Employers have been on the lookout for a temporary emergency standard for COVID-19 from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), but what they have thus far received is a proposed rule to update the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard.
Articles Discussing The Federal Occupational Safety And Health Act And Other Issues Relating To Workplace Safety And Health.
New and Altered Hazard Communication Requirements Coming Soon
Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced proposed amendments to the Hazard Communication Standard (“HCS”) in 29 CFR 1910.1200. The last time OSHA amended the HCS was in 2012 to align the standard with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (“GHS”)
Push to Give Workers Right to Sue Employers for Occupational Safety and Health Act Violations
As the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) turned 50 in December 2020, the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) issued “OSHA’s Next 50 Years: Legislating a Private Right of Action to Empower Workers,” in which it suggested that Congress provide a private right of action for employees under the OSH Act.
A New Chairperson Now Leads the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Cynthia L. Attwood was sworn in as Chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (Review Commission), January 20, 2021, following her designation by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Ms. Atwood is very familiar with the role of Chair, having served as Acting Chairman and then Chairman from April
OSHA Issues ‘Stronger’ Workplace Guidance on COVID-19
On January 29, 2021, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published new guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. In a press release announcing the new guidance, OSHA declared that the new guidance is “stronger worker safety guidance” intended to inform employers outside
Biden Administration Focus on OSHA, COVID-19 and What It Means for Manufacturers
Under the Biden administration, two significant and expected changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would give the agency a greater role in reducing the spread of COVID-19 at the workplace, both of which would affect manufacturers throughout the United States.
President Biden Appoints New FMSHRC Chair
On January 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appointed Commissioner Arthur R. Traynor III to serve as chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC). Traynor replaces former mine industry lawyer Marco M. Rajkovich Jr., who had been chair since his appointment to the FMSHRC in
OSHA Releases New COVID-19 Safety Guidance Following President’s Order
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued enhanced COVID-19 safety guidance to help employers and their employees implement a COVID-19 prevention program and better identify risks which could lead to exposure and infection. On January 21, President […]
The post OSHA Releases New COVID-19 Safety Guidance Following
OSHA Issues New Stronger COVID-19 Workplace Guidance
On January 29, 2021, OSHA issued stronger, more detailed guidance – Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace, https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/safework.
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Validity of MSHA’s 2017 Workplace Examination Final Rule
In a challenge to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) 2017 final rule expanding the workplace examination requirements at 30 C.F.R. §§ 56.18002 (Surface) and 57.18002 (Underground), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit found that the final rule had been promulgated and
MSHA Annual Inflation Adjustment to Civil Penalties
Annually in mid-January, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) adjusts its civil penalty assessments, in accordance with the inflation adjustment provisions of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act of 2015. This
President Biden Issues Executive Order Promising Fast Movement by OSHA on COVID-19—Can It Deliver?
On January 21, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. issued an executive order requiring the federal government to take “swift action” to protect U.S. workplaces from the COVID-19 pandemic. He ordered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to, among other things, consider, within the next two weeks, whether
Biden Directs OSHA to Step Up COVID-19 Safety Measures by February 4
On his second day in the Oval Office, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety directing the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to intensify its efforts to protect employees from COVID-19 infection in the […]
Additional Guidance for Cal OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards
In November, California quietly approved the Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (“Cal OSHA”) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). Almost immediately, Cal OSHA’s ETS caused significant confusion and challenges for employers, who were already struggling with countless federal, state, and local requirements pertaining to COVID-19. Cal OSHA’s ETS also appeared to
New OSHA Site-Specific Inspection Directive Targets Workplaces with Highest Injury and Illness Rates
Increased enforcement of workplace safety and health regulations is on the horizon and it will not be all about COVID-19. In December, the U.S. Department of Labor updated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Directive inspection program, emphasizing recordkeeping requirements.
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