Tag: DOL

Group of men working at a chemical warehouse classifying barrels

The Ins and Outs of Chemical Compliance: Hazmat, HazCom, Hazardous Waste, and GHS

Chemical substances can have an assortment of labels and placards as they move through commerce and eventually end up as waste products. The Departments of Labor (DOL) and Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have regulatory authority during various points of transport, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous substances. The National Fire Protection […]

Lockout Tagout

Could There Be Lockout-Tagout Changes on the Horizon?

OSHA may be planning to explore alternative methods of ensuring workers are protected from sources of hazardous energy (chemical, electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, thermal, and others). OSHA announced plans in the Department of Labor’s (DOL) most recent agenda of regulatory and deregulatory actions to issue a pre-rule request for information (RFI) on alternatives to its […]

Excavator digging trench on a construction site

OSHA Provides Trenching Compliance Assistance Resources

In a recent news release, OSHA announced the development of a series of compliance assistance resources to help keep workers safe from trenching and excavation hazards. OSHA’s goal is to increase awareness of trenching hazards in construction, educate job creators and workers on safe cave-in prevention solutions, and decrease the number of trench collapses. These […]

Forced labor

DOL Report Details Child and Forced Labor Worldwide

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) notes that some of modern society’s most coveted goods are produced by child and forced labor. For example, there is evidence of child labor or forced labor in sugarcane and coffee harvesting in a combined 25 countries worldwide; children in the Democratic Republic […]

Fatalities and Injuries Are Underreported, Says OIG

Despite a 2014 OSHA rule that strengthened provisions that require employers to inform OSHA about work-related fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that OSHA’s data on these incidents are deficient as is its assurance that employers abated the hazards that contributed to the incidents.

Job safety

DOL Considers Relaxing Rules on Teens in Hazardous Jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is reportedly planning to change rules on youth employment so that more teens would be allowed to train to work in jobs deemed hazardous. But attorneys focusing on employment law issues warn that even if the change takes place, employers will still need to keep safety a priority and […]

Trump Nominates Andrew Puzder for Labor Secretary; Safety Community Reacts

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate Andrew Puzder to serve as Secretary of Labor in Trump’s administration. If confirmed, he would oversee the Department of Labor and its many agencies, which include OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and many others.