By Brent I. ClarkJames L. CurtisMark A. Lies, IIAdam R. YoungPatrick D. JoyceIlana R. Morady, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis:OSHA recently announced a three-pronged approach to establish a heat illness enforcement initiative, pertaining to both indoor or outdoor work settings: an enforcement memorandum
Continue Reading OSHA Publishes Heat Illness Inspection Guidance

By Brent I. Clark, James L. CurtisMark A. Lies, IIAdam R. YoungPatrick D. Joyce, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: As we approach the heat of the summer season and as employers begin to re-open after months of COVID-19 quarantine, workers may be out of shape, out
Continue Reading Heat Illness and Back to Work — Summer 2021

By Benjamin D. BriggsPatrick D. Joyce, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: In late May, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam directed the state’s Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to develop emergency temporary standards to prevent workplace exposure to COVID-19. Those rules were adopted on July 15, 2020. 

Federal OSHA has only issued
Continue Reading Virginia Adopts Emergency Workplace Safety Regulations

By James L. Curtis, Mark A. Lies, II, Patrick D. Joyce, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA Administrator Loren Sweatt recently blogged related to heat illness in the workplace as “forecasters are calling for above-average heat in some parts of the country and scorching temperatures in July and August.” Sweatt suggests
Continue Reading Heat Illness – A Phantom Menace: Sweatt Blogs on Safety Measures and Heat Illness in the Workplace

By James L. Curtis, Ilana R. MoradyAdam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued Guidance to assist employers reopening non-essential businesses ensure the safety of their employees and the public during the evolving coronavirus pandemic.

The new Guidance on Returning to Work
Continue Reading OSHA Issues New Guidance As Non-Essential Businesses Reopen and Employees Return to Work

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) had brought suit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals against the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, through an Emergency Petition For A Writ Of Mandamus, and Request For Expedited Briefing And Disposition, No.
Continue Reading DC Circuit Court Denies Union’s Suit Against OSHA to Force Emergency Temporary Worker Safety Standard

By James L. CurtisAdam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA issued its first COVID-19 citation to a Georgia nursing home. The citation alleges a failure to report within 24-hours a work-related incident resulting in hospital admissions.

As discussed in our prior blog, OSHA has issued new enforcement procedures for COVID-19 cases
Continue Reading OSHA Issues First COVID-19 Citation for Untimely Reporting of Hospitalizations

By James L. Curtis, Brent I. ClarkMark A. Lies, IIAdam R. Young, Matthew A. Sloan, and Craig B. Simonsen

Image from CDC.

Seyfarth Synopsis: In Rural Community Worker’s Alliance et al v. Smithfield Foods, Inc. et al., No. 5:20-cv-6063 (W.D. Mo. May 5, 2020), Western District of
Continue Reading Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking to Enjoin Employer to Implement Additional Safety Measures

By James L. CurtisMark A. Lies, IIAdam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: As we approach the heat of the summer season and as employers begin to re-open after months of COVID-19 quarantine, workers may be out of shape, out of practice on workplace safety procedures, and may
Continue Reading Heat Illness Strikes Back: Return to Work’s Untold Story

By James L. CurtisPatrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert with safety tips for the restaurant and food and beverage industries to protect their workers from coronavirus exposure while they provide curbside pickup and takeout service to customers. The safety tips provide
Continue Reading OSHA Issues Alert with Safety Tips for the Restaurant and Food and Beverages Industries