On May 13, 2025, Cal/OSHA released a new discussion draft of its proposed regulation on Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry. This latest version updates the July 15, 2024 draft we previously blogged about, and...more
5/30/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Hostile Environment ,
Labor Reform ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Violence
On May 13, 2025, Cal/OSHA released a new discussion draft of its proposed regulation on Workplace Violence Prevention in General Industry. This latest version updates the July 15, 2024 draft we previously blogged about, and...more
5/27/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Criminal Mischief ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Labor Reform ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Shoplifting ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Violence
Nevada’s sunny and hot summers pose hazards of heat-related illnesses to outdoor workers and non-climate-controlled indoor workers. April 29, 2025 marks a significant milestone for workplace safety in Nevada as the Nevada...more
4/29/2025
/ Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Heat Exposure ,
Nevada ,
New Regulations ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On February 11, 2025, President Trump nominated David Keeling as Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, pending Senate confirmation. Keeling, with extensive experience in occupational safety, is expected to adopt a...more
2/20/2025
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Safety
As of February 3, 2025, California’s COVID-19-specific workplace regulations will expire, though employers must still track COVID-19 cases until February 3, 2026. Cal/OSHA can enforce COVID-19 as a workplace hazard under the...more
Once again, employers are required to submit OSHA Forms 300, 301 and 300A online via OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA)....more
OSHA enforces almost 1,000 standards and tens of thousands of individual regulations related to General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and other industries. Once again, OSHA released its preliminary data for the top ten...more
1/22/2025
/ Bodily Injury ,
Construction Project ,
Construction Workers ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Maritime Transport ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Safety Standards ,
Slip and Fall ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) have published their 2025 increases to civil penalties....more
1/14/2025
/ CERCLA ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
RCRA ,
Statutory Violations ,
USEPA ,
Workplace Safety
Ongoing wildfires in Southern California trigger Cal/OSHA regulations that require employers to train and protect employees from wildfire smoke. The regulation applies to most outdoor workplaces, requiring employers to...more
1/10/2025
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Environmental Policies ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wildfires ,
Workplace Safety
With another dramatic reversal from a pro-labor Democratic administration to a second Trump administration, we anticipate that OSHA is likely to pivot away from its current enforcement-heavy agenda to a greater emphasis on...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA recently unveiled an online tool allowing the public to access severe injury reports, injury trends over time, geographic trends, and trends specific to each employer....more
A terrible accident has occurred at your worksite. An employee operating a forklift made an errant turn, crashed into a support beam, and sustained serious injuries....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Cal/OSHA Standards Board unanimously voted to approve Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule at the June 20, 2024 Standards Board meeting. Employers should be prepared to comply within the next 30-60 days....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Hazard Communications (“HazCom”) Standard was the most frequently cited general industry standard in the past fiscal year. OSHA recently...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Numerous business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the Agency’s new walkaround rule. The suit, Civil Action No. 24-271, was filed last...more
5/31/2024
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Fifth Amendment ,
Health and Safety ,
Injunctive Relief ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Standards ,
Third-Party Agents ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: On May 9, 2024, President Joe Biden announced that his administration has formally recommended relaxing restrictions on cannabis, marking the most significant federal policy shift on cannabis since the drug...more
5/20/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Legalization ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recreational Use ,
Schedule I Drugs
The OSHA regulations governing General Industry and Construction workplaces include hundreds of employee safety training requirements. Sophisticated safety managers know that many OSHA standards provide specific...more
On April 1, 2024, the Federal Register published OSHA’s final rule revising its regulations regarding whom employees can authorize to act as their representative(s) to accompany compliance officers during on-site OSHA...more
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board was ready to vote on Cal/OSHA’s indoor heat rule at the March 21, 2024 Standards Board meeting, but at the 11th hour, the Board was ordered to cancel its scheduled vote....more
1. A Nightmare Acquisition -
Your Company has recently acquired a small logistics company with a strong business reputation. Eighteen days after the acquisition was finalized, you receive a call that there has been a...more
3/19/2024
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Business Succession ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Due Diligence ,
Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Merger Agreements ,
OSHA ,
Risk Management ,
Succession Planning ,
Successor Liability ,
Workplace Safety
The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to report certain serious injuries by telephone within twenty-four (24) hours. Injuries that must be reported include injuries that result in...more
Senate Bill 553, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, requires nearly all employers in the State of California to prepare a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, train employees on how to identify and avoid workplace...more
3/8/2024
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hostile Environment ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recording Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restraining Orders ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
Seyfarth Synopsis: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shifting its COVID-19 isolation guidance, advising that COVID-positive individuals no longer need to isolate once they have been...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As a new update this year, certain employes are required to submit OSHA Form 300, 301 and 300A online. OSHA recently offered a webinar on using it’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA) to submit this data....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the Solicitors at the Department of Labor (DOL) only litigate civil OSHA citations, DOL has announced enhanced coordination with criminal law enforcement for employers’ representatives in fatality...more