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
Yesterday, we reviewed controversy over the effectiveness of OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). Today, we explain how the SVEP enforcement process works. OSHA says that the SVEP is intended to focus enforcement efforts on recalcitrant employers who demonstrate indifference to the health and safety of their employees through willful, repeated, or failure-to-abate violations relating […]
OSHA says its Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) is off to a good start and is already meeting some of its goals. But a review of the program by a law firm comes to different conclusions. The SVEP took effect in 2010. It targets “recalcitrant employers who demonstrate indifference to the health and safety of […]
Yesterday, we began a review of recent OSHA enforcement cases. Today, we conclude with additional cases, including two that put the employers in OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP). Fatality Leads to Citations and SVEP Placement OSHA Region 5 In December 2012, a fire at a hazardous waste treatment facility led to an explosion, severely […]
Here’s a review of some recent OSHA enforcement cases. The agency seems to be coming down hard on employers who make the same mistakes over again, who don’t fix problems, and who knowingly fail to comply with requirements. Manufacturer Fails to Correct Hazards OSHA Region 2 At a follow-up inspection in April, OSHA discovered that […]
The heart of the inspection process is the walkaround. Jim Stanley, former OSHA deputy assistant secretary and currently president of FDRSafety in Brentwood, Tennessee, says advance planning is the best hedge against negative outcomes during this phase. The walkaround is the time when the inspector observes processes and talks with employees and supervisors. The law […]
Currently president of FDRSafety in Brentwood, Tennessee, Jim Stanley had a long and distinguished career with OSHA. He achieved the rank of deputy assistant secretary and oversaw nationwide enforcement before retiring from the agency in 1996 and going to work in private industry. This should ideally be the safety director or someone in upper management […]
Have a procedure in place for responding to NOVs, enforcement orders, and other related issuances. Give a copy of an NOV or order to the person responsible for responding. If the alleged violation is significant, make sure to alert the proper management official. Immediately determine the validity of the NOV or order. Mark all documents […]