With any industry that has grown as quickly as renewable energy, safety is sometimes overlooked. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) classifies those working in the renewable energy industry as having a...more
11/21/2025
/ Audits ,
Biofuel ,
Clean Energy ,
Compliance ,
Employee Training ,
Energy Sector ,
Geothermal Energy ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Risk Management ,
Solar Energy ,
Wind Power ,
Workplace Safety
This week the Senate confirmed the new leaders of OSHA and MSHA. David Keeling is the new Assistant Secretary of OSHA and Wayne Palmer is the new Assistant Secretary for MSHA.
Wayne Palmer is a returning figure to the Trump...more
10/9/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Government Agencies ,
Health and Safety ,
Leadership ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
MSHA ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Safety
Per a U.S. Department of Labor memo entitled “Plan for the Continuation of Limited Activities During a Lapse in Appropriations,” many employees of OSHA and MSHA are currently furloughed.
At the Mine Safety and Health...more
10/6/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Response ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Funding ,
Furloughs ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Shutdown ,
Inspections ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Safety Inspections ,
Workplace Safety
On September 19, 2025, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission issued a decision, Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, that re-defined the interpretation of the “significant and substantial”...more
On April 16, 2025, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it would be hosting a virtual public hearing on its proposed rule to protect workers from hazardous heat exposure on June 16, 2025, at...more
Over the last week, the Trump administration has put forward its nominees for Assistant Secretary for both the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA)....more
On January 10, 2025, the Department of Labor’s annual penalty adjustments were published in the Federal Register. The 2025 increases are approximately 2.6%. The chart below applies to any penalties assessed after January 15,...more
1/16/2025
/ Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Labor Regulations ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Safety
On October 16, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced expanded guidance for animal slaughtering and processing industry inspections (NAICS 3116). Notably, this new guidance document supersedes...more
On July 18, 2024, the Englewood and Denver area offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) targeted at identifying and reducing workplace hazards associated...more
On August 30, 2024, OSHA formally published its heat safety standard for indoor and outdoor work in the Federal Register, starting a 120-day public comment period.
As explained in our previous blog post, the new rule is...more
On July 2, OSHA unveiled its proposed heat safety rule, currently awaiting official publication in the Federal Register. This rule aims to protect employees from heat-related injuries and illnesses by establishing...more
OSHA has been working a proposed standard for indoor and outdoor heat illness since 2021. This month the proposed standard has been sent to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. ...more
MSHA announced it will hold a series of stakeholder meetings across the country to share information about the final silica rule issued on April 18, 2024. The first two meetings are scheduled for Arlington, VA on July 10,...more
On May 20, 2024, OHSA published finalized revisions to the Hazard Communication Standard (the “HazCom standard”). The HazCom standard is a commonly cited standard in OSHA inspections. The revisions to the rule address the...more
MSHA has posted a template for compliance assistance with the Surface Mobile Equipment Rule. MSHA will begin to enforce the standard on July 17, 2024. The standard does not require operators to submit their plan to the...more
The new rule will allow worker representatives to take part in OSHA inspections even if they are not employees. The final rule clarifies that employee representatives may be an employee of the employer or a third party....more
Remember injury and illness data must be reported to OSHA electronically by March 2, 2024. OSHA does not send out notifications or reminders to establishments to report injury and illness data (i.e., required data from the...more
On December 11, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced that it will be “replacing traditional hard hats used by its employees with more modern safety helmets.”...more
On December 21, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) unveiled an unofficial version of its proposed Emergency Response Rule. The Emergency Response Rule, if finalized, would replace an existing rule...more
On December 19, 2023, MSHA announced a final rule to have written safety programs for surface mobile equipment (excluding belt conveyers) at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines....more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) released its latest regulatory agenda on December 11, 2023. According to the agenda, OSHA intends to advance several long-promised rules in either the final days of...more
Final Rule Expanding Submission Requirements for Injury & Illness Data- OSHA’s final rule requiring new submissions of injury and illness data for certain employers in high-hazard industries takes effect on January 1, 2024....more
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking on August 29, 2023, concerning who employees can authorize to act as their representative during Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”)...more
MSHA has published the proposed silica rule on their website. Among other things, MSHA proposes to set the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) for a full...more
On May 1, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it has begun a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to prevent and reduce fall-related injuries and fatalities for people working at heights...more