Tag: Massachusetts

OSHA Cites Florida, Massachusetts Employers Following Explosions

A pair of employers are facing six-figure Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties following workplace explosions. Air Liquide Advanced Materials, Inc., of High Springs, Florida, a global manufacturer of industrial gas, faces $201,573 in penalties following a May 2023 explosion that severely injured several employees, OSHA announced November 16. The employer could have prevented […]

OSHA Approves Massachusetts Developmental Plan

On August 18, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) approved Massachusetts’ developmental health and safety program (87 Federal Register (FR) 50766). OSHA has determined Massachusetts’ program will be at least as effective as the federal program in protecting the safety and health of state and local government workers. The initial approval is based on […]

OSHA Weighs Massachusetts State Plan

On June 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed granting initial approval for a Massachusetts state safety and health plan covering state and local government workers (87 Federal Register (FR) 39033). The Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS) has submitted a developmental state safety and health plan for initial OSHA approval. OSHA proposed […]

House kitchen fire

Massachusetts Explosions, Fires Highlight the Costs of Faulty Equipment

Late last week, a series of explosions across several towns in Massachusetts resulted in one fatality and several injuries. The incident, its aftermath, and the resulting investigations and lawsuits are a reminder of the costliness of failing to conduct proper maintenance and monitoring of equipment to ensure its safe operation and performance.

Power plant

Massachusetts Supreme Court Affirms Power Sector GHG Regs

Shortly after the Trump EPA proposed to replace the Obama EPA’s Clean Power Plan with its more industry-friendly Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the Massachusetts Supreme Court went in the opposite direction by denying a petition to overturn a state regulation imposing a progressive cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the power sector.

More Delay for the Cape Wind Project

The Cape Wind Project (Project), now midway through its second decade of planning without a single turbine standing, encountered another hurdle when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a multipart decision that agreed with two out of three claims environmental groups have made against the Project. Importantly, the court said the […]