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The first case on the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) 2022 fall docket was Sackett v. EPA, which asked the Court to consider scaling back the EPA’s authority to regulate some types of wetlands under the Clean Water Act (CWA). One of the main issues in the case is to determine which test courts should use […]
In August, the EPA received $5 million from Congress under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for programs to boost voluntary corporate climate reporting while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ramps up for legal battles regarding its upcoming mandatory climate change reporting rules. To report or not to report Many companies have jumped onto the […]
With California’s COVID-19 emergency temporary standards (ETSs) expiring December 31, the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) is considering “nonemergency” regulations that would take effect January 1. The rules would remain in effect for two years, except for recordkeeping and reporting requirements, which would remain in effect for three years. The board issued […]
The construction industry fall protection standard remains the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most frequently cited standard for the 12th year in a row, the agency announced on September 20. Patrick Kapust, acting director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented a list of preliminary figures for fiscal year (FY) 2022—the fiscal year ends September […]
On September 27, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced $1,191,292 in penalties after a heavy equipment operator performing demolition died when a partially demolished floor collapsed and the 11,000-pound excavator and its operator fell 80 feet. It was the employee’s first day on the job, according to OSHA. The agency cited JDC Demolition […]
After reviewing the evidence presented in Pamela Stone, et al. v. High Mountain Mining Company LLC et al., Colorado Federal Judge William J. Martínez ordered High Mountain to pay $500,000 in fines for Clean Water Act (CWA) violations. Wyoming-based High Mountain owns and operates the Alma Placer Mine, a gold placer mine located near Alma, […]
This week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced citations for a Davie, Florida, erosion prevention contractor and a Savannah, Georgia, crawl space remediation company in separate worker fatalities. On October 13, the agency announced it cited Erosion Barrier Installations Corp. of Davie for 2 willful and 10 serious violations, with proposed penalties totaling […]
Dr. Georgi Popov was presented with the second annual Prevention through Design (PtD) Award in a virtual ceremony for his outstanding leadership in reducing workplace hazards through design methods, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and National Safety Council (NSC), announced October […]
How likely are you to see an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspector? The agency’s continually growing list of emphasis programs offers one clue. Then there are the OSHA standards the agency cites more often than others. OSHA recently announced its top 10 most frequently cited safety and health standards for fiscal year 2022. […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ordered ExxonMobil Corp. to reinstate two illegally terminated employees when the company suspected the two leaked information to The Wall Street Journal, the agency announced October 7. OSHA ordered the employees’ reinstatement following a whistleblower investigation under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and ordered the company to reinstate the employees […]