OSHA Archives - Page 10 of 12

What Does OSHA’s New Beryllium Standard Mean?

December 16, 2019 - OSHA recently published NRPM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) in the Federal Register for finalizing, for now, the new Beryllium Standard. Even though OSHA has been working on a new beryllium standard for almost two decades, it still made a splash when it was initially published in January 2017. The big change was the rule’s permissible […]

What’s Up With the OSHA Silica Standard?

December 3, 2019 - No one disputes the links between high levels of “respirable silica” and serious lung disorders (like silicosis and cancer). There is also general agreement among stakeholders that realistic silica standards are appropriate and needed. Decades of research have helped both regulators and employers understand the risks — and a variety of industry practices have been […]

The Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2019

November 21, 2019 - AI and other advanced technologies are rapidly changing the workplace as well as the marketplace. The ever-increasing sophistication of robotics, the use of biometrics (retinal scans, fingerprint information, facial recognition) for identification, wearable technology (smartwatches/clips, helmets, exoskeletons), autonomous vehicle development, the use of AI for human resource functions, and other advanced technologies are revolutionizing how […]

The Top 10 OSHA Violations

November 13, 2019 - In September, OSHA’s Deputy Director of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, announced the preliminary list of OSHA’s top ten most frequently cited standards for the current year It’s the same list as last year, with fall protection retaining the number one spot for the 9th consecutive year. Roofing, framing, masonry, and housing contractors are examples of […]

General Duty Clause Violations

November 7, 2019 - When I was writing about pending federal heat stress standards recently, I reviewed OSHA’s enforcement summary for 2018 and was struck by how many 5(a)(1) — General Duty Clause (GDC) — inspections there were last year specifically for heat (130). While inspections are down a little bit overall, they are certainly on the rise in […]

Reporting Workplace Incidents and Drug Testing Policies

October 28, 2019 - Last fall, OSHA softened its position about safety incentive programs and post-accident drug testing — and backed away from a previous position about how those programs and actions could affect the reporting of work-related injuries and illnesses. The rule in question, 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b) (1) (iv), prohibits an employer from retaliating against employees for […]

Anticipating OSHA’s Upcoming HCS Update

October 18, 2019 - The delay in releasing OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) update wasn’t all that surprising. Instead of the anticipated February 2019 release, rulemaking is now on the December 2019 agenda. What follows is a quick overview of the HCS, why it’s important, and what employers can expect when the new HCS is released at the end […]

Whistleblower Protection Law is Complicated

October 9, 2019 - The word “whistleblower” is certainly being bandied about a lot these days, and it’s increasingly apparent to me that there’s some confusion out there about what the whistleblower protection laws are, who and what they cover, and what it means to file a complaint. For Federal Employees: The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (WPA) is […]

7 Things You Must Consider Before Contesting an OSHA Citation

September 25, 2019 - Have you been issued an OSHA citation? Do you believe it is undeserved or misguided? When does a challenge make sense? When does it make more sense to accept the violation and move on? If you want to contest, you’ll need to give a reason, and it better be a good one. Mounting a challenge […]

Is a General Contractor Responsible For a Subcontractors’ Safety Mistake?

September 11, 2019 - OSHA seems to be highly predictable when issuing citations on a large multi-employer jobsite. They tend to cite both the offending subcontractor and the general contractor based solely on the subcontractor’s safety mistakes. This is problematic for any general contractor, and it’s a problem that gets magnified exponentially on jobsites where hundreds of subcontractors are […]

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