Our OSHA Practice Group wrapped up the final full day of the ABA Workplace and Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee’s Midwinter Meeting in San Juan with sessions that took a deep dive into the future of AI in safety, trial advocacy in OSHA litigation, necessary modernization of longstanding OSHA standards, and the ethical landscape surrounding inspections and citations. Here
Continue Reading ABA OSHA Midwinter Meeting – Day 3 Recap (February 27)
By A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Mine Safety and Health Administration “remains troubled by the fact that our impact inspections continue to discover the same hazards we’ve identified as root causes for fatal accidents and that we know can cause serious occupational illnesses,” says MSHA Assistant Secretary Chris Williamson.
The federal
Continue Reading Mining Accidents Lead to ‘Troubling’ 31% Increase in Worker Deaths
By Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, Daniel R. Birnbaum, James L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have become increasing factors in construction and general industry workplaces, creating not only potential safety hazards employers must address, but also opportunities for businesses to modernize and
Continue Reading A Brave New World: How to Manage Safety Hazards From Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
By Adam R. Young, A. Scott Hecker, Patrick D. Joyce, Brent I. Clark, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Powered Industrial Trucks (forklifts) are the focus of a new OSHA Regional Emphasis Program (REP). The program covers Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—the federal-OSHA states in Region 8.
As we noted in a previous blog
Continue Reading OSHA Continues to Target Employers who Utilize Powered Industrial Vehicles with New Regional Emphasis ProgramBy Adam R. Young, James L. Curtis, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: With Hurricane Ian drenching the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Atlantic coastal states, employers are facing daunting emergencies, safety and health risks, property damage, employee disruption, and re-building.
This blog contains an updated primer on (1) preparing for an emergency;
Continue Reading The Rain is Coming Again: Disaster Preparedness, Recovery, and Employee Safety During Hurricane Season
By James L. Curtis, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor Tweeted and blogged about the safety of workers during the busy holiday season, indicating an area of potential enforcement for OSHA in the coming weeks.
Unsurprisingly, OSHA has targeted workplace
Continue Reading Ho, Ho, Health and Safety! Keeping Workers Safe and Merry this Holiday Season
By Brent I. Clark, Mark A. Lies, II, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The CDC published guidance aimed at assisting retail and service companies in limiting workplace violence against or involving their employees that may be associated with enforcing face mask mandates and other COVID-19 precautions.
By Andrew J. Sherman, Chantelle C. Egan, Anne R. Dana, and Patrick D. Joyce
Seyfarth Synopsis: As restaurant and hospitality consumers rethink their dining experiences, increased concerns are coming from food service providers about how to ensure food safety, reassure patrons, and address issues arising when workers get sick. The good news is that the food
Continue Reading Recipe for Action for Restaurants and Food Service Chains to Address Coronavirus Concerns
By James L. Curtis, Mark A. Lies, II, Adam R. Young, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its introduction to its New Active shooter training materials, the Illinois State Police note that “civilians that are present at any given incident are the true first responders.”
The Illinois State Police (ISP) have developed and are making
Continue Reading Illinois State Police Provide Training on Active Shooter, Workplace Violence
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