National Emphasis Program

By A. Scott HeckerAdam R. Young, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA is highlighting trenching hazards, and their potentially-dire consequences, on its homepage

OSHA had released CPL 02-00-161 on October 1, 2018, continuing its National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation, (“NEP”), and requiring agency compliance safety and health
Continue Reading OSHA Focusing on Trenching Hazards

By Brent I. ClarkJames L. CurtisBenjamin D. BriggsMark A. Lies, IIAdam R. YoungA. Scott HeckerIlana MoradyPatrick D. JoyceDaniel R. BirnbaumMatthew A. Sloan, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 21, 2021, the federal register published OSHA’s COVID-19 emergency temporary
Continue Reading OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard Published on June 21, 2021

By Brent I. ClarkJames L. Curtis, Benjamin D. Briggs, Mark A. Lies, IIAdam R. YoungA. Scott Hecker, Ilana MoradyPatrick D. Joyce, Daniel R. Birnbaum, Matthew A. Sloan, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth SynopsisOn June 9, 2021, at the tail end of prepared remarks before
Continue Reading OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard Narrowly Focused on the Health Care Sector, Guidance Updated for Other Sectors

By Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, IIAdam R. YoungDaniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis:  OSHA has recently released its National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation, CPL 02-00-161 (October 1, 2018), which requires OSHA to open inspections against any contractor involved in trenching or excavation work and report
Continue Reading Can You Dig It? OSHA Releases Onerous New National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

Consistent with its threats to aggressively pursue employers who expose employees to workplace hazards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an Illinois metal fabricator for twelve alleged violations, including one willful and six serious citations, and issued a $317,000 penalty under the national and regional emphasis program on primary metal
Continue Reading Metal Fabricator Gets Willful Citation and Put Into OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

OSHA has just released a new Instruction for its Field Operations Manual that describes policies and procedures for implementing a National Emphasis Program to identify and reduce or eliminate the incidence of adverse health effects associated with occupational exposure to isocyanates.

The Instruction, National Emphasis Program – Occupational Exposure to Isocyanates

Continue Reading OSHA Issues National Emphasis Program on Occupational Exposure to Isocyanates

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

Consistent with its threats to aggressively pursue employers who allegedly expose employees to hazardous chemicals and respiratory hazards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Wisconsin iron foundry for twenty-eight health violations, including three repeat citations, under the national and regional emphasis program on primary metal industries.

OSHA also unilaterally

Continue Reading Wisconsin Foundry Gets Cited Twenty-Eight Safety Violations and Put Into OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program!

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) for chemical facilities.  The NEP is intended to protect workers from catastrophic releases of highly hazardous chemicals. The NEP replaces OSHA’s 2009 pilot Chemical Facility National Emphasis Program (Pilot Program) which established policies and procedures for inspecting

Continue Reading OSHA National Emphasis Program for Chemical Facilities

By James L. Curtis and Meagan Newman

In response to increased injury and illness rates for health care support workers, OSHA announced yesterday that a National Emphasis Program on Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities will be launched in the coming months.  The data released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the incidence rate for health care
Continue Reading National Emphasis Program for Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities on the Way

By Mark A. Lies II and Elizabeth Leifel Ash

In the universe of complex OSHA regulations that govern day-to-day operations and have a direct effect on employee safety, it is easy for OSHA’s more prosaic recordkeeping and reporting requirements to get lost in the shuffle.  However, OSHA can issue citations to employers for failing to follow recordkeeping and reporting rules

Continue Reading For The Record: OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements and State Variations