On July 2, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a proposed rule on “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.” The rule would apply to all employers and be...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
The Beltway Buzz is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business....more
On June 11, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent its proposed standard on indoor/outdoor heat illness prevention to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for...more
We have an important update to share about the status of MSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica rulemaking, officially proposed as Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection....more
A yearslong saga seems to be coming to an end now that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has completed its review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) “walkaround rule,” 29...more
We have an important update to share about the status and now more clear outcome of OSHA’s rulemaking for a Worker Walkaround Designation Process Rule. Thursday, OMB updated the entry on its website about the Worker...more
In early 2023, OSHA revealed plans for a rulemaking for a Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process Rule that would amend existing regulation 29 CFR § 1903.8(c), which governs participation by third parties in OSHA...more
Wednesday, November 8, 2023: US DOL Honored 859 Civilian Employers with 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Awards - Corresponding with Veterans Day 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service...more
Congress Returns, Works on “Must Pass” Bills. Following their Fourth of July recess, members of the U.S. Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week and turned their attention to several “must pass” pieces of...more
On April 7, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) submitted its latest injury and illness recordkeeping proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The proposed changes to the...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is moving forward with plans to update its standards to “clarify the requirements for the fit” of personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be provided to...more
Following in the footsteps of governors in states such as Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas, on October 28, 2021, Missouri Governor Mike Parson issued Executive Order 21-10, a measure intended to chip away at the reach of federal...more
On October 25, 2021 the US Senate confirmed President Biden’s nominee Doug Parker to be the next Assistant Secretary of Labor and leader of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Mr. Parker will be the...more
On October 25, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated and expanded COVID-19 technical assistance, “What You Should Know...more
Congress: Lather. Rinse. Repeat. After scuttling plans last month to vote on both a $1.2 trillion bipartisan “hard infrastructure” bill that the U.S. Senate approved, 69–30, on August 10, 2021, and a proposed $3.5 trillion...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On October 12, 2021, OSHA submitted to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (“OIRA”) an emergency temporary standard requiring private employers with more than 100 employees to...more
In an announcement that is unprecedented in OSHA’s 50 year history, it was announced today that the Labor Department plans to issue, in record time, an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to require employers with more than...more
On the morning of June 9, 2021, the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced it completed its review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s...more
EEOC Releases Vaccine Guidance. On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued much-needed guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and the workplace. According to the guidance...more
The one question on everyone’s mind is when, if ever, will employers learn whether OSHA will actually issue the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) that OSHA delivered to the White House’s Office of Management and...more
On May 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revoked recent enforcement guidance issued to clarify the recordability of situations where employees suffered adverse side effects from a COVID-19...more
In its first 100 days in office, the Biden administration has advanced its policy priorities, many of which have involved repealing the policy accomplishments of the previous presidential administration. The Biden...more
Unemployment Insurance Update. Late last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report showing that the nonfarm economy added only 266,000 jobs in April 2021, well short of the 1...more
On April 26, OSHA sent its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) to the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. OIRA is the regulatory “gatekeeper” that is...more