By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its annual National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (National Census), concluding that the fatal work injury rate in 2018 remained at 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.
Commenting on the BLS National Census,
Continue Reading National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Released
By Brent I. Clark, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: In another example of OSHA’s refocus it has dropped from its home page the prominently placed listing of Worker Fatalities.
We have blogged previously on changes to OSHA under the Trump Administration. See for instance OSHA Schedules First “Safe + Sound Week”, OSHA
Continue Reading OSHA Removes List of “Workplace Fatalities” from its Website Home Page
By Brent I. Clark, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced last week an expansion of its worker endangerment initiative to address worker safety violations through the use of enhanced criminal fines and penalties.
According to Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates, “on an average
Continue Reading Enhanced Criminal Prosecutions of Worker Safety Violations – Employers Beware
By Brent I. Clark and Craig B. Simonsen
Thomas Galassi, Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, through a very short Memorandum (Memo), announced that OSHA has just added employers in the Oil and Gas Production Services and Drilling and Well Servicing industries to its High-Emphasis Hazards in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
We have written previously about steady growth
Continue Reading OSHA Adds “Upstream Oil and Gas” to List for Severe Violator Enforcement Program
By James L. Curtis, Meagan Newman, and Anne D. Harris
A federal judge sentenced the former president of a Port Arthur, Texas chemical company to one year in prison and ordered him to pay fines in the amount of $5,000 for violations of the OSH Act and making a false statement.
Matthew Lawrence Bowman, the former president and owner
Continue Reading Former President of Chemical Company Sentenced To One Year Following Employee Fatality
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
Continue Reading Energy Employers Brace For Labor and OSHA Crackdown As Worker Deaths Rise
Seyfarth Shaw OSHA practice partner Meagan Newman was quoted recently in an IndustryWeek article discussing workplace violence.
“Every employer should be thinking about the potential for workplace violence and what steps they might take to prevent or address it.” Newman cites to a case where a Texas convenience store in 2012 had a robbery that resulted in the death
Continue Reading Operations: Review Workplace Violence Procedures, For Safety’s Sake
By Stephanie Christiansen-LaRocco and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published for the first time a Directive on Inspection and Citation Guidance for Roadway and Highway Construction Work Zones (October 16, 2012, CPL 02-01-054). The Directive covers any construction activity on and near roadways or highways, such as “road, highway, sidewalk, or utility construction, where