Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.
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OSHA turned 40 this year. For the latest on what’s happening at the agency and how OSHA initiatives are affecting U.S. business, BLR turned to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Jordan Barab and Joe Trauger, vice president of human resources policy for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) At 40, OSHA may be middle-aged, but […]
Yesterday, we talked about the meaning of “work-related” and how to compute lost workdays under OSHA’s recordkeeping standard. Today, we review another important recordkeeping issue—the difference between medical treatment and first aid for recordkeeping purposes. In a webinar entitled "Safety Recordkeeping: Maintaining Records that Pass Inspection and Build Strong Safety Culture," Adele L Abrams, Esq., […]
OSHA recordkeeping requirements can be difficult to navigate. Here’s some help on two key issues from an attorney who specializes in safety law. In a recent BLR webinar entitled "Safety Recordkeeping: Maintaining Records that Pass Inspection and Build Strong Safety Culture," Adele L Abrams, Esq., CMSP, of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams PC, […]
Lockout/tagout accidents are common, and citations are featured on OSHA’s Top 10 Violation list nearly every year. Is your LOTO program designed to prevent accidents and citations? OSHA has cited a Cleveland company for 27 violations, including a willful for failing to report two amputations. The workers were injured while operating mechanical power presses before […]
Got safety plans to ensure OSHA compliance? These employers didn’t, and look what happened to them. Here are some recent OSHA enforcement actions that highlight the need to implement effective safety plans to avoid accidents, injuries, and OSHA breathing down your neck. OSHA Says Manufacturer Willfully Exposed Workers A manufacturer in Ohio faces $536,000 in […]
Workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, abrasions, and over 800 deaths per year. Most of these incidents are caused by improper guarding of workplace machines. In fact one of the most frequently cited OSHA regulations is machine guarding. One common method of protecting workers who use mechanical power […]
When would a court support a “willful” citation? Find out how one federal appeals court ruled. As a construction company began work on the shell of a three-story building, a representative of the local utility showed up and said, “You can’t continue working here with those power lines so close by. They have to be […]
Which violations rise to the level of “willful” in the eyes of OSHA? Find out what compliance officers are trained to look for. According to the OSHA Field Inspection Reference Manual, a willful violation of OSHA standards occurs whenever the evidence shows either an intentional violation or “plain indifference” to the requirements of the regulations. […]
Here’s a quick overview of basic RCRA recordkeeping requirements for hazardous waste generators. The importance of proper recordkeeping for compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is best illustrated by the fact that many of the most common hazardous waste generator violations issued involve a lack of proper recordkeeping. The regulations require […]