Twenty-two states have OSHA-approved state plans that cover both private and state and local government workers. While state plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, some state plans have regulations unique to...more
Employers expect OSHA to show up after reporting a serious incident or when employees complain about certain types of hazards, but the agency has been focused now, more than ever it seems, on proactive enforcement methods. As...more
Workplace violence has been a focus for both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) for several years, as it continues to be one of the leading...more
3/18/2024
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
General Duty Clause ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Negligent Hiring ,
Negligent Supervision ,
New Legislation ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State Labor Laws ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
As of January 2, 2018, civil penalties for workplace safety and health violations issued by federal OSHA increased again by 2% across the board. Although a 2% increase does not shock the system, this increase is part of a...more
The ball has dropped, the confetti has been swept out of Times Square, and 2017 is in the books. It’s time to look back and take stock of what we learned from and about OSHA over the past year. More importantly, the...more
The December 1, 2017 deadline for large employers and small employers in certain “high hazard industries” to submit injury and illness data to OSHA is less than two weeks away. We have been tracking closely the Trump...more
It is essential for employers to develop, maintain, and evaluate their employee complaint policy and procedure to foster a supportive work environment and address employee issues before they turn into a regulatory issue or...more
OSHA’s Final Rule to “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” (aka the E-Recordkeeping Rule) requires employers of certain sizes that fall into certain categories to proactively submit electronic injury and...more
OSHA’s controversial Electronic Injury and Illness Recordkeeping data submission rule, along with new Anti-Retaliation elements, has thus far survived a barrage of negative stakeholder comments during the rulemaking, multiple...more
In the final year of the Obama Administration, OSHA published a controversial amendment to its Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule known as the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” Rule. As published last...more
OSHA initiated a “Standards Improvement Project” in 1995 in response to a memorandum from Pres. Clinton in order to make non-controversial, consensus changes to requirements in OSHA standards that are confusing, outdated,...more
The Department of Labor was extremely active in 2016 as President Obama’s second term came to a close. From more than doubling the threshold salary level to be classified as an exempt employee to requiring employers provide...more
3/8/2017
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Federal Contractors ,
Minimum Salary ,
Obama Administration ,
OSHA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars ,
White-Collar Exemptions
The ball has dropped, the confetti has been swept out of Times Square, and 2016 (and the Obama Administration) is in the books. It is time to look back at the year and take stock of what we learned from and about OSHA over...more
BLR recently published a two piece article in the HR Daily Advisor by Kara Maciel and Daniel Deacon, of Conn Maciel Carey’s national Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, regarding government agencies increased focus on...more
OSHA’s new electronic injury recordkeeping rule includes anti-retaliation provisions that create new employer obligations and prohibitions related to internal employee injury reporting procedures, and expands OSHA’s...more
OSHA has once again delayed enforcement of the controversial anti-retaliation provisions of its new electronic injury and illness recordkeeping rule. OSHA issued its second delay of the effective date of enforcement of this...more
OSHA’s recent Injury and Illness Recordkeeping reform has created quite a stir for employers. As we discussed in an earlier article about the new Recordkeeping rule, OSHA now requires employers to electronically submit to...more
8/30/2016
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Drug Testing ,
Electronic Filing ,
Executive Compensation ,
Final Rules ,
Incentives ,
OSHA ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Employers should be cautious of an email that has been circulating to numerous employers around the country that appears on its face to be a request from OSHA to download a guidance document about “Safety & Health at U.S.:...more
Perhaps the most significant safety related regulatory reform during the Obama Administration has been the amended Hazard Communication Standard, bringing OSHA’s chemical Right-to-Know regulation more in line with the United...more
Workplace violence has become a serious issue for employers throughout the United States. In the wake of the recent mass shootings that occurred in San Bernardino, CA and Hesston, KA, both of which occurred at least in part...more