The new face of OSHA, Jim Frederick, used to be a union official and Labor Secretary nominee Marty Walsh was known to be pro-union in his time as mayor of Boston. Therefore “the AFL-CIO wish list carries some weight,” said workplace safety attorney Adele Abrams. Abrams explored the union’s list of biggest occupational health and […]
Is this a good idea? A Canadian province is about to enact a new workplace safety law that would allow inspectors to issue fines to workers for violations. Penalties could be substantial for repeat offenders.
President-elect Biden has chosen Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to be his Labor Secretary. Walsh would oversee OSHA and MSHA, which are part of the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2016, as Mayor of Boston, Walsh filed an ordinance to give the city the right to deny, revoke or suspend a work permit based on the […]
The Biden administration has told OSHA to look into an emergency COVID-19 regulation for businesses but doesn’t mandate one as part of its overall plan. In a 200-page document, National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, a section on protecting workers says: “The President issued Executive Order Protecting Worker Health and Safety which […]
The comment period for the COVID-19 vaccination emergency temporary standard (ETS) has been extended to Jan. 19, 2022. OSHA extended the comment period by 45 days, allowing additional time for stakeholders to review and gather information before making comments. Comments should be identified as Docket No. OSHA-2021-0007 and can be filed electronically at regulations.gov, which is the […]
The stay on OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccination emergency temporary standard (ETS) was lifted Dec. 17 by the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the agency is promising enforcement discretion in respect to the standard’s compliance dates. OSHA can now enforce the ETS, but states it will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements […]
It didn’t take long for a federal court to stay OSHA’s vaccination/testing rule. This will take time to be resolved. What should you do in the meantime? Under the standard, employers either have to enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy or create a policy that allows workers to either get vaccinated or get tested regularly […]
The good news: An estimated 553,000 workers’ lives have been saved since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The bad news …
OSHA officially received an extension on developing a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) back in March, and the Department of Labor’s new boss is taking full advantage of the extra time. President Joe Biden gave OSHA until March 15 to come up with an ETS addressing the coronavirus, but gave the agency more time when […]
It’s not a done deal yet, but it appears OSHA fines could increase in 2016 due to language in the federal budget bill that’s been agreed upon between Republicans in Congress and the Obama administration. The fines could increase almost 80% in one jump, and increase annually by the rate of inflation after that.
“All of the Trump executive orders that applied to regulatory reform or deregulatory efforts — they’re gone. They’re no longer in effect,” said occupational health and safety attorney Adele Abrams. Speaking during the Premier Learning Solutions webinar “Safety Polices in 2021: How the New Administration Impacts Employers Now,” she said to consider any “midnight rules” related to […]
If a state tells its occupational safety and health inspectors that they have to find a higher percentage of serious, willful and repeat violations, has it set up a quota system?
On Jan. 3, Minnesota became the first state-plan state to officially adopt federal OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The state plans to exercise enforcement discretion as far as compliance dates are concerned, similar to what federal OSHA has implemented since the stay on the ETS was lifted Dec. 17 by the U.S. […]
Following closely on the heals of new rest rules for commercial pilots, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set new hours-of-service (HOS) requirements for commercial truck drivers. Some groups aren’t happy about the new rules.
An OSHA COVID-19 emergency temporary standard — which may use Virginia’s permanent final rule for a template — for preventing transmission of the virus in the workplace is a top priority for the Biden administration. But what other goals will the agency have its eye on in the next few years? Attorney and occupational safety […]
President Joe Biden appointed Jim Frederick to OSHA’s No. 2 leadership position, giving the administration the ability to put Biden’s vision of OSHA into place … perhaps quickly. Frederick, who replaces Loren Sweatt, was named the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jan. 20, and his appointment allows the new administration to pursue its agenda […]
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