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
Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must be able prove that the employer should have been aware of hidden dangers to issue citations, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission...more
On October 27, 2020, the Tenth Circuit upheld a series of OSHA citations that were issued to an oil refining company following a fatal boiler explosion. In doing so, the Tenth Circuit upheld OSHA interpretations that...more
On September 21, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) unanimously vacated two machine-guard citations levied against employers by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and...more
On September 21, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) unanimously vacated a machine-guarding citation on the ground that the injured operator had deliberately bypassed the guard that the employer...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Commission’s approval of undocumented training provides blueprint for employee misconduct claims for employers going forward....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Seyfarth Shaw’s OSHA/MSHA group is at the ABA’s Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee Midwinter Meeting this week. Today, we heard some introductory remarks from the Solicitor of Labor, a panel who...more
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Commission (OSHRC or Commission) issued a decision in Secretary of Labor v. Wynnewood Refining Co., LLC (Wynnewood) that constitutes a dramatic expansion of the Occupational Safety...more
Ever wonder what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would do if an employer refused to pay a fine? We just found out, and it’s not just the employer that needs to be concerned. After a New Jersey-based...more
Workplace Safety And Summer Heat - Summer temperatures can create hazards for workers, and employers can be liable for not addressing conditions that could lead to injuries and illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat...more
On Feb. 1, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) reversed an OSHA citation issued to Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc., as the controlling employer, for a fall protection violation. In this ruling, the...more
On Feb. 28 the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) reversed a citation issued to A.H. Sturgill Roofing, Inc. for the heat-related death of an employee, finding that all of the elements of proof of the...more
On September 28, 2018, the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) agreed with Ogletree Deakins’ argument that that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standard requiring...more
Two recent cases should remind employers to contest OSHA citations quickly to prevent the citations from becoming final. It’s an uphill battle if your notice of contest is submitted late. Employers Have 15 Working Days to...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) is reviewing OSHA’s use of the general duty clause to issue citations against employers for heat-related hazards that are likely to cause death or serious bodily...more
OSHA regulations require an employer to conduct a hazard assessment to determine if hazards are present, or likely to be present, that necessitate the use of Personal Protection Equipment (“PPE”). 29 CFR § 1910.132(d)(1). It...more
Cozen O’Connor member James Sullivan was confirmed by the full Senate yesterday to fill the last vacancy on the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (“OSHRC”). OSHRC, an independent federal agency providing...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In an interesting outcome, an OSHRC Administrative Law Judge recently vacated a citation to an alleged “controlling employer” based on 5th Circuit precedent – despite being contrary with OSHA policy and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a move that may be employer-friendly, President Trump has re-nominated Heather MacDougall to the OSHRC. MacDougall represents a Republican vote on cases appealed before the Commission....more
If a supervisor engages in OSHA-violating conduct alongside a subordinate, is the company liable? The Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed an Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) decision answering that...more
In a review of an Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission (OSHRC) decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled this week to vacate a $490,000 penalty for failure to employ machine guards to prevent...more