Even if there hadn’t been a coronavirus pandemic, you could expect to see significant differences between a Trump OSHA and a Biden OSHA. COVID-19 has put emphasis on OSHA and will accelerate changes at the agency. Here are the changes to expect soon after January 20, 2021, when the new president takes office: Temporary emergency […]
A former plant manager has pleaded guilty to federal charges and could face up to three years in prison in connection to giving a falsified document to an OSHA inspector. Rean Brooks, former manager at Texas Packing Company, a meat packing plant in San Angelo, Texas, pleaded guilty to concealing knowledge of a felony. The […]
OSHA has entered a region-wide corporate settlement agreement with Target Corp. regarding exit access and storage hazard violations at about 200 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. The retailer will pay $464,750 in penalties and enhance worker safety by addressing the egress and storage issues at all Target stores in the four […]
Now, many employers’ injury data from Form 300A is available straight from the source: OSHA. OSHA has released work-related injury and illness data on the Internet. Form 300A data for calendar years 2016, 2017 and 2018 are available in a spreadsheet that can be sorted by company name and location. The records released by OSHA include: […]
OSHA has published a final rule revising the 2017 beryllium standards for construction and shipyards. The rule takes effect Sept. 30, 2020. Enforcement of the 2017 permissible exposure limits for beryllium began in May 2018. OSHA has amended these paragraphs in the final rule for construction and shipyards: Definitions Methods of Compliance Respiratory Protection Personal […]
An Ohio trucking company was slapped with a $1.57 million OSHA fine after a hazardous materials incident that caused the deaths of two workers. The fine is the fifth highest the agency has issued since January 2015 and involves 40 willful violations. On Feb. 20, an employee of Great Lakes Tank & Vessel entered a […]
Injury and illness records for more than 238,000 employers have been made public via Public Citizen’s website, thanks to a recent court win. OSHA agreed to make the records of 238,641 employers publicly available to Public Citizen after a two-year court battle that ended with a U.S. District Court judge finding the records weren’t confidential. […]
A motor carrier who fired a driver for reporting safety concerns must reinstate the driver and pay $137,341 in back salary and damages. The driver told management a co-worker was driving at excessive speeds and keeping inaccurate driving logs. OSHA investigators found the company, U.S. Corrections LLC of Melbourne, FL, violated whistleblower provisions of the […]
Are you confused by federal OSHA’s reporting requirements for coronavirus cases? You’re not alone. The law firm Baker Hostetler says in a blog post it’s been hearing from employers that they’re confused by OSHA‘s reporting guidance on what to do if an employee gets the coronavirus. Baker Hostetler says OSHA published guidance on its website […]
