (September 28, 2011), and reaffirmed a long line of cases concerning a host employer’s responsibilities

Continue Reading OSHRC Reviews Employment Relationships