Tag: worker safety

OSHA Task Force Sponsors Suicide Prevention Week

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) task force announced a weeklong Suicide Prevention Safety Stand-Down, planned for September 6-10, to raise awareness about the unique challenges construction workers face. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study found that men working in construction have one of the highest suicide rates compared with […]

MA Contractor Facing $1.3 Million Fine After Trench Fatalities

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Wayland, Massachusetts, contractor and his processor and successor companies with 28 willful, repeat, serious, and other-than-serious safety and health violations following two trenching fatalities. The agency seeks a total of $1,350,884 in penalties. Atlantic Coast Utilities LLC/Advanced Utilities Inc.; its predecessor company Shannon Construction Corp.; their […]

Safeway Cited for Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding Violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on August 10 cited Safeway Inc. with violations of the agency’s lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and other standards at the company’s dairy facility. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $339,379. The agency inspected a Denver milk packaging plant operated by Safeway after a worker lost four fingers while operating a molding […]

10 Ways to Kick Start Your Safety and Health Program

As part of its Safe + Sound campaign, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shared a variety of resources aimed at helping businesses put together safety and health programs. According to OSHA’s page devoted to the topic, safety and health programs help businesses do the following: Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses Improve compliance with […]

Making Sense of Washington’s New Health Emergency Labor Standards Act

Washington State has adopted the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), a sweeping worker protection bill passed by the state legislature. The Act amends the state’s workers’ compensation and industrial health and safety statutes to provide automatic protections for certain workers and to impose new notification and reporting requirements on employers in the event of a public […]

Are Off-Site Injuries Covered by Workers’ Comp in Oklahoma? It Depends

Over the years we’ve seen a steady stream of cases involving employees who filed workers’ compensation claims after being injured away from the employer’s premises. Sometimes it was difficult to determine whether the off-site injury was compensable. Changes to Oklahoma’s laws sought to clarify the question, and two recent cases provide more answers.  Driving to […]

Nevada Employers Must Compensate Employees Who Get COVID-19 Shots

The Nevada Legislature recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 209 requiring employers to give employees paid time off (PTO) to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Here’s how the new law works and what you will need to know.  Key Facts About New Nevada Law  Who’s covered. SB 209 applies to all private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada. It doesn’t apply […]

OSHA Kicks Off Safe + Sound Week for U.S. Workplaces

The U.S. Department of Labor encourages the nation’s employers to commit to workplace safety and health and join its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in observing Safe + Sound Week, Aug. 9-15, 2021. A nationwide event that recognizes the successes of workplace safety and health programs, Safe + Sound Week also offers information and ideas on […]

EPA Publishes New TSCA Data Reporting Regulation

On June 29, 2021, the EPA published a final rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the TSCA Health and Safety Data reporting rule, requiring manufacturers (including importers) of 50 specified chemical substances to report certain lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies to the EPA. “Section 8(d) of the Toxic […]

OSHA Seeks Input on Power Press Standard

On July 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) called for stakeholder input on updating its mechanical power press standard (29 CFR §1910.217). The OSHA standard, originally issued in 1971, was based on the 1971 edition of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) industry consensus standard for mechanical power presses (ANSI B11.1), which has […]