By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
On International Workers’ Memorial Day, U.S. Senator Al Franken, the top Democratic Senator on the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee, introduced legislation to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The legislation would expand OSHA’s coverage to include public employees. The bill would also significantly increase penalties for OSHA citations, raising
Continue Reading Senator Al Franken Introduces Protecting America’s Workers Act
By Andrew H. Perellis and Craig B. Simonsen
Marion Herz, the Chief of Staff for EPA’s Office of Compliance, just blogged that EPA has launched a new compliance website to “make it easier to stay informed about our work and to share tools that can help companies and others follow the law.”
Herz notes that the Enforcement and Compliance History
Continue Reading EPA is Improving Public Access to (YOUR) Environmental Inspection and Compliance Data
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently released its FY 2013 Comprehensive Federal Annual Monitoring Evaluation (FAME) Reports.
The FAME Reports include OSHA’s evaluation of the twenty seven approved State Plans each fiscal year. According to federal OSHA’s Reports, penalties proposed by state workplace safety and health regulators continue to
Continue Reading OSHA Annual Review of State OSHA Programs
By Brent I. Clark, Kerry M. Mohan, and Craig B. Simonsen
As part President Barack Obama’s “Year of Action,” on July 31st he signed an Executive Order (EO) on “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” that requires prospective federal contractors to disclose labor law violations, and will provide “federal agencies guidance on how to consider labor violations when
Continue Reading Got an OSHA Citation? Watch Out! – Obama Legislates “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” With Executive Order
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
We had previously blogged about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s solicitation of public comments (78 Fed. Reg. 3918) on a proposal to provide an electronic submission form for employees to submit retaliation complaints.
Now, without any further rulemaking or other explanation concerning any comments that OSHA may have received,
Continue Reading OSHA “Launches Online Form” for Filing Whistleblower Complaints
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
OSHA has recently posted to its website its annual listing of the “Top Ten Most Frequently Cited Violations.”
In an educational and entertaining graphic, OSHA lists off the ten most cited standards.
As in years past, the Top Ten listing identifies scaffolding, fall protection, respiratory protection and lockout/tagout (LOTO) as
Continue Reading OSHA Publishes “Top Ten” Most Frequently Cited Violations
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
OSHA has recently posted to its website its Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) White Paper and concludes that “employers have been paying attention”.
The SVEP, which became effective on June 18, 2010, was intended to focus enforcement efforts on “recalcitrant employers” who demonstrate indifference to the health and safety of their employees
Continue Reading OSHA Publishes Severe Violator “White Paper”
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
As noted in a previous blog, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the railroads have been fighting for years over Whistleblower issues related to employee discipline for workplace injuries. In another decision from the OSHA Administrative Review Board, Vernace v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp., ARB No. 12-003, ALJ No.
Continue Reading OSHA Administrative Review Board Finds Railroad Whistleblower Violation
By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is soliciting public comments on its proposal to provide additional methods for employees to submit retaliation complaints to OSHA, including electronic submission.
OSHA’s whistleblower regulations specify the procedures that an employee must use to file a complaint alleging that their employer violated a whistleblower provision for
Continue Reading OSHA Proposes Online Form to Make Filing Whistleblower Complaints Easier