Tag: Enforcement

Expanded Cal/OSHA Powers Take Effect

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) began 2022 with new responsibilities and enhanced safety and health enforcement authority. A new state law regarding the use of productivity quotas at warehouse distribution centers requires Cal/OSHA to inform the state’s labor commissioner whenever an employer or a site has an annual employee injury rate […]

DOJ Ramping Up Environmental Compliance Enforcement

Risk managers take note: Environmental enforcement, particularly criminal enforcement, is expected to rise in the coming months. In their remarks at the American Bar Association’s annual National Environmental Enforcement Conference, Chief of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Environmental Crimes Section Deborah Harris and Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, head of the DOJ Environment and Natural […]

California and COVID-19

California Hospitals, Police Department Cited for Failing to Protect Workforce from COVID-19

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) cited six San Francisco Bay Area employers, including hospitals, a police department, and skilled nursing facilities, for failing to protect their employees from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

COVID-19 safety inspection

Michigan OSHA Hands Out Citations for COVID-19 Violations

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) cited 19 different businesses with serious “general duty” violations for failing to implement safety and health workplace guidelines, exposing employees to hazards of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

California and COVID-19

Cal/OSHA Issues Six-Figure COVID-19 Citations After Illnesses and a Death

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued citations to frozen food manufacturer Overhill Farms Inc. and a temporary employment agency Jobsource North America Inc. for failing to protect hundreds of employees from COVID-19 at two plants in Vernon. The agency proposed penalties of over $200,000 for each employer.

COVID-19 safety inspection

Cal/OSHA Has Cited 11 Employers for COVID-19 Violations

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced it had cited 11 employers for not protecting employees from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure during the agency’s inspections of industries where workers have an elevated risk of exposure. The industries included agriculture, food processing, health care, meatpacking, and retail.

OSHA Binder

Labor OIG Audits OSHA’s COVID-19 Whistleblower Enforcement

The Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an audit report of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) handling of whistleblower complaints during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The OIG recommended that OSHA fill staff vacancies in the Whistleblower Protection Program (WPP), continue a pilot triage program in its Region […]

Agency Guidance Documents Restricted by Executive Orders

The Trump administration extended its campaign to curtail the power of federal agencies to “stifle economic growth and hurt small businesses” into the area of guidance documents. In two Executive Orders (EO) published October 9, 2019, President Donald Trump placed restrictions on the issuance of significant guidance documents as well as on how guidance documents […]

Balancing environmental enforcement and business

EPA Deals Out Big Fines in Q3

In Q3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 158 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. There was a definitive increase in enforcement actions, with only 106 penalties issued in the previous quarter. Here we highlight some of the biggest fines.

Inspector is taking notes to a notepad in front of a facility.

EHS Enforcement Begins (and Ends) with Your Permits

No one looks forward to the day when the regulatory authority arrives at your facility for an inspection.  Will he or she find issues of noncompliance?  Will an enforcement action or penalty be forthcoming?  But remember, the ultimate goal of the inspector is not to write up a notice of violation but to ensure your […]