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.
Free Special Report: What to Expect from an OSHA Inspection
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 3 office announced it would extend enforcement of a national emphasis program (NEP) in three states and the District of Columbia to reduce or eliminate workers’ respirable silica exposures. Emphasis program inspections begin after May 3 in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
On March 14, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued temporary guidance regarding enforcement of annual respirator fit-testing requirements under the respiratory protection standard. The agency directed its field offices to exercise discretion to not cite an employer for violations of the annual fit testing requirement if the employer meets certain conditions.
The EPA has promulgated a final rule listing the general procedures (that is, procedures that are applicable under all federal statutes implemented by the EPA) Agency personnel must follow when conducting on-site civil inspections.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regional offices in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania cited Dollar Tree stores with willful and repeat violations for exits, storage, other hazards at two stores.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited interstate home builder, Toll Brothers, Inc., following a fatal fall at a homebuilding site in Media, Pennsylvania. The agency cited Toll Brothers of Horsham, Pennsylvania, with one repeat violation of the fall protection standard. The company faces penalties of $74,217.
In a September 2019 memo, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) revised its 2003 guidance for Expedited Settlement Agreements (ESAs) applicable to the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) program.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited tank railcar cleaning and repair provider Dana Railcare for workplace safety and health violations at its facility in Wilmington, Delaware. The company faces $371,276 in penalties.
In May 2018, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a memorandum permitting the use of drones to inspect workplaces under certain circumstances. Since that time, OSHA has used unmanned aircraft systems (UASs or drones ) in a number of investigations, and their use is expected to become more common in the future.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Georgia farm for forklift, General Duty Clause, hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER), and walking-working surface violations following an employee fatality.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania-based roofing contractor with eight willful, three serious, and two repeat safety violations for exposing employees to fall hazards at three separate worksites in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, area. OSHA is seeking $605,371 in penalties from Webb Contractor Corp.