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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP). Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh unveiled the NEP on April 13 with Vice President Kamala Harris at a public event at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. OSHA plans to initiate […]
A Blue Springs, Missouri, contractor is facing $796,817 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for trenching and other safety violations. The agency cited Arrow Plumbing and owner Rick Smith for four willful violations, one repeat violation, and seven serious violations of federal safety standards. The Missouri contractor exposed two workers to the life-threatening […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Smithfield, Rhode Island, concrete maker for 6 serious safety and health violations, proposing $43,506 in penalties, following a worker fatality investigation. Greenville Ready Mix Concrete Products, Inc., did not establish a lockout/tagout program to prevent the cement truck drum from operating while employees serviced or maintained […]
A federal judge held a New Jersey employer personally liable for $2 million in accumulated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines. An administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission granted the Department of Labor’s (DOL) motion for summary judgment against Juan Quevedo-Garcia, owner and principal of BB Frame LLC, following […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Dollar General more than $3.6 million after conducting 55 inspections at Dollar General stores nationwide. On February 23, the agency proposed $683,680 in penalties for violations cited at 3 Mobile, Alabama, locations and $364,629 in penalties following an inspection of a Dalton, Georgia, store. “Dollar General’s […]
On February 3, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it cited a northeast Texas sawmill and pallet manufacturer with 13 safety and health violations following a federal investigation into fatal injuries suffered by an 86-year-old worker. The agency is seeking $389,706 in proposed penalties. OSHA cited W.D. Townley and Son Lumber Company Inc. […]
As of Wednesday, January 26, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration withdrew its emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have mandated COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing/masking requirements for employers with 100 or more employees. After the U.S. Supreme Court last week found the ETS to be an unconstitutional exercise of power and stayed the implementation […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a North Point, Florida-based employer following an employee’s heat-related death in the Apalachicola National Forest. Agency inspectors found that Earthbalance Corp. had exposed workers to hazards related to high ambient heat and failed to adequately train someone to perform first aid and ensure he or she was […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited PM Engineered Solutions Inc. of Watertown, Connecticut, with 40 serious and 8 other-than-serious violations and is seeking $236,201 in proposed penalties. The agency inspected the metal fabrication company after an employee was electrocuted on July 14, 2021, while repairing a portable water heater. PM Engineered Solutions lacked […]
On January 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments concerning the COVID-19 vaccine-or-test emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued in November by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Petitioners, which include business groups and several states, want a federal injunction to block OSHA from implementing and enforcing the emergency rule. OSHA earlier announced plans […]