With the federal government shutdown ending, employers need to shift gears fast. Key federal agencies will soon resume normal operations, and we’ll see regulatory action and oversight surge back into motion. This is the...more
11/17/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Shutdown ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Subcontractors ,
USCIS ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
As hurricanes devastate the Caribbean, employers in the US are preparing for a potential impact late in the season. This detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, fully updated for 2025, addresses the workplace-related...more
10/31/2025
/ Business Closures ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Employee Assistance Programs ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hurricane Season ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Leave of Absence ,
Natural Disasters ,
Severe Weather ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
When the Senate approved David Keeling to take over as the head of OSHA and Wayne Palmer to lead MSHA Tuesday, it ushered in a new day for employers across the country. You can expect to see workplace safety policies,...more
10/9/2025
/ Electronic Reporting ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Heat Exposure ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Penalty Reductions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Silica ,
Small Business ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Now that the federal government is officially in shutdown mode, employers will need to assess the impact it will have on their operations. Notably, various government services that you rely on will be disrupted, including...more
10/2/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Shutdown ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
USCIS ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The Trump Administration has allocated no money to fund the Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) for fiscal year 2026, directing the agency to use its emergency funds to shutter its doors by the end of fiscal year...more
Colorado was once again busy this legislative session – and employers need to adjust their practices in order to adapt to some key new laws soon to take effect. We have highlighted below a few of the critical changes that...more
7/17/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Colorado ,
Construction Project ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Government Agencies ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Medical Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Project Labor Agreements ,
Public Projects ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transgender ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
OSHA just issued a heap of new proposed rules and took other agency actions as part of broader deregulatory efforts at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) – which are being called one of the most ambitious federal red tape...more
7/16/2025
/ Comment Period ,
Construction Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Farm Workers ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor just overhauled OSHA’s penalty guidelines to give small employers and safety-conscious businesses a financial break. Effective immediately, the new policy:
- significantly increases penalty...more
The US Department of Labor just relaunched and significantly expanded its opinion letter program, offering employers across five enforcement agencies a direct line to legal interpretations of federal laws on wage and hour,...more
6/6/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
Opinion Letter ,
OSHA ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
VETS ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
OSHA’s long-awaited heat illness rule could be inching closer to reality, with a public hearing that could determine its fate now scheduled for June 16. While many predicted the Trump administration would stall or shelve the...more
Today’s corporate leaders face a wide range of potential security threats, and recent high-profile incidents have brought that vulnerability into sharp focus. Executives are increasingly at risk of becoming targets of violent...more
Even the most experienced employers are sure to have questions from time to time about the nation’s workplace safety agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). That’s where we come in. The Fisher...more
3/12/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Citations ,
Depositions ,
Discovery ,
Electronic Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Interrogatories ,
OSHA ,
OSHRC ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Request for Admissions ,
Request for Production ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is about to get a new leader. President Donald Trump has nominated David Keeling, a workplace safety veteran with experience at UPS and Amazon, to take the lead at the...more
2/20/2025
/ Electronic Reporting ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Heat Exposure ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
Employers will face higher penalties for workplace safety violations in 2025 now that the U.S. Department of Labor has just published its listing of annual increases. These yearly increases to OSHA’s maximum civil penalties...more
Recently released statistics revealed that over 250 workers in the hospitality industry were killed on the job in the most recent reporting year, demonstrating once again that employers need to take safety seriously....more
Recently released statistics revealed that working in the construction industry was once again the most dangerous occupation in the country, as over 20% of all workplace fatalities from 2023 occurred in the construction...more
Our Workplace Safety thought leaders have pulled together their top predictions for the new year so that employers can get a running start to 2025....more
1/7/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Budget Cuts ,
Chevron Deference ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Health and Safety ,
Heat Exposure ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
For the very first time, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has publicized the comprehensive details on the nearly 900,000 reported workplace injuries and illnesses recorded by...more
As we close out 2024 and look ahead to 2025, one thing is clear: this has been a year like no other. From a groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling to a pivotal election result that will usher in a new administration, employers...more
12/12/2024
/ Affirmative Action ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Analytics ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
California ,
Car Dealerships ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Workers ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Foreign Workers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Manufacturing Employers ,
Mexico ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Professional Employer Organization ,
Retailers ,
Sports ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Student Athletes ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Secrets ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Investigations ,
Workplace Safety
Our firm’s Workplace Safety Practice Group has provided some general perspectives on what employers can expect under the next Trump administration – but it’s time for a deeper dive that OSHA and MSHA safety professionals will...more
48% of employers don’t test for cannabis in the pre-hire process, and many have made this choice to ensure they meet their talent acquisition and retention goals. In fact, 44% of organizations that do test for cannabis report...more
The Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling that gives employers a powerful tool to fight back against regulatory overreach will have a broad impact on just about every area of workplace law. We’re looking at the specific...more
When are employee musculoskeletal illnesses and injuries required to be recorded and reported to federal workplace safety officials? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a new memorandum...more
Even the most experienced employers are sure to have questions from time to time about the nation’s workplace safety agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). That’s where we come in. The Fisher...more
2/15/2024
/ Appeals ,
Citations ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Discovery ,
Electronic Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
OSHRC ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The ending of the national COVID-19 public health emergency means something more for Colorado employers: it triggers the end of the extra Public Health Emergency Sick Leave you have been providing your employees since January...more