On March 15, Assistant Attorney General John Cruden provided new insight into the renewed emphasis on criminal prosecution of worker safety laws by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).

Cruden’s remarks followed on the heels of milestones for the Worker Endangerment Initiative—a joint effort of the DOJ, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prosecute workplace safety violations, including through use of environmental statutes. These milestones include the December 2015 Yates Memo and Memorandum of Understanding Between the DOJ and DOL, which transfers responsibility for criminal prosecution of worker safety laws to the Environmental Crimes Section.