OSHA
OSHA Launches Nationwide Program Focusing on Workplace Falls
On May 1, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) to prevent and reduce workplace falls. For the last 12 years, 29 CFR 1926.501 (Duty to Have Fall Protection) has topped OSHA’s list of most frequently cited standards. Despite the agency’s enforcement efforts, falls from heights remain…
Read MoreOSHA Increasing Fines Through Major Changes in Enforcement Policies
In light of the decision by the previous, marginally Democratic Congress not to increase OSHA fines beyond inflation adjustments and the shift to a Republican House, it appears the Biden Administration has decided it will increase deterrence against OSHA violations by implementing penalty increases through two changes in its enforcement policies. One January 26, 2023…
Read MoreOSHA Continues to Address Staffing Shortage
In 2022, the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) added 142 inspectors to its ranks, as part of an effort to reverse a downtrend in agency manpower brought on principally by retirements. The Biden administration’s announced goal is to nearly double the number of inspectors by 2024. According to a November 2022 Department of Labor…
Read MoreWith Flu Season Upon Us, OSHA Signals That Employers Should Continue To Encourage Vaccination For Their Workforces
With concerns of infectious disease at the forefront of workplace health and safety in the past several years, and with the traditional flu and cold season upon us, OSHA has reminded the regulated community to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during the holiday season by encouraging its workforce to get the flu vaccine .…
Read MoreShould Your Workplace Require Flu Shots?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported the start of the most severe flu season in over a decade, leading employers of all types to decide whether they should mandate flu shots for their workforce. The flu season typically runs between October and May with a peak in January and February,…
Read MoreAnother Year In The Books – OSHA’s Top Ten Safety Violations for Fiscal Year 2022
The National Safety Council (NSC) released an update to its annual list of OSHA’s top-ten cited standards. The list provides a starting point for employers to review their own safety programs on an annual basis. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented OSHA’s preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety…
Read MoreNew Frontier in COVID-19 Vaccine Litigation
Despite President Biden’s recent declaration that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, litigation concerning employer vaccine mandates continues as employers face hurdles to ensure workplace safety and compliance with government mandates. Here we take a closer look at issues companies are facing more than two years into the pandemic, and how you may help your business…
Read MoreManufacturers Face Unique Problems in Accommodating Assembly Line Workers With Disabilities
As manufacturers rebound from the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and begin putting more employees back to work, they should be prepared for a corresponding increase in requests for accommodation from assembly line workers. These requests can create unique challenges in manufacturing plants due to the inherently physical nature of the work, but there…
Read MoreOSHA Proposes Expanding Electronic Recordkeeping Rule to Add Smaller Employers
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a proposed rule to restore and expand Obama-era requirements for high-hazard employers with at least 100 employees to submit their injury and illness forms electronically to the agency. In 2016, OSHA promulgated an electronic recordkeeping rule, Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Rule, which required…
Read MoreIntersection of ADA, COVID-19 Requires Creative Reopening Policies, EEOC Official Says
The EEOC has received hundreds of charges involving both COVID-19 vaccination and the ADA, according to Evangeline Hawthorne, the agency’s Tampa field office director. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has received thousands of charges related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. As of December 2021, more than 2,700 charges were related to COVID-19 vaccines,…
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