Colorado's scenic highways and bustling urban centers are home to a constant flow of commercial truck traffic. With this heavy presence of large vehicles comes the need for robust laws and regulations to ensure safety for all...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a "willful" violation as one where the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement or acted with plain indifference to employee safety....more
Since my initial post on this subject in 2018, the world has once more undergone significant shifts, both on the global stage and within our own borders. As a result, I have taken a few moments to revisit my thoughts on this...more
The Illinois General Assembly recently passed House Bill 2862, which amends the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, 820 ILCS 175, to provide additional benefits and protections for temporary workers. Under the...more
A bill that substantially amends the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act (DTLSA) to impose expansive new duties on Illinois staffing agencies, and on all employers who rely on temporary and day laborers, has been...more
As part of the recent legislative session, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1775, which implements new workplace safety training and certification requirements for entertainment events vendors who produce live events...more
As part of Vandeventer Black’s participation in Construction Safety Week 2022, and with heat increasing in many places (or staying hot in others), we wanted to remind those in the industry of the importance of heat-related...more
According to 2020 OSHA data, there were 976 construction-related fatalities. Of those 88 fatalities included construction supervisors, making it clear that safety awareness is critical for everyone on a project site and not...more
Between the host employer and the staffing agency, who is responsible for the health and safety training of temporary workers? The staffing agency and the host employer jointly employ temporary workers and, therefore, they...more
Punitive damages are awarded against an employer in favour of an employee only if the employer engaged in wrongful acts that are outrageous, reprehensible, and offensive to ordinary standards of decent conduct in the...more
With the prevalence of online consumer reviews and merciless labor organizations, companies and their executives are vulnerable to attack for good reason, bad reason or no reason at all. Managing the expectations of your...more
On July 29, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced two new Executive Orders revising workplace and gathering safeguards intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Executive Order 2020-160 provides remote-work...more
On April 24, 2020, Governor Inslee announced a plan to allow current construction projects to be completed based upon the recommendations of construction workers, contractors, health and safety experts, and local government...more
In Illinois, the School Safety Drill Act requires K-12 public and private educational facilities to conduct several types of safety drills, including law enforcement drills, to address potential evacuation or lock-down...more
Home speaker maker Sonos has sued Google, accusing the company of “infringing on five of its patents, including technology that lets wireless speakers connect and synchronize with one another.” Sonos had originally partnered...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA recently updated its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries (NEP), adding a targeting methodology for industries with high employer-reported amputation statistics....more
Local Law 196, mandating minimum safety training requirements for workers on construction sites in New York City was enacted in 2017 and was intended to be phased in between March 1, 2018 and December 1, 2018. Due to limited...more
In 2009, Nevada implemented mandatory safety training for employees performing work on construction sites. In 2017, Nevada expanded that mandatory safety training to include employees involved in the presentation or...more
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) held its quarterly stakeholder call on May 2, 2019. MSHA began the discussion by reviewing the five fatalities that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. The agency then...more
On Feb. 1, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) reversed an OSHA citation issued to Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc., as the controlling employer, for a fall protection violation. In this ruling, the...more
While it is not comparable to David Letterman’s Top 10 lists, at a recent industry gathering, OSHA announced its annual top 10 violations for fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018). For those who have...more
Workplace violence is one of the most troubling issues keeping HR professionals and in-house counsel up at night – and with good reason. Just last week alone, there were three workplace shootings in a span of 24 hours. ...more
The near weekly occurrence of school shootings across the United States has students, faculty, and staff feeling like potential victims. As civic and political leaders seek broader solutions to this violent phenomenon,...more
With the seemingly ever-increasing propensity for America’s youth to resort to violence to resolve conflict—real or imagined—school administrators are collectively searching for guidance in preventing violence before it...more
June is National Safety Month, so it’s a good time for operators to step back and take a hard look at their respective safety policies. Not only is this important for employee safety, it can also have a significant impact on...more